Page 229 of The Liar's Reckoning

“I’m not,” he says before leaving me alone in the entryway to get his phone.

I rub my face and take a deep breath as memories of having the press crawling up my ass for comments and photos resurface with all the drama of a traumatic event. Do I trust him not tohang me out to dry this time? Is he really ready to go through with this?

I’ll have it bad, but he’ll have it worse, especially being in New York.

When he returns with shoes on, I try to talk some sense into him. “Maybe we should talk here. You’ve had a rough day.”

“So let’s do what normal people do after a rough day. Go out, get drunk, and forget about it.”

“And if your normal night out makes the news?”

“I’ll have my team send out a press release. Breaking news, I’m fucking gay. It’s not like they don’t already know. I figure as long as I can manage not to fuck you in a public space, we’ll be in a better position than last time to explain it.”

“You’re a Republican senator, Graham.”

“Yeah, well, about that…I had some time to think on the train. I want to run some things by you now that you’re all up to speed on current events.”

Graham opens the door and gestures me through it. I let him lead the way.

68

GRAHAM

The publicity cherry pops about three minutes after Silas and I sit down at the bar two blocks from my apartment. Two people have snapped photos, and I think someone’s streaming us live.

I expected nothing less. Pretending not to notice is easier than I thought it would be when I have Silas to stare at instead. He sips a beer, and I drain half a dirty martini. As abnormal as this is, it feels good. Really fucking good. Emboldening even. “I’m not running for re-election,” I tell him, “but I’ll finish out the term as an independent.”

“I’m sure they’ll love that,” Silas says.

“But only after I withdraw my support for the human trafficking bill.”

Silas nearly chokes. Coughing, he grabs for a napkin and wipes his mouth before saying, “It won’t pass without you.”

“I know. But Miles is right. It’s too problematic.”

He coughs again.

“What?” I ask.

“That’s a word I never thought I’d hear coming from you.”

“I’ve had a lot of time on my own to think over the last year,andthe last few weeks. It’s just proving I’m an abnormally late bloomer in literally every aspect of my life. I should have cleared this hurdle in my teens, but here we are.”

“Quite the bed you’ve made for yourself, Senator,” Silas says, clinking the neck of his bottle against my glass. I hold it up and cheers him before draining the rest and signaling the bartender for another.

“You’re not bad at it, you know? Politics. You could do good things if you stay.”

“Could I do you as often as I need to, though?” I ask. “That’s the question.”

Silas sputters on his drink again. The napkin comes back up to his lips. “I’m being serious.”

“I am, too, but my dad did make a point I didn’t love, and I’m having trouble finding a way around it.”

“What?”

“That being gay will always outshine my ideas. That it diminishes me as a man and makes me look weak.”

Silas grimaces. “That was a shitty thing for him to say. It’s not true.”

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