The concert almost came to an end right then and there. It was sort of hard for the rest of the Lost Boys to do anything to top what Darien had done. But slowly, the crowd came back into some sort of control, and the last song, plus several encores, were performed.
Noah went back to the backstage area, looking almost defiantly at Lester, but the older man didn’t say anything at all. Maybe that was because Justin was still lurking, and Lester needed to stay on good terms with the famous, talented songwriter.
At the end of the concert, when people were packing up and getting ready to file out, and their chatter filled the area, Lester went out on stage. He went over to Darien and said something to him.
Darien shook his head and then walked off of the stage, and the fact that it might be the last time that he ever did so didn’t seem to bother him at all. Not from the huge smile that was still on his face, lighting it up so beautifully.
“Come on, you don’t have to do this,” Lester said, glaring at Noah like this was all his fault. Noah smiled back, complacent as he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist.
“Yes, I do. I’m going to go back to school,” Darien replied. “It’s over. I’m done.”
Lester’s face was going an alarming shade of red and Noah half expected to see steam coming out of his ears, like one of those old cartoons.
“I’ll sue you,” Lester threatened, and the mask he wore was slipping. He had always come off as a sort of avuncular figure, at least from what Noah had seen, but the ruthless corporate bastard was sort of coming out.
“For what? I’m not under contract,” Darien reminded him cheerfully, and Lester fell silent. Darien waited for a moment, politely watching Lester to see if he had anything else to say, but when Lester just stood there, hands gripped at his side, face red but apparently unable to speak, Darien nodded to him and then pulled Noah close.
“Come on, babe, let’s get out of here,” Darien grinned at Noah, then tugged him down a long hallway, helping him, supporting him, the whole way so that Noah barely even needed to use his crutches.
And just like that, Noah’s life changed. Just like that, everything he was uncertain about was cleared up, and the future, which had seemed murky and thick like mud, suddenly seemed bright and free and open.
He had Darien, and they were going to make this work, and that was the only thing he cared about.
