Like Youâve Nothing Left to Prove by E.L. Massey
Author:E.L. Massey [Massey, E.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary, gay, interracial, new adult, sports, ice hockey, uni student, ice skating, professional athlete, physical disability, anxiety disorder, coming out, service dog, cooking/foodies, stanning, social media, hashtags, homophobia
Publisher: NineStar Press
Published: 2023-03-13T18:30:00+00:00
Chapter Thirteen
THE NEXT WEEK isâ¦
Well.
Idyllic, might be the word.
Alex takes Hawk to run with him in the mornings and stickhandles tennis balls around the house for her to chase in the afternoons. He drives Eli to his therapy appointments and drops him off and picks him up from class. They cook together, on camera and off, and cuddle on the couch while watching the All-Star Game coverage, even though Eli technically isnât supposed to have screen time yet. (âAlex, no. Donât turn it off. Iâm not looking at the TV; Iâm looking at the wall next to the TV!â)
After the second grocery delivery where Eli says probably unkind things in Spanish and bemoans a lack of plátanos, Alex google translates âplátanosâ and then sacrifices fifteen minutes of selfies in the line at CVS to purchase a dozen bananas on his way home from the gym. When he proudly presents them to Eli, however, Eli is confused for several seconds and then justâ¦laughs.
Uproariously.
For a while.
âOh my god,â Eli says. âYou silly gringo. You brought me bananas.â
âUh, yeah? Because you keep complaining that Amazon wonât deliver them with our other groceries? Which seems dumb, by the way, because I donât even like bananas, but I know theyâre super common.â
Eli just laughs harder.
âIs that notâ Google said plátanos is Spanish for bananas.â Alex pulls up the search screen on his phone from earlier that day. âLook. See? Plátanos. Bananas.â Alex shoves his phone back in his pocket and crosses his arms. âWhy are you laughing at me?!â
âOh, no,â Eli says, still giggling but grabbing one of Alexâs wrists. âNo, no. Iâm sorry; Iâm not laughing at you.â
âWell, youâre definitely not laughing with me,â Alex mutters, pulling away from him.
Okay. He doesnât really pull away. Just pretends to. Eliâs balance has improved, but itâs not back to normal yet and the last thing he wants to do is contribute to a fall.
That, and the fact that if Eli is touching him, even if Alex is kind of pissed at him, he doesnât ever want Eli to stop touching him.
âNo, I know,â Eli says, clinging a little harder anyway. âHey. Iâm sorry. I love that you brought me bananas.â He kisses Alexâs chin. Goes up on his toes to reach his mouth. âI really do. Thank you.â
Alex is mollified. âThen why are you laughing at me? I was trying to do a thing. A nice thing.â
âI know, baby. I know you were. Itâs justââ He badly suppresses another laugh. âI meant plantains. In the Dominican Republic, plátanos are plantains. Thatâs what Mamá and Abuela call them, so I do too. Bananas are guineos.â
âThen why did Google sayââ
âIn most other Spanish-speaking places, plátanos are bananas. You didnât do anything wrong; it was really sweet, justâ¦funny. And I need to call Mamá and tell her right now. This is literally the cutest thing.â
Alex gets another kiss for his trouble and then is left glaring at a dozen bananas while Eli alternates between cooing and cackling loudly in Spanish from the guest bedroom.
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