Page 97 of Love Overdose: St. Louis

“We found him beneath the refrigerator two days later.”

Malik smiled.

“He was alive,” Elijah assured him. “My father built a better enclosure after that.”

I laughed softly. “Why do I feel like your childhood was chaotic?”

“Because I had brothers.”

The turtle glided closer to the glass. Malik lifted his hand, and Elijah adjusted the Spider-Man figure before it fell. The small motion touched me more deeply than it should have. I had spent years doing a thousand things no one noticed. Repositioning Malik’s hands. Checking his feet. Moving fabric away from the wheels. Making certain whatever he loved remained within reach.

Elijah noticed. He didn’t wait for me to do a task. He did it himself and I fell in love with him every second we remained together. Malik’s eyes drifted closed twenty minutes later. His breathing deepened, and his hand relaxed around Spider-Man.

“We wore him out,” Elijah said quietly.

“He’ll sleep for thirty minutes and wake up hungry.”

“I made a lunch reservation.”

“Of course you did.”

“The restaurant confirmed they can accommodate his chair.”

I studied him.

“What?”

“You planned everything.”

“I wanted the day to be easy for you.”

My throat tightened, and I fought back emotions. Easy wasn’t a word I associated with taking Malik anywhere. Enjoyable, yes. Worth it, always. But not easy. I looked down at my hands. Elijah’s fingers touched my chin and lifted my face.

“You don’t have to earn rest, Frankie.”

My throat tightened even more.

“I know.”

His thumb moved once along my jaw. “Do you?”

I didn’t answer. He leaned closer and kissed my forehead. Malik slept through lunch. We sat at a table with enough space for his chair and ordered food we could take home if he didn’t wake. I ate salmon, roasted potatoes, and half of Elijah’s dessert while checking Malik every few minutes.

Elijah told me about a nurse at the clinic who had adopted a dog large enough to knock over the front desk. I told him about Journey accidentally broadcasting fifteen minutes of herself arguing with a printer during an online workout.

Conversation moved easily between us. Malik woke as the server placed the check on the table. His eyes opened slowly, then moved toward the food.

I adjusted his head support. “Did you have a good nap?”

He looked at the plate in front of me.

“I knew you’d wake up hungry.”

I offered him a piece of soft bread, then some of the mashed potatoes Elijah had ordered for him. Malik accepted both, then reached toward Elijah’s plate. Elijah moved his water glass and brought the plate closer.

“You want the macaroni?”

Malik lifted his hand. Elijah helped him take a small bite. I watched them while pretending to organize the items inside Malik’s bag. Something had changed since the first afternoon they met. Malik no longer studied Elijah before every interaction. He reached for him. Expected him to understand and looked toward the door when Elijah arrived at my house. The trust between them had grown quietly.