“‘Although the stars’ agent is currently unavailable for comment, the two have been reported not to be actively working together on roles now that filming forA Worthy Deceptionhaswrapped. Which begs the question: what are they doing all hours of the night at Gold’s home? Surely not sleeping.’”
My phone pings. Most likely a message from Shawn.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Grayson. He’s my first priority. Always.
He sighs, scrolling down to see a picture of himself in his car right outside the front gate. It’s slightly blurry but clearly him. “People are so fixated on sex.”
“They are,” I agree.
“They can’t imagine it being anything else.”
I place a kiss on Grayson’s temple, and his shoulders lose some of their tension. “If they can’t fathom love without sex, it’s their loss.”
He sets his phone on the counter, face down. “They don’t know it’s love. They just think we’re boning. That’s not even why I’m upset.”
“Why are you upset?” I ask, sitting on the stool next to him.
Grayson’s chest rises and then falls with his swooping breath. “It’s like…everyone assumes the most important relationship they’ll have in their life is a romantic one. They wantthe one. They want the person they’ll share passion with and go on dates with. They want to settle down and maybe have a family. They want romance, and as soon as they have that, it eclipses everything else.”
The light catches Grayson’s eyes as he turns my way, the blue so light it’s nearly clear. There’s an urgency in his gaze, the same present in his voice.
“What about friendship? What about family? Why can’t a person feel fulfilled if they never marry? Why can’t the absolute love of my life be my best friend?”
The last question is asked so forcefully, I’m nearly brought to my knees, never mind the stool I’m sittingon.
“It can be,” I say softly.
He flicks his hand toward his phone. “Yet they think it’s about sex. As if there couldn’t be a better reason.”
I let out a slow breath. “I have an idea. What would you say to getting out of here for a couple days?”
Grayson looks intrigued. “Where would we go?”
My lips quirk. “Somewhere…quiet.”
Grayson and I pack a bag each before getting in my Escalade and hitting the road. I’ve been wanting to bring him to this planetarium for years, knowing his love of the stars and all things cosmic. But there never seemed to be a good time where we both had breaks in our schedules or where life in general wasn’t pressing against us from all sides.
Well, fuck that. We’re making time.
Not only is the planetarium out of dodge, but it runs shows on the weekends. I bought tickets for tomorrow night before we left, which gives us a good day to fill in the meantime.
Not that we’ll have a problem finding something to do.
Grayson glances over at me when I finally take the turn onto our exit several hours from home. “Just a break or are we stopping?”
“We’re stopping,” I confirm.
He’s quiet, which means he’s likely figured it out. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. This venue is fairly notorious for its spectacular visual presentations.
Grayson and I drop our bags at our hotel first, and I take a few minutes to search my phone for a distraction.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter, finding the perfect thing.
Grayson eyes me. “Do I want to know?”
“If Shawn calls, we were very,verygood on our trip.”
My friend tips his face toward the ceiling. “Christ. Someone save me from Ezra Gold.”
