He pauses on the second-to-last one, like Jeff knew he would. Like Jeff had himself. In it, Eli is holding Alex’s chin in one hand. The other hand had just wiped the smear of sauce off Alex’s cheek, and Eli is in the process of licking his thumb clean, still smiling slightly, attention wholly on Alex. And Alex. Alex is looking at Eli as if he is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. The expression of naked admiration on his face is—well, it certainly isn’t something Jeff would post on Instagram. Alex hands the phone back. “I didn’t know I looked at him like that.”
