Page 72 of Tell Me Lies: Manlove Edition

He hadn’t had the greatest circle of friends, either. None of them encouraged him until he made it big. Then they all wanted to be around him. They wanted to hang out with him when he’d played football because he’d been a star receiver and the center of attention. He liked the adulation on stage, but not his personal life. The women he’d dated hadn’t made his heart race.

Hadn’t made him want to settle down.

The music made him want more.

The music made him better.

So did Will.

Goddamn Will.Why did Will have to have such a hold on his heart? It wasn’t fair.

Will had to hate him as well. He’d done everything in his power to insult and belittle Will.God, he’d been so immature. He regretted what he’d done because he’d been cruel. Not that he could take any of it back.He couldn’t.

How could he explain to Will that he’d been hurting so bad and wanted someone else to hurt, too? It would’ve been easier to just let Will in on the pain, but also the attraction. He might have had an ally.Might not have been so alone.

He might not have written such deep love songs, either. His career could’ve been terrible or nonexistent. Did that mean he owed Will a debt of gratitude for his career and songs? Maybe. Maybe not. He could’ve had his heart broken by someone else and had the same trajectory in his life. Didn’t matter, though. He’d have to apologize to Will when he saw him in public. By God, he’d see Will. He hadn’t chosen to play Northern College for the fun of it. He’d done it to see Will.He missed Will.

The whole situation was odd, since he hadn’t actually been with Will. Could he now? Would Will even give him the time of day? He’d only find out if he took a chance.

He scrolled on his phone and looked up Will’s page on the college’s website. Will had aged well—at least he had in the photo. He still had his hair. He now wore dark-rimmed glasses, which accentuated his dark eyes. He’d aged a bit, but he still had the same overall look of youth and carefree attitude. He wondered if Will was single.He couldn’t be. He was too cute to be alone.

A call interrupted his scrolling and walk down memory lane.Marissa Kline.

He hesitated. He’d connected with her and Will’s grad assistant concerning the art for his show. Truth be told, he’d done it to get intel on Will, but he hadn’t gathered much information. He swiped to answer. If he left her waiting, she’d either call back or quit on him.Everyone else seemed to have given up on him already.

“Hello,” he said. “How can I help you?”

“Mr. Gold, hello. How are you?” she asked. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to reach you.”

“I’ll always make time for you.” It was a fib. He didn’t know her well, but he’d learned to foster a polite and accommodating attitude with people in charge of his art and venues. The attitude got things done. He’d learned the hard way to conduct himself with a cordial spirit.

“We have some movement on your poster art,” Marissa said. “The artist has some ideas mocked up and I need you to approve of the art before we can move forward. We’d like to start promoting the show as soon as we can.”

“Sure, right.” He nodded. “You can email it to me.”

“Perfect. I’ve got the file heading to you now so you can look it over. There are two mocks and you’re free to make suggestions. Mr. Rohr is working hard to create the art as you’ve requested.”

“I can’t wait to see them.” Mr. Rohr. That sounded so official. “The professor?”

“Yes. I’ve known him for so long that he’s still Mr. to me,” she said. “I’m going to include his email so you can contact him directly if you want changes.”

“Sounds great.” He barely contained his excitement. He had an unavoidable reason to speak to Will. Good, good.

“The link should be in your inbox shortly. You can download the files from there. Thank you,” Marissa said. “I hope it meets your expectations.”

“I’m sure it will.” He’d seen Will’s art at the college and knew his work. The man was good with graphics and creating emotion in a poster. “Thank you and have a good day. I’ll be in touch.” He waited for her to hang up, then tossed his phone onto the seat.

He draped his arm across the back of the sofa and stared out at the landscape going by in a blur. Nothing else in his world seemed to matter but creating this moment with Will. He’d get to talk to him again and might even have a second chance to make a better impression.

Country love songs could be about the impossible being possible. His dream of redemption just might be coming true.

Cheers to second chances.

Chapter Two

Will strode past the poster on the digital board outside of the art building and cringed. He prided himself in the work he’d done for the art. The poster was eye-catching and accentuated Carsten’s stage presence. If he had to admit it, he’d say it was one of his best works. As much as he liked the poster, he wished he never had to see Carsten’s face again. Every time he looked at Carsten, his heart ached. He’d been treated so poorly by this man and now he was creating art for him to help his career.

He shook his head and made his way into the art building. He had meetings with students today for their mid-semester grades. The meetings never bothered him, but the inevitable crying and complaining always got on his nerves. Some students completely focused on their work. They did as asked and had no issues. Others thought they should fly through the courses without having to pay attention to deadlines or restrictions. Some simply had too much on their schedule to keep up. He hated having to give them the tough talk, but someone had to do it.

---