Grayson doesn’t bother flicking on his light. I follow him into his darkened room as he stops in front of his dresser. There’s a soft clunk. The brass telescope being set in its place. I hop into Grayson’s bed before tugging off my shirt and tossing it aside. Grayson sighs as it hits the floor, but he doesn’t pick it up. He rolls into bed next to me, his heavy exhale resonatinginside my own chest.
“All right?” I check.
“Yeah. It’s just nice to have you close sometimes.”
Understanding that fully, I take Grayson’s hand in my own. His skin is warm when I press a kiss to his knuckles. “Anytime, Gray.”
He nods once, his head rolling gently on the pillow. I let our hands fall between us, still clasped tight.
When Grayson speaks, his voice is as soft as a whisper. “If it is real, I’ll find you in the next life.”
I inhale a shuddering breath, looking at his outline in the dark. I don’t need light to know the man beside me. I know him as I know the beat of my heart. And if, as he says, there is a next life? I have no doubt he’ll find me there.
I lift Grayson’s hand again, my lips brushing his skin. “I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter 27
Grayson
I find Ezra inside the in-home gym and stop in my tracks.
He’s wielding a wooden sword, grunting as it hits the hanging bag he’s using as target practice. His motions are fluid. Precise.
“Ez?”
He flashes me a quick grin before slashing the bag again. “Got the role.”
“The period piece?”
“Mhm.” Another strike.
“That’s great. I know how much you wanted it. I thought, maybe…”
I don’t need to say it aloud for Ezra to understand. “Guess me being queer wasn’t a deal-breaker.”
“It shouldn’t ever be.”
His smile is rueful. “No, but you know we’re not there yet. Maybe someday.”
“I hope so,” I tell him truthfully. “You remember we have a premiere to getready for, right?”
Ezra curses, whipping around to look at the clock on the wall. “Lost track of time. Shit.”
I laugh as Ezra all but tosses the wooden sword aside and runs past me. A door upstairs slams shut a minute later, and the shower comes on.
I head back to my room, pulling my suit out of my closet. It’s simple and black, but I prefer that to trying to stay up-to-date with the latest fashion trends. I dress as Ezra showers, picking a white t-shirt to go under the suit jacket, knowing Ezra would choose it for me given the chance. This is a movie premiere, after all, not an office event.
Suit on, I head to my dresser for socks. I pause as my gaze lands on the brass telescope sitting beside the old photograph of my star-boy, as Ezra would call him. There’s a pang in my chest as the man looks back at me, a sort of ferocity in his gaze I admire. Not for the first time, I take in the star tattoos mapped across his chest. I heavily suspect they’re covering top surgery scars, although I have no proof. Just a gut feeling.
Whoever he is, he looks confident showing off the lean line of his torso. I slip the button on my suit jacket so it lies open, wanting to share in that confidence. To bring him with me tonight. Even if no one else knows it, I’ll know.
The water down the hall shuts off, and I run my finger along the edge of the frame.
“Whoever you are, you’re stunning.”
Ezra is in the living room when I emerge. He’s still shrugging into his clothes, his own jacket a deep navy that fits him to a T. The man makes the fabric look like priceless art.
“You’re wearing a tie?” I ask, surprised.
