“All I could find was this,” I said pleasantly, putting it before them.
“You are a fucking bastard,” Juno declared, eyeing the San Pel with distaste. “But Charles might want that.”
“Yes, please,” Charles said.
I passed the drink to him. “Vincent was negotiating with whomever was on the phone. So maybe they can fit us in.”
“That’s what he said,” Taylor joked.
“Funny,” Matteo commented, without laughing.
Taylor rolled his eyes. “You guys are no fun.”
“Not when we need a venue for a show that is all but happening at this moment. No, we aren’t,” I commented, sinking into a chair with my second glass of wine.
“I’m sure you’ll find something,” Taylor remarked.
“Ah, the optimism of youth,” I said.
“Well, usually you call me cynical, so I guess that’s an improvement.”
“Touché,” I said. “Maybe it won’t hurt to hope for the best.”
“Why bother? Everything I’ve touched has gone to shit. Why should this be any different?” Juno lamented.
“Oh, give me a break. Your GoFundMe is already at twenty thousand,” Taylor muttered.
Five heads swiveled toward Taylor.
“What?” Juno said.
“Say that again,” I chirped.
“Whoa,” Vincent exclaimed.
Matteo just chuckled.
“Here. See?” Taylor said, turning his laptop to show us. “You’re going to have some commissions to do, but that shouldn’t be difficult. They’re small pieces. You’ll have time to work on your secret project.”
Juno stood and leaned over to peer at Taylor’s laptop. “That’s…impressive. Can I access any of that money now?”
Taylor nodded. “You can withdraw whatever you want and put it in the bank. Takes three to five business days to get there, though.”
“That’s incredible,” Matteo muttered. “I didn’t realize it was so easy.”
“Well, it’s easy because Juno has a following of people who know them and want to help out. It can be a lot harder for randoms to raise funds unless they’re doing it for a really sympathetic cause,” Taylor explained. “Because I know Juno and I’m familiar with their work and their following, I knew it would work and work fast.”
Juno smoothed a palm over the back of Taylor’s hand and lifted it to their lips. “Thank you, Taylor. If I had a child of my own, I’d want him to be just like you.”
Taylor laughed. “You’d need more money than you’re getting.”
“True. Charles is quite enough for now.” Juno moved back to sit beside his boyfriend, looking much more cheerful.
Vincent returned to the room, holding his phone up in triumph.
“We have a venue!”
“You’re kidding,” I said, hardly believing that things could work out so fast.
