“So youdoown things that aren’t T-shirts,” he said, trying on one of Nolan’s more formal button-down shirts.
“A few things,” said Nolan, who was currently wearing a maroon T-shirt.
“You could at least wear a scarf or something. We gotta impress these kids with how successful you are.”
“I like to be comfortable.”
“Mm-hmm.” Grayson had a cotton scarf that he threw over Nolan’s head and draped around his shoulders. “Yes, I like that.”
“Okay, fine.”
Grayson grinned at him. And, okay, Nolan liked putting that expression on Grayson’s face.
They walked the few blocks down to the Restoration Offices hand-in-hand, which helped Nolan realize two things. First, he was still the sort of celebrity that people generally ignored. He got a few “Do I know you from somewhere?” looks from passersby whenever he was out in public, but no one had stopped him to ask for an autograph since he’d moved to New York City. That hadn’t happened in LA, where he’d been ambushed at least once a week. At first he’d thought it was just because he’d been out of the spotlight for so long, but he was lately realizing that celebrity culture was just different in New York City. He and Grayson had even eaten at a café near the loft and sat two tables away from Sarah Jessica Parker, and no one had so much as batted an eyelash at her.
Second, he realized he didn’t care who knew he and Grayson were together. They’d crossed some kind of line, and he’d stopped treating their relationship as if it were a secret. Nolan wasn’t sure when exactly the line had been crossed—maybe when Grayson had finally opened up to him about his past—but it was definitely in the rearview mirror now. If Helena discovered they were together, so be it.
When they arrived at the front of the building, Helena did indeed give them a hairy eyeball.
“Arriving together, are you?” she said.
Nolan shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, although it very much was. Something had definitely changed. He couldn’t quite define it yet, but he didn’t feel he needed to either.
Talk to him in six weeks, though.
They all piled into the company SUVs and arrived at Rainbow House twenty minutes later. When Marcus let them in, he told them that the kids hadn’t been allowed to see the room yet, so they were all wound up and excited to see it. The camera crew followed Nolan and Grayson in, and they both did some last-minute tweaking, primarily for show. Nolan looked around, thinking they’d done a pretty good job. The room was bright and colorful—definitely more to Grayson’s taste aesthetically, but appealing to Nolan as well.
“We use this room for community events as well,” Marcus said as they stood outside the room, waiting for the kids to arrive. “We have a club that meets here once a month, and sometimes we bring in guest speakers. We’d love to have you two back sometime. Maybe you can talk about some of the choices you made in the space.”
“Sure,” said Nolan.
Marcus nodded. “I think it’s helpful for the kids to see successful LGBTQ people. And, actually, before we let everyone in, I want to introduce you to Ellen, who doesn’t want to be on camera.”
“Okay,” said Grayson.
Marcus called down the hall. “Ellen?”
A thin, pretty girl with long brown hair appeared. She walked forward and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said.
“Hi,” said Nolan. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Ellen smiled slowly. “It’s my dream to be an interior designer when I graduate. The kids here tease me about how much Restoration Channel I watch. But I don’t even care, because I love it so much. Did you go to design school?”
“We both did, yes,” said Nolan. “Me much longer ago than Grayson.”
Grayson rolled his eyes. “Stop acting like you’re an old man. You’re not that old.”
Ellen smiled and nodded. “I go to Harvey Milk. My grades are good, so I think I’ll get in. Marcus is helping me apply for scholarships.”
“Good,” said Nolan. “That’s really good. I hope you like the space we designed.”
“I’ll have to look later. I… I don’t want my family to know where I am.”
Nolan’s heart sank. This poor girl. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m trans,” she said. “They refuse to acknowledge my chosen name or my real gender. I wasn’t safe at home, but I’m worried that if they find me, they’ll make me go back. So I came here, and everyone at Rainbow House has been amazing.”
“I’m very glad you’re safe now,” said Nolan. “I hope you become a stellar interior designer.”
