Page 46 of In Frame
“Colby Kent…and Jason Mirelli…a week withColby Kent and Jason Mirelli…”
“They’ve finally bought that house they’ve been looking at, the one in LA, or around LA, near Jason’s family, so you’ll get a lot of pictures of them redecorating, I imagine. Plus the Los AngelesSteadfastpremiere.”
“Nobody gets pictures of Colby Kent!”
“Except you, now.”
“But he…they…they don’t even know me! Why would they—” He stopped, whispered, “You asked. For me.”
“I didn’t,” Leo said. “Not precisely. I said I wanted to see you again, and Colby asked whether I’d like help, and I said yes, possibly, and…then he offered. I never expected this particular offer. I wouldn’t’ve asked for that.”
“No, you wouldn’t…you don’t. Ask. For yourself.” He managed to inhale. Exhale. Right. Lungs working. Going well so far. “You would never ask him for something like this. Something that maybe he wouldn’t want to do.”
“I wouldn’t.” Leo’s accent held emotion like newly lifted castle banners, woven of fragile unfurling pleasure at Sam’s certainty. “But I did ask for help. So…”
“He offered, you said. He’s—he and Jason—they’re okay with this? With doing this?”
“Jason asked that,” Leo said. “After Colby said it. The way he looked at Colby, asking—that nearly mademecry, unless that was just the beauty of Colby’s pear and brandy French toast. And Colby said yes, he was sure, and then he asked if I thought you’d mind the inconvenience of any schedule interruptions and whether he could compensate you for that, on top of paying you for the week and for travel expenses.”
Sam, back to feeling flattened by a Colby Kent-shapedmissile of niceness, choked out, “They don’t have to pay me, if I’m making money off their pictures—!”
“To be candid about it, Colby can more than afford to,” Leo pointed out. “And that’s not even counting Jason and all the John Kill money. He’s an action figure, did you know that? A collectible. I’ve bought twelve. I have plans for a display.”
Sam looked at his own right hand, which had decided to clutch a pillow. The pillowcase, faded green and getting thin, looked back with something like a shrug. Uncharted territory for them both. “Leo…I…I don’t know what to say.”
“If it helps…I’ll be there as well? For the premiere, and some press, but also I thought I might…well, stay for a bit. In Los Angeles. For the week.”
“Leo,” Sam breathed, caught in splinters of happiness like shattering crystal. Sharp-edged, potentially dangerous, they promised glimpses of shimmering delight.
“I think,” Leo said, “Colby and Jason also want to play chaperone. To get to know you, as it were. They’re being protective. Of me.”
“Because they’re your friends.”
“They…” Leo laughed softly. “They are. I think. And you’re…something else, perhaps. Something more. If you’d like. You see why I asked how I might mention you to my parents…”
“You…you’d want…I said I was honored.” He tightened his grip on his supportive pillow. “I am. I want…whatever you want. Being with you. Public, not public, whatever you decide…but should we talk about it?”
“Not public just yet,” Leo said, and the part of Sam’s heart that wished it could believe in fairytales flinched, but it made sense: Leo had an audience to consider, a movie-star image to maintain. Dating a tabloid journalist likely landed right above an announcement about hating puppies, on the career-wounding scale.
But Leo went on, “I only mean not just yet in the sense of, not in the next few days, of course. You’re right that we should talk about how to handle it—your life will change as well, as soon as we say anything, which of course you know—and I feel as if that’s the sort of talk we ought to have in person. I don’t plan to hide, though, and I absolutely don’t want to hide you. By the way…you haven’t in fact said yes yet, as far as Colby’s offer.”
“Oh my God,” Sam said, mostly directed at himself and the pillow.
Leo hesitated for a second, and then said, even more quietly, “Please.”
“Yes! Oh God, fuck, yes, seriously!” Shouting a little; he hauled his voice back down to reasonable-person levels. His sisters might’ve heard that one. But he couldn’t let sadness thread itself into the tapestry of Leo Whyte for another second. “Leo. Yes. I’ll be there. With you. Yes to everything. Tell me where and when to show up. And where and when you want me to kiss you. Any time, any place.”
He’d made Leo laugh again. His feet wanted to tap dance right there on the bed.
“Iwantyou to kiss me right now,” Leo informed him, still laughing. “Where? Everywhere, honestly. Not my feet. They’re ticklish. But everywhere else. The way your mouth feels, on me…I want more of that.”
More. Like sunshine. Like another movie premiere, out in California. Like a chance, a fantastic glittering once-in-a-lifetime chance.
He had that chance. Because Colby Kent was apparently the nicest person on the entire fucking planet. And because Leo had reached out to a friend. Had been brave enough, hopeful enough, to try to believe that someone would be there for him.
Leo hadn’t asked on his own behalf. He’d done it for Sam.
Sam’s heart had always known that Leo was amazing. Ithadn’t known just how amazing. The want filled up his whole body, sweet and aching. Leo deserved everything. So much love, so much care. Hot chocolate and ridiculous ornate robes.
