Page 22 of The Jock
Taylor’s apartment was bright for a basement unit, but that was mostly due to the plant lights positioned in different areas for different plants. Milo had never seen so many plants outside of a nursery before. He didn’t hate it, though. “They’re beautiful.” Milo reached out and gently brushed his fingers against the leaf of some kind of hanging plant.
“That one’s a pothos. She was my first.” Taylor stood in his kitchen with one hand resting on the handle of the fridge door. “Do you want a drink?”
“I’m fine. How about you show me your setup.” Milo shifted his makeup kit to his other hand. He’d forgotten how heavy it was.
Taylor’s lips thinned into a line and he nodded, then led Milo down the hall. He pushed his bedroom door open and stepped inside, immediately taking a seat on the bed so Milo could have a look around.
“It’s not much.” Taylor seemed apologetic when Milo spotted the meager setup on his dresser. “I’ve been too nervous to buy much.”
“You don’t have to be nervous around me.” Milo looked around the room for a place where he could lay everything out, but as far as bedrooms went, it wasn’t the largest space. “The kitchen might be a better idea. There’s more room in there.”
Taylor paled, but he nodded.
“We can start small. I’ll do my makeup first and you can watch, how about that?”
“I know I’m a pain in the ass. I’m sorry.”
“You’re human, and this is new. Even if it’s something you want, sometimes new things can be intimidating. You should’ve seen me before my first drag performance. I was so jittery and nervous I puked backstage, then I wiped my mouth, drank half a bottle of water, and teetered out onstage, barely remembering how to walk in my heels. But I did it, and you can do this.”
“You really met Colby at the gym?” Taylor’s rapid change of subject didn’t go unnoticed.
“I did. I used to go to a different one, but I needed a change of scenery. I’ve been going through some things and I wanted to reclaim parts of myself, so I showed up in gym clothes and makeup and he noticed.” Milo set his case down on the table and flipped the buckles open. “There’s not as much stuff in here as I used to have, but some of it was super expired, so I’ve had to do a restock and I’m still waiting on a few things to come in the mail. But it’ll do for now.”Milo sat in one of the kitchen chairs and started rifling through his cosmetics. “I imagine it must’ve been tough to be interested in stuff like this and be surrounded by nothing but men.”
Taylor’s laugh was gentle. “It used to fuck with me. Like did I have unresolved mommy issues, or did I just want to look nice?”
Milo could guess that maybe Taylor did have some unresolved issues, but he wanted him to know that they weren’t the end of the world. “It’s okay if it’s both, you know. Or neither. You don’t need a reason or permission to like what you like.”Milo grabbed a small bottle of perfume that he’d bought on a whim, but hadn’t ever suited him. “Here, try this.”
Taylor took the small heart-shaped bottle and carefully uncapped it. His brow furrowed the same way Milo had seen Colby’s, highlighting their family resemblance.
“This is incredible.” Taylor sniffed it again.
“Apply a dab to the inside of your wrists, then give it another sniff. See if you like it on you.”
Taylor did as he was told, being careful to not overdo it with the perfume. He recapped it and gave his wrist a sniff. “It’s different on me than it was in the bottle.”
There was that adorable brow furrow again.
“It’s body chemistry. Fragrance smells different on different people. If you like that one, you can keep it. It doesn’t suit me.”
Taylor’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“I can pay you for it.”
Milo shook his head. Taylor reminded him of an eager puppy sometimes. “Taylor, you’re not paying me for that.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then give me a plant.” Milo couldn’t believe he said that. “You’ll have to tell me how to not kill it, but I’m not taking money from you.”
“I’ll give you a spider plant. They’re almost impossible to kill.” Taylor sniffed his wrist again. “It’s nice, like vanilla, but with some other stuff.”
“I bought it for the vanilla, but it makes me smell like I was doused in syrup.” Milo motioned for Taylor to bring his wrist closer. “It’s good on you. Lighter and less sugary than it was on me. You’ll drive all the boys crazy.”
Taylor’s cheeks flashed pink and Milo smiled at him.“So there is a boy.”
Taylor shrugged. “Something like that.”
