To Have Loved [BxB] Book I ✓

Chapter 34

a/n: I feel like I'm writing chapters that are so much longer lately. This one is around 2,400 words and when I started this I was shooting for 1,800. Also, if you can't remember who's who in the newspaper club, chapter 28 is where I have them all originally described, so feel free to refer back to that. Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter, remember to take care of yourselves, and I'll see you again when the next one comes out. I've been trying to write more, so I'm thinking you can probably expect it in the next week or so, but we'll see. 

A little over a week later, Kayden was restless, itching to get off campus and do something, anything. He felt like he was trapped and he just needed a moment away to walk through town or spend a few hours in the second-floor study of Henry's mansion. Of course, he'd filled Henry in on everything and told him it might be a few weeks before he could meet up again, but a month felt like an eternity when he didn't have the freedom to even walk alone to his classes. Then again, a little extra time with Elias wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was the principle of the thing. 

He knew if he wanted to sneak out, he wasn't going to get any leeway from Theo. He was nice, sure, but he was a stickler for the rules and took Walker's word as gospel most of the time. Elias might give him a little wiggle room if he could cover his tracks, but he was still figuring out exactly how to do that. He could possibly go out late at night, though that was risky because he couldn't get back as fast. There's no way he could go out in broad daylight, although maybe if he snuck out shortly after dinner he could avoid being caught. He rested his cheek in his hand, thinking it over. 

"Kayden, what do you think?" Ezra asked and he looked up quickly. 

"About what?" 

Ezra sighed. "The new newspaper front-page design."

Kayden looked over the paper in his hand, nodding a bit. "I think the column placement is better than the old one, and the new font being bolder was a good decision." 

"What did I tell you? I knew the new title was a million times better," Ezra said with a small smile at Grant who only looked away, seeming somewhat annoyed by the whole thing. Ezra's bright expression faltered a little.

"Seriously, what's going on with you guys?" Kayden asked, looking between the two. 

"What do you mean?" Grant asked. 

"I mean, for friends, you sure aren't acting very...friendly, it's weird. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Grant said, looking back at his paper. "I'm just not in a friendly mood today."

"Less talk about friendship problems, more talk about the paper," Tanner said. "How are we dividing up the workload?"

They all began to discuss what parts they'd take, exchanging ideas for articles and events that could be reported on. Kayden glanced at Elias across the table, he was writing down something on a legal pad. The blond looked up for a moment and smiled when he caught Kayden's eye, but the redhead just looked back to the paper in front of him, his cheeks tinting pink. He didn't often let himself imagine what it would be like if he really did ever have what he wanted with Elias, but now and then he was caught off guard, his thoughts ran away from him, and suddenly his mind was crowded with that picture of a little house in the forest. Reading poetry out loud, listening to The Smiths or Billy Joel on vinyl, sound drifting through the air like the smell of warm bread in the early morning, sun peeking through every window and spreading gold across the floors, the furniture, spilling into the living room, and Kayden on the couch with Elias, head nestled comfortably into the space between chin and collarbone, one hand innocently roaming down the blond's arm, fingers tracing gently along his shoulder. That was how he wanted Elias, warmly and softly, in the quietest way.