Chapter One
EARLY
“Wow,fuck me with a rubber chicken. This garlic bread is amazing.” Noctis moaned around another bite, making everyone around our dining table laugh.
“That’s quite the compliment,” I said with a chuckle. Nothing made me happier than seeing my friends enjoy my food.
“Noctis and his creative swearing strike again,” Tiago said, grinning as he reached for the serving dish of pasta.
Iason looked up from his plate, his status as a world-famous rock star completely absent in the casual comfort of our dinner party. “Speaking of your unique way with words, are you planning to do another video essay onStar Gazing? Your last one about the movie’s cast announcement for Rook and Chance was brilliant.”
Noctis perked up. “Definitely, once they drop aposter, trailer, or teaser. Right now, I don’t have enough footage for a proper deep dive.”
“And we all know how much you’d love a deep dive with Rook,” Levi joked, nudging Noctis. As Iason’s drummer and one of Duke’s oldest friends, Levi had perfected the art of good-natured ribbing.
Noctis’s face flushed pink at his boyfriend’s teasing. “Hey, you’re the one who agreed he could be my hall pass.” His eyes widened as he looked at Iason. “Wait, do famous people get hall passes, too? Like, is there someone even more famous that you’d want to hook up with?”
“I don’t need a hall pass,” Iason said, giving his fiancé a tender smile that transformed his rock-star persona into a man in love. “I had plenty of fun before I met my Cherry. Now that I have him, I don’t need anyone else.”
Orion, the soft-spoken museum curator who’d captured Iason’s heart, snuggled closer to him, making me melt at their sweetness.
“Though I know who Cherry’s hall pass would be,” Iason said, winking at his fiancé. “The gorgeous model, Rune Tourneau.”
Orion’s face turned bright red, making it clear where his nickname came from. “It’s not because he’s a model! I admire his academic work on the French Revolution.”
Tiago snorted. “Sure, and it has nothing to do with his gorgeous face and perfect jawline gracingevery fashion magazine cover.” As Iason’s rhythm guitarist, he kept the entire band on their toes with his good humor.
“Or those broad shoulders filling out his tailored suits,” I added.
“Or the way he smolders passionately as he eye-fucks you with a single glance,” Noctis chimed in.
“You’re all terrible.” Orion buried his face in Iason’s shoulder while we laughed.
Levi turned his attention to Ferris, the sandy-haired bassist who somehow kept his boyfriend, Tiago, in line. “What about you? Who’s your hall pass?”
Ferris rolled his eyes. “Please. Tiago is more than enough to handle. The last thing I need is another partner who gets easily excited at the drop of a hat.”
“Oh, Cookie, you handle me fine.” Tiago blew his boyfriend a kiss. “In fact, you handle me multiple times a day when I’m being particularly?—”
“And that’s enough of that,” Ferris cut him off, though his lips twitched with amusement.
“Sally!” Tiago redirected his attention to Sal, the band’s keyboardist, who flinched at the nickname. As the group’s honorary younger brother, he took the brunt of teasing. “Your turn. Who’s your celebrity crush?”
“It was hard enough finding one non-famous person I can tolerate,” Sal said dryly, his typical smart-ass response drawing a fond smile from hisboyfriend, Haverford. “I don’t have the patience for celebrity drama for meaningless sex.”
“Aww, you’re such a romantic.” Tiago pretended to swoon.
I noticed Haverford’s knowing smirk. The former attorney had a wicked sense of humor behind his composed exterior.
Apparently, Tiago spotted it, too. “Spill it, Ford. What do you know?”
“Well,” Haverford drawled, “the quickest way to Sal’s heart is through his stomach. I’d put good money on celebrity chef Niccolò de Rosa being his hall pass.”
“Oh, yeah, that tracks.” Tiago nodded sagely. “Niccolò’s got that prickly hedgehog energy you love so much, Sally.”
Sal’s annoyed huff only made everyone laugh harder.
“Hey, a man who can cook is definitely worthy of hall pass status,” Noctis defended.
