Chapter 49 FINDING NORMAL
Elias
Three weeks into the fall semester and the whispers were finally dying down.
Not gone. Just quieter. People had found new drama to obsess over. New scandals to dissect.
Elias and Alex were yesterday’s news.
Mostly.
Elias sat in the magazine office editing an article about local poetry scenes. His desk was covered in red-marked manuscripts. Coffee is going cold in his mug.
Jordan, Elias' boss knocked on his cubicle wall. “Got a minute?”
“Sure.”
Jordan sat in the extra chair. “The Chicago conference is next week. Are you still good to go?”
“Yeah. I booked my flight yesterday.”
“How’s Alex about it?”
“He says he’s fine. But I think he’s nervous.”
“About what?”
“Being alone. People still give him looks on campus. Last week someone left a note on his locker calling him a dicksucker.”
Jordan’s jaw tightened. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah. I wanted to go to the dean but Alex said it would just make things worse.”
“He’s probably right. Unfortunately.” Jordan pulled out a folder. “So. The promotion. You interested?”
Elias had been thinking about it for days. More money meant stability. More responsibility meant growth. But more hours meant less time with Alex.
“What would it involve exactly?” Elias asked.
“Managing junior staff. Assigning articles. Attending more meetings. The Chicago conference is the first of many. We’d need you to travel maybe once a month.”
“Once a month?”
“Sometimes more. Is that a problem?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I need to talk to Alex.”
“Fair. But Elias? This is a good opportunity. Don’t let fear hold you back.”
After Jordan left, Elias tried to focus on work. Failed. His mind kept circling back to Alex. To the note. To the stares that hadn’t completely stopped.
To leave him alone once a month while Elias traveled.
His phone buzzed. Alex.
Alex: Class canceled. Coming to see you for lunch?
Elias: Please. I need a break.
Twenty minutes later, Alex showed up with sandwiches from the deli down the street. They ate in the break room. Small space with a table and a microwave that smelled like burnt popcorn.
“How’s your day?” Elias asked.
“Better. Had creative writing this morning. Actually workshopped a story without anyone being weird about it.”
“That’s progress.”
“Yeah. Feels almost normal.” Alex took a bite of his sandwich. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar. You have your thinking face on.”
Elias smiled despite himself. “My thinking face?”
“Yeah. The one where you’re trying to figure out how to say something without upsetting me. Just say it.”
“Jordan wants an answer about the promotion. It means traveling once a month. Sometimes more.”
Alex was quiet for a moment. “You should take it.”
“What if you need me here?”
“I’ll survive. Elias, this is your career. You can’t put it on hold because some assholes left a mean note.”
“It’s not just the note. It’s everything. The stares. The whispers. Carter is still texting from new numbers.”
“He’s still texting you?”
“Not me. You. I saw your phone last night when you were in the shower. Three messages from unknown numbers.”
Alex’s face went red. “I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“When they stopped. I didn’t want you to worry.”
“What are they saying?”
“The usual. That I’m making a mistake. That you’re going to leave me. That I should get out before I get hurt.”
Elias set down his sandwich. His appetite is gone. “And you just delete them?”
“What else am I supposed to do? We tried the police. They couldn’t help. Blocking numbers doesn’t work because he just gets new ones.”
“We could change your number.”
“And give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to us? No.”
They sat in tense silence. The break room lights are buzzing overhead.
“I hate this,” Elias said.
“Me too.”
“I hate that he’s still in our lives. That he gets to keep poisoning things.”
“Then don’t let him. Take the promotion. Go to Chicago. Show him that we’re not letting him win.”
Elias looked at Alex. At the determination in his eyes. The stubborn set of his jaw.
“When did you get so strong?” Elias asked.
“I’ve always been strong. I just used to hide it.”
After lunch, Elias went back to work feeling lighter. He found Jordan and accepted the promotion.
“Great. I’ll get the paperwork started. You leave for Chicago next Thursday.”
That night, Elias and Alex celebrated with cheap wine and takeout Chinese food.
“To assistant editor Elias Reed,” Alex said, raising his glass.
“To put up with my stressed-out ass,” Elias countered.
They clinked glasses. Drank. The wine was too sweet but neither cared.
“I’m proud of you,” Alex said.
“For what?”
“For not letting fear win. For taking the job even though it’s scary.”
“I’m terrified.”
“Good. That means it matters.”
They ended up on the couch. Kissing slowly and lazily. Alex’s hands in Elias’s hair. Elias’s hands under Alex’s shirt.
“Bedroom?” Elias asked between kisses.
“Yes.”
They barely made it. Clothes are coming off in the hallway. Hands everywhere. Mouths are hot and desperate.
In bed, Elias took his time. Mapped every inch of Alex like he was memorizing him. Like he’d be gone for months instead of three days.
“I love you,” Elias said.
“I love you too.”
After, they lay tangled together. The apartment was quiet around them.
“What are you going to do while I’m gone?” Elias asked.
“Homework. Hang out with Des and Sana. Maybe actually sleep without you stealing all the blankets.”
“I don’t steal the blankets.”
“You absolutely do.”
“Well. You snore.”
“I do not.”
“You do. It’s cute.”
Alex pinched his side. Elias laughed and pulled him closer.
“I’m going to miss you,” Elias said.
“It’s three days.”
“I know. But still.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
They fell asleep like that. Wrapped around each other. Safe in their bubble.
But at 2 AM, Elias woke up to Alex’s phone buzzing on the nightstand.
Unknown number. Again.
He grabbed it before Alex could wake up. Opened the message.
Unknown: Enjoy him while you can. Once he sees the real world, he’ll realize how small you are. How boring. How not enough. Three days in Chicago and he’ll find someone better.
Elias deleted it. Blocked the number. But the words stayed.
Carter knew about Chicago. Somehow, he knew.
Which meant he was still watching. Still paying attention.
Still trying to destroy them.
Elias looked at Alex sleeping. Face peaceful. Unaware of the poison Carter kept sending.
Maybe Elias should tell him. Show him the messages. Deal with it together.
Or maybe he should protect him. Handle it alone. Keep the darkness away.
He didn’t know which was right anymore.
His phone buzzed. Different number this time. But he knew who it was.
Unknown: She’s watching you too. Knows where you work. Where do you live? Where Alex goes to school. Be careful what you do in Chicago. Wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
Elias’s blood ran cold.
Who was “she”? What was Carter talking about?
Another message.
Unknown: Or maybe I’ll just tell Alex myself. About the DMs you’ve been getting. About the girl from work who keeps flirting. About how you haven’t told him any of it.
There was no girl. No DMs. Carter was making things up.
But would Alex believe that? After everything?
Elias set down the phone. His hands are shaking.
Carter wasn’t done. He was escalating again.
And Elias didn’t know how to stop him.