that. It made Elias feel comfortable, which in turn made him feel uncomfortable because he wasn’t used to it.
“Well, my idea,” Caden continued, “was about this tiny village where people trained dragons for war. The concept I had was the boys of the village are given an egg when they become teenagers and they have to look after this egg until it hatches and that's when they become men. I had this idea of a boy, about fifteen, waiting for his egg to hatch and feeling left out because his was the last one out of his peers. It all sounds so silly out loud.”
“It doesn’t,” Elias immediately jumped in, “I still feel like I’m waiting for my egg to hatch.”
Caden stared deep into his eyes, the corners pricking up as he smiled, “Me too.”
Elias put the syrupy leftovers of his coffee on the table along with the chicken. When he sat back, his arm reached across the back of the couch. It was dangerously close to Caden’s elbow, which was propping up his head as he stared at Elias. He wanted to pull it away but he knew that would look even weirder, so he kept it there, his body stiff as a board.
“Have you started writing it?”
“Kind of,” Caden shrugged, “I’ve been writing on and off for the past five years but the time has never felt right. I was hoping coming back to Havenmoore would give me more time but I started working for Helping Hands and I’ve been busier than ever. It's keeping my mind off -,”
Caden suddenly stopped mid-sentence and sat forward, staring at the blank TV awkwardly. Elias pulled his arm back and sat cross-legged on the sofa. He fiddled with the rings in his ear as he wondered what Caden was about to say.
“Your break up?” Elias offered.
“Was it that obvious?” Caden ran his hands across his light scruff, “Damn, man. I shouldn’t be talking about this with you. I’m here to help you.”
“This is helping,” Elias said, “I hate talking about my problems. People only ever want to talk about addiction. This is the most normal I’ve felt since getting out.”
Caden half smiled, glancing to Elias out of the corner of his eye. It warmed Elias to know that other people in the world had problems, even if they were different. He had grown up in a world where weakness and differences were actively discouraged.
“I haven’t really spoken about it,” Caden said softly, “my parents don’t really understand and all of my friends are his friends so it’s not like I can vent to them either.”
“His friends?”
“Yeah, my ex, Finn. I moved to New York and -,”
“Wait,” Elias cut him off, “you’re gay?”
Caden smiled awkwardly and shifted back into the corner of the sofa. Elias felt his entire body turning rigid as he stared at Caden, waiting for the answer.
“I am,” he nodded, “is that a problem, because if it is -,”
“No, it’s not a problem,” he interrupted again, “I just – I just didn’t know.”
“Do you want me to wear a badge?” Caden laughed awkwardly, “We’re normal people too.”
Elias could tell that Caden was joking but it didn’t stop Elias’ heart pounding in his chest. Just tell him you are too . The words were there, waiting to come out. He hadn’t actually spoken them to anyone before. They’d never been important, but sitting there with Caden feeling almost normal made him want to share that part of him with the world. It’ll only make things even more awkward.
“Can I tell you something?” the words tumbled out of Elias’ mouth.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Caden turned back towards him, a friendly smile on his face.
Elias wanted to say the words, to finally confide in somebody. Would it be a relief? He had always had so many troubles in his life, this had been one that he had pushed to the back of his mind, only confronting when he needed to use it to his advantage to get what he wanted from people; usually curious and horny dealers.
“I – I -,” sweat poured down his forehead,
“Well, my idea,” Caden continued, “was about this tiny village where people trained dragons for war. The concept I had was the boys of the village are given an egg when they become teenagers and they have to look after this egg until it hatches and that's when they become men. I had this idea of a boy, about fifteen, waiting for his egg to hatch and feeling left out because his was the last one out of his peers. It all sounds so silly out loud.”
“It doesn’t,” Elias immediately jumped in, “I still feel like I’m waiting for my egg to hatch.”
Caden stared deep into his eyes, the corners pricking up as he smiled, “Me too.”
Elias put the syrupy leftovers of his coffee on the table along with the chicken. When he sat back, his arm reached across the back of the couch. It was dangerously close to Caden’s elbow, which was propping up his head as he stared at Elias. He wanted to pull it away but he knew that would look even weirder, so he kept it there, his body stiff as a board.
“Have you started writing it?”
“Kind of,” Caden shrugged, “I’ve been writing on and off for the past five years but the time has never felt right. I was hoping coming back to Havenmoore would give me more time but I started working for Helping Hands and I’ve been busier than ever. It's keeping my mind off -,”
Caden suddenly stopped mid-sentence and sat forward, staring at the blank TV awkwardly. Elias pulled his arm back and sat cross-legged on the sofa. He fiddled with the rings in his ear as he wondered what Caden was about to say.
“Your break up?” Elias offered.
“Was it that obvious?” Caden ran his hands across his light scruff, “Damn, man. I shouldn’t be talking about this with you. I’m here to help you.”
“This is helping,” Elias said, “I hate talking about my problems. People only ever want to talk about addiction. This is the most normal I’ve felt since getting out.”
Caden half smiled, glancing to Elias out of the corner of his eye. It warmed Elias to know that other people in the world had problems, even if they were different. He had grown up in a world where weakness and differences were actively discouraged.
“I haven’t really spoken about it,” Caden said softly, “my parents don’t really understand and all of my friends are his friends so it’s not like I can vent to them either.”
“His friends?”
“Yeah, my ex, Finn. I moved to New York and -,”
“Wait,” Elias cut him off, “you’re gay?”
Caden smiled awkwardly and shifted back into the corner of the sofa. Elias felt his entire body turning rigid as he stared at Caden, waiting for the answer.
“I am,” he nodded, “is that a problem, because if it is -,”
“No, it’s not a problem,” he interrupted again, “I just – I just didn’t know.”
“Do you want me to wear a badge?” Caden laughed awkwardly, “We’re normal people too.”
Elias could tell that Caden was joking but it didn’t stop Elias’ heart pounding in his chest. Just tell him you are too . The words were there, waiting to come out. He hadn’t actually spoken them to anyone before. They’d never been important, but sitting there with Caden feeling almost normal made him want to share that part of him with the world. It’ll only make things even more awkward.
“Can I tell you something?” the words tumbled out of Elias’ mouth.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Caden turned back towards him, a friendly smile on his face.
Elias wanted to say the words, to finally confide in somebody. Would it be a relief? He had always had so many troubles in his life, this had been one that he had pushed to the back of his mind, only confronting when he needed to use it to his advantage to get what he wanted from people; usually curious and horny dealers.
“I – I -,” sweat poured down his forehead,
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