Page 6 of Once Upon An Ever After
“Oh yeah. Sure. I forgot.” She winked as if it was all a big joke that she’d forgotten she was in on. “I have to run but you boys don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
He chuckled as she continued on down the stairs, calling after her, “Is there anything on that list?”
“Not much so let your imagination run wild.” She sent a teasing air kiss over her shoulder and disappeared down the next flight of stairs.
Dawson shook his head in amusement and continued upwards to the fourth floor. It was always fun when he ran into Star because he loved making Beau laugh with whatever crazy thing she’d said. Normally he’d have been grinning in anticipation but her words had hit deeper than she’d been intending tonight.
He couldn’t help but wonder how a person he ran into once or twice a month, max, and had only spoken to a handful of times, could so easily see through his lies about his friendship with Beau.
Was it that obvious? Was that why everyone had been making assumptions? Because while he’d been trying to work it out for himself inside his head, thinking he was hiding all of the crazy, mixed-up emotions he felt, in reality they had been right there on the surface for everyone to see?
He wished again that he’d been able to get Roman alone to talk to him today but it hadn’t happened. Between Gibson standing sentinel over the wedding preparations at the house and Ash, Roman’s lover who also happened to be Beau’s brother, all but attached to Roman’s hip these days, he had never gotten the chance to ask his uncle about what he was feeling. Then that text from Beau had come in and he’d gone into a tailspin, thinking it was already too late, knowing he was losing him because of his own inability to face his feelings and he’d spent the rest of the day in a haze of fear and regret.
He had only calmed down once he’d decided to go to Beau’s apartment and have a difficult conversation with him. He was just simply going to tell Beau the truth. He had feelings for his best friend but he didn’t know what they meant. Surely that was all Beau needed to hear to know that he wasn’t alone and then they could keep seeing one another, keep hanging out, keep…being them.
He was mentally rehearsing what he wanted to say as he approached apartment 404A so he almost ran into the man coming out the door. He stopped just before they collided. The guy pulled up short too and grinned when he saw Dawson.
“Hey man!”
“Hey yourself.” He smiled in return, “Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?”
Beau’s roommate, Tyson, grinned, “Hot date.”
“Oh yeah? With that guy you were telling me about or someone new?”
“Nope. Same guy.”
“Wow, he must be something to have kept your attention.”
“He really is.” Tyson nodded, “Which is why I shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
“No, of course. Go.” Dawson motioned to the door and tried to sound nonchalant, “Beau, home?”
“Yeah, pretty sure he’s in his room. Go on in.”
“Thanks.”
“See you later.” Tyson waved before heading down the stairs.
Dawson watched him go before letting himself into the apartment. Maybe it was just because, since leaving Roman’s house, Star and now Tyson were the first two people he had come across but he couldn’t help but calculate his reactions to each of them. Both were attracted to men, Star being straight as far as he knew and Tyson being gay. Dawson could rationally look at them and gauge their attractiveness but he felt absolutely no sexual pull towards either of them.
Was that normal? Abnormal? How was he supposed to know?
He let himself into the apartment and shut the door behind him, “Beau?”
Dawson glanced around but found no sign of his friend in the common area so he headed towards the bedroom on the left side of the apartment. Tyson’s room was on the right and the door was wide open, the room dark. Beau’s door was propped halfway shut but as Dawson neared he realized why his friend hadn’t called back to him. The sound of a blow dryer was going in the bathroom and he grinned to himself as he went into Beau’s room to wait for him.
Beau and that damn blow dryer might as well be a couple, though Dawson wasn’t about to break them up since whatever Beau did with that thing always made his thick hair wavy and shiny and so damn touchable that Dawson’s fingers itched to run through the bronze length.
He stood for a few minutes before deciding he should at least act normal. He came over to Beau’s apartment all the time unannounced. It wasn’t like they weren’t the type of friends who had to schedule visits so technically he wasn’t being crazy showing up here without calling first.
He sat on the edge of Beau’s bed and looked around. The overhead light was off but a lamp on the desk and another in the corner with a scarf draped over it gave a cozy glow to the room. Dawson had been in this room a dozen times but he was constantly amazed at just how much of Beau there was in every inch of it.
His own apartment was easily twice the size of Beau’s. His bedroom alone was probably the square footage of Beau’s entire apartment. He had so much more space and yet, there was nothing in his place that felt like it told a story about who lived there.
Maybe, he decided, that was because the man who lived there wasn’t entirely sure who he was yet.
Beau on the other hand knew exactly who he was. He was out and proud. He was a party planner because he loved celebrations and making people’s best days even better. He loved his job and it showed in the mockups on the desk and the spare supplies in the corner. He was fashion conscious, as evidenced by the overflowing closet and the luxurious suit hanging from a hook next to a floor length mirror. Even the bedspread was bold like Beau with its splash of dark purple and bright blue patterns. The room smelled like Beau too, warm and enticing, so maybe that was why he was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the hair dryer turn off.
