Page 76 of Cosmo

“Hips moving, right. Got it.”

When they all climbed on the bar, the crowd went insane with cheering, and from behind them, Murphy got the water nozzle and shot it over their heads, so they were dampened and the crowd was along with them.

Flirting with the crowd had been hard the first couple times, but if he imagined a sea of faces that all looked like Taran’s, it got much easier. Seeing the man himself didn’t hurt either. No matter what was going on, whenever Liam sought him out, Taran was watching him.

Starting at the end with Abs, they jumped down in order, and Liam was last. He landed and spun around to take a drink order and got three phone numbers shoved at him.

The work was incredibly hard, but he found himself having more fun the more he did the weekend shifts. They were rather like boosting a car; the adrenaline was pumping and his mind was super focused.

Their tricks hit perfectly, too. Abs winked at him before he threw the bottle and Liam caught it, flipped it over and poured the perfect double shot of whiskey.

Confident, he did a few spins and bottle-flips of his own, and Goldie squeezed his shoulder. “You look good, Cos!”

“Thanks.”

When he did the hundred-dollar-shots, he had men lining up for them. He was a hit at the pub, and throughout the night, Taran was there, smiling at him from across the room, raising his mug, eyes shimmering in admiration and…affection.

No, they weren’t in love. He refused to even think it because love was a curse.

After, Taran told him to come to his place once dawn broke, so he and the others sat at the table, counting tips and phone numbers as usual. And, again, he won both games. “Forty-four numbers tonight and almost a grand in tips.”

“You suck,” Haze said. “New guy’s luck. I made seven in tips and only got fourteen numbers. I’m definitely old news around here.”

“If we’re forty and single, I’ll marry you,” Goldie offered, and Abs broke that up quickly. “Um, excuse me, Mr. Gold Rush, if we’re forty and you marry him over me, I’ll make him a widower.”

“Sorry, baby. I almost forgot.”

Hippy then offered, “If you stop leaving paint and brushes and art shit all over, I’ll marry you.”

“Gee, thanks!”

Eazy came in with breakfast burritos for the guys and sat close to Murphy while they all ate. “Even with the soundproofing, I heard commotion tonight. I can’t believe we still have such a crowd every weekend.”

“Even with the guys,” Murphy said, “Bar hoppers are always waiting for the next big thing. I figured that club a few blocks from here would slow us down, but not even a tick.”

Abs knocked on the table. “Don’t jinx us.”

“Sorry,” Murphy said, in deference to the superstitious Abs. “It’s all you guys, though. The way the folks look at you, like you’re big celebrities. And you are, really. For this part of the world, you are the stars of the show.”

Cosmo agreed with him. “It’s weird being a part of it, especially for someone who loved being invisible.”

“You better go be with your dude,” Haze reminded him. “It’s almost dawn.”

“See y’all back here for more of the same tomorrow?”

“I’ll keep Daiq in my room,” Abs said strongly. “You know, he’s going to end up being all mine soon.”

“My butt,” Mims said. “I like him too.”

Eazy laughed at them. “The kids would like a word about ownership of Daiq.”

As he left the pub, he felt strange. On the verge of tears he hadn’t shed for years, wanting, needing to shed them, but they’d been blocked by time and his deep desire to push his feelings away. Feelings…they weren’t good. They may be human, but they were the worst part of being human.

He caught a rideshare to see Taran and the moment Taran opened his door, Liam was in his arms, and he just held on, like letting go would kill him.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Shut up. Just…just let me…”

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