Page 24 of The Jock
“Stare at your plants or talk to them or do whatever you do when no one’s here.”
Taylor cut his gaze away and Milo snapped a few pictures. He’d managed to get a few gorgeous ones of him smiling. “You look like Colby sometimes.”
“You think so?” Taylor sounded pleased by that.
“It’s the smile, and sometimes the frown. You scrunch your face the same way he does. You should send him a picture. I think he’d like that.” Milo handed the phone back to Taylor so he could flip through the pictures.
Taylor tapped out a message and Milo stepped away to pack up his cosmetic kit. “We should do this again. It’s been a long time since I played around this way.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. It was fun.”
A door squeaking and a set of footsteps thundering downstairs got their attention and they both turned to the source of the noise.
“I’m going to start locking that door,” Taylor said as Colby came into view.
“No, you’re not.”
“I sent you a picture. Can’t that be good enough?” Taylor didn’t need to wear blush with the way his cheeks flushed.
“I know you did, but I wanted to see you in person.” Colby glanced Milo’s way and offered a smile. Well, it was probably supposed to be a smile, but when Colby looked at Taylor and his face lit up, Milo knew he’d been given a fake one. “The camera didn’t do you justice. You look incredible.” Colby enveloped Taylor into a hug and Milo turned away to give them some privacy.
Milo closed his makeup kit and tried not to listen to what the brothers were saying. He didn’t want to be rude, but Colby’s sudden appearance had thrown him off. He liked Colby. It was a stupid thing to admit, but it was true. But even if he hadn’t just ended one relationship, in order for Milo to enter one with Colby, he’d have to be interested and not straight.
Colby was a pipe dream.
CHAPTER 11
COLBY
Colby’s vow tostay away from Milo lasted until the moment Taylor sent him a text with a picture of himself, and then, despite knowing Milo was there, Colby had gone down to the basement. He told himself it was so he could see Taylor in the flesh and let him know how fucking proud he was of him, but the knowledge that Milo was downstairs was what had Colby hanging at his dad’s place to begin with.
Seeing Milo with Taylor solidified in his head that he couldn’t entertain the idea of anything happening between them. Taylor was glowing and it wasn’t just because of the makeup. Any idiot could see that he stood taller and smiled wider like Milo had cracked him open and filled him with joy.
“You look fantastic.” Colby pulled out of the hug and gave Taylor’s arm a squeeze. “I wanted to see you close up and tell you how good you look.”
“I sort of want to go out.” Taylor bit his lip. “But I don’t want to go alone.” Taylor glanced back and forth between Milo and Colby. “Would both of you go with me?”
Before Colby got a chance to make an excuse, Taylor pouted and batted his—noticeably longer—eyelashes at him. “Please, big brother.”
“Both of us?”
“Yeah, I mean…okay. So…” Taylor was more flustered than Colby could ever remember seeing him. “It’s important to me to do this now before I chicken out. I’ve spent so long building this up in my head, and it all seems too big. Like a dragon I still need to slay or something.”
Colby wrapped an arm around Taylor’s shoulders and pulled him into a side hug. How could he possibly resist his little brother when he was so earnest? Colby looked over at Milo.
“What do you say, Milo? Celebratory drinks? I’m buying.”
Milo hesitated and Taylor turned his attention to him. “You have to. Please. I don’t think I can if you don’t.”
Something passed between Taylor and Milo and Colby wasn’t sure what it was. Friendship or maybe something more. But whatever it was, Milo nodded, allowing a smile to poke through his stoic exterior.
“I guess I have time for a drink.”
That was how the three of them ended up back at Mystic, the bar Milo first took Colby to. It wasn’t drag night, but Taylor said he’d feel better going there over anywhere else. Milo had taken his car, but Taylor had ridden along with Colby.
Colby parked next to Milo and cut the engine. In the passenger seat, Taylor fidgeted and shifted his gaze to Colby. Apprehension flooded off him in waves and it reminded Colby of Taylor’s first day of high school when he’d stood on the sidewalk, stock-still and unblinking. Terrified.
