Page 95 of Love Overdose: St. Louis

Malik lifted his hand.

Elijah pushed him toward the door. I followed, carrying the blue bag and my purse while trying not to make too much of how natural the scene looked. That had become my problem. Nothing Elijah did with Malik felt forced. He didn’t fill every quiet moment because Malik couldn’t answer him with words. He talked to him, waited, watched his face, and learned. When he didn’t understand something, he asked.

That should have made it easier to relax. Instead, I had more to lose than I did six weeks ago. Elijah secured Malik’s chair inside the accessible van I owned. He checked each strap after I fastened it, then stepped aside so I could inspect his work.

The first time he helped me load Malik, he asked me to show him every step so he could see my process.

“All set?” he asked.

I tugged the final strap. “All set.”

Malik held Spider-Man against his chest as Elijah closed the side door.

The sky was pale and cloudless above us. Most of the leaves had changed, filling the trees along my street with dark red, orange, and fading gold. A breeze sent several skittering over the sidewalk.

Elijah walked me around to the passenger side and opened my door. I kissed his cheek before climbing inside, warmed by the quiet care he placed into even the smallest gestures.

The drive to Union Station took less than twenty minutes. Malik responded to the music from the back while Elijah drove, tapping his hand against the armrest whenever a song caught his attention.

I glanced at him through the space between the seats.

“You like this one?”

He clapped once. Elijah raised the volume slightly. Sunlight moved across his hands on the steering wheel. A watch gleamed beneath the edge of his sleeve. He looked comfortable behind the wheel of my van, as though driving my son and me across the city belonged inside his life. I turned toward the window before the thought could settle too deeply. We had been together for a little over three months.

Elijah was honest about his schedule, and the hospital had already interrupted several evenings. So far, he kept his promise. He called, explained, and made other plans when necessary. But we were still new. New made everything feel possible. His hand settled over mine on the center console. I looked at him.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

I glanced back at Malik before turning my hand beneath Elijah’s.

“This is different for me. I’m happy about it, though. Looking forward to us all spending time together.”

He lifted our joined hands and kissed my knuckles.

“Me too.”

The aquarium was crowded. Children’s voices filled the entrance, strollers rolled, and the families moved in every direction.

I had checked the accessibility information twice before agreeing to come. Elijah had checked it too without telling me. I knew because he guided us to the elevator without searching for a sign and had already bought timed tickets that let us avoid the longest line.

Malik’s eyes moved everywhere.

Blue light washed across the first gallery. Schools of silver fish glided through a wide tank that stretched nearly from floor to ceiling. Their bodies flashed when they turned, hundreds of them changing direction together.

Malik leaned forward against his chest harness. His mouth opened in a breathy sound.

“You see them?” I moved beside his chair. “Look at all those fish.”

His hand lifted toward the glass. Elijah lowered himself beside him, keeping his body out of Malik’s view.

“They’re following each other,” he said. “Every one of them is waiting for another fish to decide where they’re going.”

Malik looked at him.

“I wouldn’t trust them.”

A soft laugh escaped Malik.