Chapter 288: Wants And Needs
Eli frowned, "I can decide what’s good for me... I am an adult." He had never liked someone like this before, and he did not want to lose the chance, at least without trying.
"Will you... Want me, even after I said that?"
He sounded pitiful. Like a lost puppy waiting to be kicked aside. But he couldn’t help it. He needed to know.
Eli froze. His lips parted, and for a second, he just stared at Riven, as if he was trying to decide whether it would hurt less to be honest or to lie.
Then he swallowed, voice hushed as he answered.
"I don’t think anyone...ever made me feel this way."
Riven’s chest squeezed tight.
"The circumstances are..." Eli’s gaze flickered down to the collar of Riven’s robe, then back to his face. "Unfortunate." His voice turned quieter, almost a whisper. "...But I don’t mind."
That last part—so soft, so vulnerable—didn’t ring entirely true. Eli did mind. It hurt him to think about it, Riven could tell. But he was willing to set those feelings aside for Riven’s sake, and that made something heavy and warm and aching bloom in Riven’s heart.
Well, if the best he could have is only a portion of Riven’s time... He would still take it.