Page 79 of Psync
There was a woman’s voice in the background, calling Jace to dinner, so Eli said, “Okay, I’ll let you go. Take care of your family.”
“Thanks, man. Are you going to be okay without a roommate?”
Eli’s eyes flicked to Haruka. “Don’t worry about me, I’ve worked something out.”
“Good. Now I don’t have to feel like crap.”
“Right, you can focus on feeling short instead.” Eli ended the call on Jace’s cry of faux outrage.
“He is literally the only adult male I can do that to,” Eli said. “And he’s still fucking taller than me.”
Haruka pushed the button to call the elevator. Eli had been so caught up in his conversation with Jace, he hadn’t noticed they’d entered their building.
“So Jace isn’t coming back?”
“Not for this semester. I guess you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”
The elevator dinged, and they went inside. No one else got on with them, but Haruka still stood close enough to Eli that he could feel the man’s body heat. He tugged at his zipper. “Is it hot in here?”
“That doesn’t seem so bad.”
“What does?” What were they talking about?
“Being stuck with you.” Haruka leaned over him and put an arm on the wall above his head.
Eli’s throat went dry, and he gave a little cough. “I guess we already kind of are, right?”
“Right.”
Haruka wasn’t moving away. If anything, he was boxing Eli in further.
“Are you going to miss him?”
“Who, Jace? I mean, I guess so? I didn’t know him very well, but he’s a cool guy.”
“Hn.”
Eli was getting lightheaded. Something about the way Haruka smelled was driving his hormones into overdrive.
And he kept getting closer.
If he got any closer, Eli was going to have to start translating furiously—at least until he could get to the shower room to relieve some tension. And Haruka had given him so much material to work with yesterday, showing off all that gorgeous, golden skin.
“I got you.” Haruka’s eyes flared, and in their depths, Eli saw something primal staring back at him.
“Got me? What did you catch me doing?”
The door dinged and opened onto their floor. That was when Eli noticed Haruka’s arm was lightly touching the top of Eli’s head.
“You . . . you were listening?” He shrank back, ready to bolt, but there was nowhere for him to go.
Haruka gripped his arm firmly and hauled him out of the elevator. “Since you don’t like being carried in public, I suggest you come with me.” The glint in his eyes told Eli he fully intended to carry him kicking and screaming down the hallway if necessary.
“I’m coming, you don’t have to pull my arm off.”
“And if I don’t, you’ll escape.”
Escape? From what? Being coldly brushed off like everyone else? If Eli got the chance, you better believe he would.
