Above all Else by Sophia R Heart

Author:Sophia R Heart [Heart, Sophia R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-03T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

The next morning, I decided to make pancakes for everyone. They were quick, and easy, yet tasted delicious.

Unfortunately, Phoenix had hit some more roadblocks last night, and when I’d finally gone to bed at around two AM, he’d still been sat in front of the computer with Kellan.

When I came downstairs, I’d thought that I was the first one up, but it seemed like Phoenix hadn’t gone to bed at all last night. He was still in the same clothes as yesterday, red stubble dotting his jaw, his hands flying across the keyboard. I’d delivered him some coffee, and after trying – unsuccessfully – to get him to move and go take a nap, I’d given up and left him with his computers.

According to him, the program was eighty-nine percent done with decoding the police security system and he didn’t want to hit any last minute snags.

I hoped it was just determination that was fueling him, and that his behavior didn’t have anything to do with his OCD. He’d said just yesterday how he was managing the disorder.

His eyes had been tired and red through his rectangular glasses, and I’d found myself incredibly annoyed with Kellan for letting Phoenix feel as though he’d had to stay up all night to make sure the program continued to work.

“An unfortunate side-effect of the drugs,” Phoenix had told me when I’d tried, for the last time, to get him to go to bed. “I’m used to not sleeping. When I’m tired enough, I’ll be able to sleep.”

I couldn’t have imagined anyone looking anymore exhausted if I tried. How much more tired could someone get?

I sighed, flipping over a pancake as Kellan came into the kitchen. My stomach seemed to flip over right along with the pancake at the sight of him. This was the first time that we’d been alone since the fateful kiss. I hadn’t stopped thinking about it all night, and wondered if maybe he hadn’t either.

“Pancake?” I asked nonchalantly when he paused by the door.

“Sure,” he said, unfreezing from the doorway. “I need a smoke first.”

“You might want to go grab Phoenix before you do. He looked like he could do with some breakfast,” I told him. Maybe he’d be able to convince Phoenix to step away from the computer.

“Phoenix?” he asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, he’s still on the computer,” I said, my voice a little reproachful.

“He’s what?” Kellan’s head jerked up. His mouth snapping shut as he strode back out of the kitchen. Okay, so maybe Kellan hadn’t known that Phoenix had stayed up to monitor the program.

I heard a muffled argument, followed by a door shutting, and guessed that Kellan had also been unsuccessful at getting Phoenix to move.

He came back into the kitchen a few minutes later. “He gets kind of… obsessive when he’s got a project to work on. I can’t believe he’s been in there all night.” He shook his head and headed for the refrigerator, pulling a bottle of OJ out of it.

“Is it like a relapse sort of thing?” I asked hesitantly.

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