Aubrey followed her down a wide hallway to the far end of the house and a master bedroom with a king-size bed and a conversation set. The room also had a walkout to the yard.
“One-way privacy shades to keep the sun and any prying eyes from getting in, but you can still see out.” Sarah indicated a control panel next to the bed. “Master bathroom is just through there.”
It had every luxury Aubrey expected in a property like this and a few more besides. “Nice place,” he commented.
Sarah led them back down the hallway, saying something about the privileges at the development pool, but Aubrey accidentally tuned her out. They were passing another door, which must be a second bedroom or maybe an office? The door was cracked. Aubrey hadn’t been able to see in from the other direction, but now…. He nudged it open.
A canopy bed covered in a unicorn blanket took up one wall. Opposite that, a neat white wood desk housed a laptop and a pile of schoolbooks. A hammock overflowing with stuffed animals hung in the corner, and there was an in-progress Lego model of a spaceship on the floor.
It was like something had taken over his body. He stared stupidly, but he didn’t see the empty room. He was seeing a full one, three people sitting on the floor, two adults and a kid, putting the finishing touches on a block tower.
Aubrey suddenly realized that he was picking out a new place with the idea that he would be sharing his life. Of course a one-bedroom apartment didn’t seem right for that.
But he hadn’t realized that he’d also internalized what it might mean for him that Nate wanted children. That wasn’t something you could compromise on. Aubrey had never thought about it much himself—he’d been honest when he said that to Nate. But apparently his subconscious had concluded that if he was going to settle down, he’d do it in whatever way made Nate the happiest.
The idea of having a family terrified him. But he’d be lying if he said it didn’t also fill him with a sort of warm fuzzy hope and, yeah, that was longing. Time for that identity crisis.
“The home does come furnished,” Sarah said, and Aubrey snapped back to the present. “But if you’d prefer to use this room as an office or gym, I’m sure the furniture in here can be relocated.”
“I thought you said the complex has a gym?” he said automatically.
“It does.” Sarah sounded a little confused, or maybe concerned. “Lots of people prefer their privacy, though.”
“Right.” Aubrey shook himself, willing the vision he’d had to disappear. Then, out of self-preservation, he pulled out his phone and checked the time, and—“I have to get back to the hotel.” How had the day gotten so far away from him? “I’ve got to be at the arena in an hour and a half.”
And he needed at least half that time to get his head back in the game.
NATE SPENTthe weekend and half of Monday recuperating. Monday night he felt like himself again, but he didn’t see Aubrey until he got an invitation to lunch on Tuesday.
That turned into something else entirely, and then into a nap. So when Nate’s phone beeped and dragged him out of a glue-eyed slumber, he didn’t panic until he actually saw the time.
Then he peeled his face off Aubrey’s shoulder and shook him awake. “Hey. Get up.”
“If you wanna go again, I need coffee first,” Aubrey mumbled.
Nate shoved his phone in Aubrey’s face. “If we don’t get in the shower right now, we’re going to miss our call.”
“Shit!”
Nate scrambled back to his place to shower and met Aubrey downstairs.
“Think we’re busted?” Aubrey whispered as they got in the car that had obviously been waiting several minutes. His hair was still damp at the ends.
“At least we don’t smell like the same bodywash,” Nate muttered back. He was pretty sure that almost got them caught last week.
The car dropped them out front only a handful of minutes later than usual—enough that they could pass it off as bad traffic. But when they stepped off the elevator and into a panic-free studio—a hallway where half the staff were standing around with somber faces and the other half looked about to punch someone—Nate knew.
“Ah, fuck,” Aubrey said.
Nate made an aborted grab for his hand but caught himself.
Before they could get any farther, Jess poked her head out of the office, looked up and down the hallway, and sighed. “No keeping a secret in this place. Nate, Aubrey, please come in. The rest of you, I’d appreciate if you could contain your catastrophizing until the staff meeting later.”
They closed the door behind them.
Jess didn’t make them wait long. “As you may have guessed, Larry was here late this afternoon, and apparently I do not have a poker face. But it’s not as dire as you’re thinking.”
“So, we’re not canceled?” Nate clarified.
