Page 67 of Your Pace or Mine
With a look at the simple black suit Darius held in his hands, Jamie arched a judgmental brow. “That’s it? You have this closet full of amazing things, and you’re just going to go with basic black?”
“I like it, and the night isn’t about me anyway.”
“Okay, that’s fair. But how is it you own something like this and keep it hidden away here?” Jamie asked as Darius watched him reach deep into the farthest corner of his wardrobe and pull out a mint-green velvet tuxedo jacket. The velvet was rich and soft. Satin trim edged the wide lapels and cuffs, gleaming with a subtle sheen, while a single black button and slim pockets added a sharp contrast.
Darius groaned. “Selena forced me to buy it on a family trip to Milan.”
“It’s amazing.”
Darius looked Jamie in the eyes and saw that his enthusiasm was genuine. “You should try it on. I’ve never worn it.”
Jamie stuttered, “I, this is worth more than my entire wardrobe. I couldn’t.”
“Jamie, I’ll never wear it. And it would bring out your eyes, you want to impress tomorrow, right? Just see if it fits.”
Darius could see the hesitation on Jamie’s face, but another glance at the suit Darius had pulled from his closet had him nodding in slow, reluctant agreement. He slid the jacket on; it wasn’t a perfect fit, but Darius could ring his tailor in the morning. He’d been right, though; it did bring out Jamie’s eyes, and Darius quickly found himself getting lost in them.
Jamie studied himself critically in the full-length mirror at the back of the wardrobe. Darius wrapped his arms around him and kissed his neck.
“It’s pretty perfect, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Darius replied. Eyes never drifting from Jamie’s in the mirror. “Perfect.”
Darius took a step back, breaking the connection. It was too easy to get lost in the picture of the two of them together. “I’d like to stop in and see Selena before we head back, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” Jamie replied easily. They packed the jacket into the dust bag with Darius’s suit, and Jamie took Darius’s hand and allowed himself to be led down the corridor to Selena’s rooms.
Selena sat cross-legged on her bed, her laptop balanced precariously on her knees and phone in hand as she scrolled through Darius’s Instagram feed.
She scrunched her nose in concentration, examining the caption on a photo of Darius crossing the finish line at an older race. “You should post more training content,” she said, not looking up. “People eat that up. Some slow-mo stuff—so it looks all dramatic.”
Darius groaned from the armchair, running a hand through his still-messy hair. “I run for a job, Selena. Not to feed the content machine.”
“You run for sponsors, big bro, and sponsors like the content machine.” She shot him a cheeky grin before glancing over at Jamie, who was perched awkwardly on the edge of a large yellow velvet sofa. “Besides, you two are getting loads of good press right now, you should capitalise on it. Jamie’s much better at this than you, Darius. Maybe he can give you some tips.”
Darius groaned. “Please stop cyber-stalking my boyfriend.”
Selena just laughed in response. “He’s good at this stuff, though, and how else am I meant to find out anything about him?” she accused. “You don’t tell me anything!”
“I told you everything,” Darius argued.
Selena groaned, falling dramatically backwards on her bed. “Ah, yes, it’s all just pretend,casual. I’ve read that book before, boys. Don’t be stupid.”
Darius flushed. “Selena,” he replied with a pointed glare. The last thing he needed was his baby sister spilling his feelings to Jamie and ruining everything.
Jamie flushed, clearly uncomfortable. “Uh, so, back to the social media stuff? Slow-mo sounds… nice?”
Selena burst out laughing. “You’re too innocent. You’ll get eaten alive by this family.”
Darius rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the faint smile tugging at his lips. “Innocent is not quite the word I’d have used.” He winked at Jamie.
Darius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying? Or do Americancollegesnot care about A-levels?”
“I’m multitasking,” Selena said breezily, clicking through another set of photos. “Plenty of time to prepare.”
“Plenty of time for Dad to convince you to stay here, or go to the old Alma Mater,” Darius muttered, his tone darkening.
Selena froze for a moment, then shrugged, her bravado firmly in place. “Yeah, well, he can shove it. Rowing at an Ivy League school isn’t exactly slumming it, no matter what he thinks.”
