The Comforts We Despise MxM (Staten Krown)

9

"I hate places like this," Jonah whispered to me.

We had just pulled up to the posh restaurant that Pristine was throwing Jonah's welcome back dinner. The place was on a rooftop of an expensive hotel downtown. Everyone else was pretty much there already. I had volunteered to pull up with the guest of honor a little bit late. This was all about Jonah. He knew it and I knew it.

"Mr. Hill?" the concierge said, "The party is on the very top floor. It is a rooftop dinner. It's very exclusive sir. Right this way."

The elevator played slow music as Jonah and I made my way up.

"Let me fix your tie," I stated, "You look like a Hill today. You look like you are worth a million dollars."
He naturally had that Hill look that even after years of living in their shadow I could not come close to. It was this natural ease to be beautiful and look extraordinarily rich. He was so handsome in his tuxedo. He looked so uncomfortable though. This was the fifth time I had fixed his tie. He always undid it just a few minutes later.

"Don't you feel suffocated by it?" he asked me looking into my eyes as we stood only inches away from one another.

His breath smelled like sweet cinnamon and it smelled natural. It didn't smell like the synthetic fragrances. Everything about Jonah smelled like nature in the purest way.

"The tie?"

"This life," he stated shaking his head, "It's suffocating. These people parade their sins in front of everyone. Everything has to be golden. Look the knobs. Look at the buttons. There are children in Africa starving and the Hills live in grandness."

There Jonah was thinking again. He was frantically looking at the elevator. The elevator was a pretty fancy elevator. He seemed to be very nervous around really nice things. I could tell that he didn't really like it. I could tell that he probably would have wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Some people would kill for these things."
"They'd be wrong. If everything golden goes...that's how I choose to live," he said shaking his head, "I want to get out of all their boxes. Do you know that when I was a child I used to reach out for Pristine wanting to hold her and she didn't want to mess up her dress?"

I shook my head. I believed it fully. I didn't believe anything had changed with Pristine either. Even now I had not seen her even hug her son. She hadn't even embraced him. A part of me knew she cared but still...the basic things were lost to her.

Jonah was right. Everything was golden.

"It'll get easier. You'll get used to it," I stated, "I've suffered through this just like you have."
"That's the thing. I don't want to put up with it," Jonah stated.

He looked so uncomfortable. The look on his face was saying it all. He didn't want to be here. A part of me felt like he would make a run for it at any point.

"How about we make up a plan?" I state, "Whenever you are looking for the door you turn to look at me instead. And I'll transfer over whatever strength I have."
He smiled, "Transfer over huh?"

"Yep...with my kinetic powers. I'll give you strength to get through tonight. Don't sleep on me. I have magic powers. So how about that? Do we have a deal."

He had stopped looking all around in the elevator and finally set his eyes on me.

"Deal."

"Lauren darling did you spill something on that new dress I just bought you?" Pristine asked shaking her head, "That is Valentino. We just started eating. Do you not have any table manners whatsoever."