Page 60 of Psync
“Will you help me so I don’t have an accent?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because your accent is adorable.”
Eli spent the elevator ride to his floor staring resolutely in the opposite direction of Haruka, but when the doors opened, he realized he was all but draped over the man when Haruka dipped his head and whispered in Eli’s ear, “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather me carry you?”
Eli took off down the hall, dragging Haruka behind him and didn’t stop until he reached his door.
“You very fast for someone who’s—”
“I’m not short.” Eli wrestled his door open using far more force than necessary.
“I was going to say injured. You’re supposed to rest for the next few days until your next appointment.”
That’s it. He was going to die. If it wasn’t from embarrassment, it would be from throwing himself down a flight of stairs.
“That’s not funny.”
Eli dropped Haruka’s hand, and his head immediately began to throb.
“Private thoughts are supposed to be private.”
“How often do you think about dying? Because several times in less than a day is alarming. Is this normal for Americans?”
“It’s not—I’m not . . . It’s called having a fatalistic sense of humor.”And you won’t have to hear it if you stay out of my head!Eli waited a beat and then smiled when Haruka didn’t react.
Excellent. Coffee time. But first . . .
Eli made for his desk to grab his bipolar meds, tapped out his dose, and swallowed it.
“What are those for?”
Eli reached into his fridge and grabbed a can of coffee, opened it and drank half its contents in one go. “You want one?” When Haruka shook his head, Eli shrugged. More for him. “I’m bipolar. These help me manage it.”
“What happens if you don’t take them?”
“Eh . . . it varies.” Eli hedged. Having a fatalistic sense of humor was one thing, but if it was followed by an in-depth discussion on manic depression, Haruka was likely to bolt. And while he wasn’t about to run around and tell everyone he met about it, Eli really wanted him to stay.
Haruka propped a hip on Eli’s desk and motioned for him to continue.
“If I don’t take them, my brain chemistry can’t regulate itself, and I’ll start swinging from happy to unhappy.”
“How unhappy?”
“Very unhappy, okay!” Eli’s head pounded, letting him know he’d gotten a bit louder than he’d planned.
“When was the last time you took them?”
“Um . . .” Actually, he couldn’t remember. “I’m not sure.”
“So, you haven’t been taking the medicine you need to take every day to be okay.” Haruka’s eyes narrowed.
Eli didn’t like where this was going. He’d only admitted what they were because he wasn’t ashamed to be bipolar and hiding it would be like hiding a part of himself, but Haruka was acting oddly invested considering it was Eli’s business. “I’ve been distracted lately.”
Haruka nodded, and a furrow between his eyebrows started to form.
