Crossed Paths: MM First Time Romance by Conti Mia

Author:Conti, Mia [Conti, Mia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-22T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

They’re all in Mark’s front yard when Elliot shows up to collect Sammy the next morning. Elliot watches from his car a while, watches Mark run along the lawn with a ball tucked under his arm, zigzagging and weaving around trees and greenery, until he reaches the edge of the driveway and Sammy, hot on his heels, leaps onto his back. They hit the ground in a pile of laughter and shouts, Wade piling on, arms flailing. When they get to their feet again, they’re red and breathless, and Elliot’s heart is soaring.

He gets out of the car, strolls up the drive. Mark turns like he senses him, and the blazing adrenaline of the game in his eyes softens like butter.

“Hey there.”

Elliot smiles. “Hey.” He can’t really process what it feels like now, looking at Mark after their phone call last night. It’s a weird sort of twisting in his gut, but it’s not unpleasant. It could become too much, though, if he let it.

“I can’t believe you got Sammy out here exerting himself,” he says.

“We’re all in shock,” says Sammy, and then, “I’ll go grab my stuff.” He jogs into the house, leaving Wade to toe the ball around on the lawn, while Elliot and Mark stand there, as ever, awkward. But for different reasons this time, Elliot likes to think. Elliot likes to hope.

Mark pushes floppy, unstyled hair off his forehead. “I bribed them with chocolate pudding first.”

“It’s ten in the morning.”

“I never said I was a good parent,” Mark says, and they share a shy sort of grin.

Elliot’s got things he wants to say, questions he wants to ask, but Wade’s loitering nearby and Sammy will reappear any second and really, there’s a lot he doesn’t want to fuck up, so it’s probably best to let it settle for a few days, get his thoughts in order. At least then if he’s gonna fuck it up, he can say he worked for it.

“Did he behave?” he asks, sidestepping the ball as Wade comes barreling past with it. Mark watches his son with something like pride gleaming in his expression, before he looks up at Elliot and nods.

“Yeah, he—” He pauses as he takes note of Wade disappearing around the side of the house, then he looks over his shoulder, presumably checking for Sammy’s presence. Elliot’s stomach lurches, then full on somersaults when Mark steps forward suddenly, dropping his voice. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” he says. This close, with the height difference, he has to stoop a little to look Elliot in the eye. “It’s all just…” He makes a gesture beside his head to indicate the confusing, swirling nature of his thoughts, and then huffs a little breath, arm falling back to his side.

“I know,” Elliot murmurs. He wants to reach out, touch, comfort. He hooks his hands behind his back. “We’ll talk about it,” he assures. “On Wednesday.”

Mark licks his lip, nervous and vulnerable, and gives a jerky nod. There’s a weird vibe coming from him, and Elliot’s not quite sure if it’s a good thing.

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