EPILOGUE
Noah
If there was one place in the whole world that Noah would expect to feel out of place, wouldn’t it be at a party? And not just any party, but a party where some of the most famous people in North America were hanging out?
Noah wasn’t uncomfortable. He didn’t feel out of place at all, and a large part of that was because he had Darien at his side. But it went far beyond that, too. As strange as it was to think about himself having any friends at all, these men were his friends. Even if they weren’t, he would have come to the party, which had been put on as a sort of farewell to Darien after he’d left the band.
If he’d had any doubt on the matter of his friendship with the remaining Lost Boys, it was utterly squashed when Ken staggered up to him, obviously having had at least a beer too many, and draped one arm around Darien. More surprising, though, he also slid a strong arm around Noah’s shoulders, too, hugging them both.
“I love you, guys,” he informed them, then wandered away, presumably to find more beer or someone else to profess his adoration to.
Noah shook his head and laughed softly. It was strange for him to think that he’d once been so jealous of Ken. Yes, he knew that Ken and Darien had had a fling, but that was all it had ever been, at least to Darien. Noah had the feeling that Ken would have liked a little bit more.
But Ken had accepted them. So had Lance, and Noah even had the idea that Aaron didn’t look at him with the same amount of contempt that he did with most people. Even though Noah had taken Darien away from them, even if Darien had quit the band to be with Noah, he had made himself a sort of a home with these guys. Maybe even a family.
Though maybe that was too good to be true. A guy like him, could he ever have a family?
His musings were interrupted when Lance came up to them. He had been drinking, clearly, but he was handling it a little bit better than Ken had. Not weaving around quite as much as he walked over to them, and not quite as handsy with them both, either.
“Hey, guys. How’s school?”
He genuinely seemed to care, and Darien immediately launched off into a cheerful rendition of his first few weeks at school. It had been less than a month since he’d started, but he had a lot to say.
Of course, that was just how Darien was. He chattered, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a good head on his shoulders, as Noah had learned. He smiled and just enjoyed the energy that his boyfriend put off.
“How’s the band? Have you guys found a replacement for me yet?” Darien could have sounded bitter about it, and though it had been Darien’s idea to leave, it still would have made Noah feel guilty. But Darien never seemed to regret his decision. Had never given Noah any reason to feel bad.
“There’s no replacement for you.” Lance winked, flirtatious as ever, and Noah just shook his head. It had bothered him once, how friendly Lance could be, but he seldom seemed to mean anything by it. “You’re one of a kind, handsome.”
“Whoever it is, it will be different,” Aaron added. He had walked up from behind Noah, and the party was going so strong that Noah hadn’t even heard him until Aaron was right up close to them. “I wish you hadn’t left.”
Darien looked stunned, and Noah smirked at him a little bit. It amused him, the way the guys were all so freaked out about Aaron’s attitude. Noah knew that Aaron was not the friendliest guy out there, but honestly, in the times he’d spent with the man, Noah had figured some things out about him.
Whatever Aaron’s past was, it wasn’t pleasant. There was a darkness that lingered in his eyes, and it was the same darkness that Noah had felt in his own heart. He recognized it, and once he knew that, Aaron lost a lot of his intimidation factor. But most people seemed taken in by it.
Aaron walked away, having delivered that commentary, and Noah stifled a smile as Darien and Lance both stared after him. The thing about quiet people was, when they spoke up, people tended to listen. Noah had seen that in himself, and in Justin, too, back when the other man had stood up for him and Darien to Lester, who was notably absent.
Justin was there, though, standing against a wall looking uncomfortable. Darien, turning to say something to Noah, paused and then followed Noah’s gaze to where Justin was.
“I’m pretty sure he has a thing for him,” Darien whispered to Noah, who nodded and gave Darien an amused look. Justin was looking at Ken, and there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. His heart was right out there, and it was probably a good thing that Ken wasn’t looking because Noah had never seen any sign that Ken even really knew Justin was alive.
“Darien …” Noah saw a look in his lover’s eyes that made him more than a little bit nervous. “Come on, baby. You can’t hook everyone up like that. They have to figure it out for themselves, or not. That’s just how it is.”
Darien turned to smile at him, and his little shrug made it very clear that Noah had read the situation right. Noah got it. Darien wanted everyone to be as happy as they were, but happiness wasn’t a thing that could be forced on anyone.
“I hope they do,” Darien admitted, and Noah nodded. Justin was a good guy, and Noah liked him a lot. He thought that Justin was probably one of the loneliest guys that he’d ever seen, too, and this was coming from him, someone who had pretty much had a Ph.D. in loneliness before he and Darien had found each other.
Snuggled up against Darien, Noah glanced around the room at his friends, all of whom seemed to be having a good time. He thought back to his question from earlier. Could a guy like him have a family? A group of people who cared about him, who would protect him, and who would accept the same treatment from him?
He had an answer to that question now, and the answer was a resounding yes.
Darien
The party had been fun, and Darien was always down to get in some time with some loud music and booze, but as it had stretched on, Darien had started to get a little bit antsy. He found himself very aware of every movement that Noah made, how he would brush against Darien’s side, how his fingers would caress Darien’s sweetly.
That it was arousing Darien, that was no surprise to him. Noah could turn him on just with an intense look. But when Darien realized that Noah was doing it on purpose, that he was trying to tease Darien, that was when he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to resist for very long.
Noah was polite, and quiet, and restrained, but he was also, at his core, just as erotically charged as Darien was. Knowing that Noah wanted him just as badly as Darien needed his boyfriend, it only made the desire that much more intense.
