Page 35 of Be My Endgame

Alex inhaled, lungs expanding. “Yeah.”

After they parted with a shared smile, Alex sped through a shower and brushing his teeth, then gathered what he needed for the night. He peeked out into the hallway before dashing over to Lee’s door. It took just a second for Lee to let him in, and Alex got momentarily stuck on how Lee hadn’t bothered with more than a pair of briefs after the shower he must have taken, smelling of the hotel’s lavender soap when Alex brushed past him as he stepped into the room.

“What took you so long?” Lee asked after he’d closed the door. At this point, Alex knew him so well that the gently teasing grin registered before Alex even glanced at Lee’s expression.

“Some of us have hygienic standards,” Alex said with a haughty sniff.

“Some of us are slow.”

“Just becauseyoushower faster than the average Ramones song…”

Lee’s shrewd look came with a tinge of surprise.

“What?” Alex dropped his stuff on the side of the bed that Lee had cleared for him.

“Does your dad know you listen to American punk rock?”

“The number of things that my dad doesn’t know about me could fill an encyclopaedia.” Such as the fact that Alex had no intention of emulating his father’s political engagement at any point in the near or distant future, or the nature of Alex’s sexuality given his dad still maintained that Prince Joshua’s coming out some years ago should have been a private matter, not to be disclosed to the public and certainly notflauntedfor the world to see.

“It’s truly inspiring,” Lee said, “to spend time with someone whose daddy issues match my mummy ones.”

“Nah, I think you win.” Alex let the corners of his mouth curve up. “My father would never dream of buying four fridges—that’s what hired help is for. Honestly, I’m not convinced he knows the way to the kitchen.”

“Do you?” Lee asked with a sly look, and Alex surprised himself when he laughed.

“I sure do. It’s where the chocolate lives.”

“Hardly part of your nutrition plan.”

“What’s life without the occasional cheat day?”

“Not what you should say to whatever wife your parents pick for you.”

“Oh, fuck you very much, Lee.”

“Anytime, honey.”

They were both grinning now, Alex sitting on the edge of the bed, Lee still near the door. The crisp night air that streamed in through a gap between the curtains smelled of pine trees, and it wasn’t until Alex took another deep breath that he noticed the tightness in his chest had dissipated.

Something might have shown on his face because Lee’s grin softened into a smile. “Feel better?”

“Surprisingly, yes.” Alex smiled back. “You?”

“A bit, yeah. Still sucks, mind.”

“It does.” Alex let it hang between them for a sobering moment, then he exhaled and shifted up on the bed. “Hey. There’s something, uh…”Come on. “Something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

Lee’s brow puckered as he crossed his arms. “Cryptic much?”

“Nothing bad,” Alex rushed to assure him. “Just … personal. And I don’t really…” He halted, and fucking hell, it wasn’t rocket science, was it?Just say the bloody words.Except he’d never done so before, and tonight kind of sucked, and it wasn’t like he needed to tell Lee right this very moment. “You know what? Perhaps not tonight. Tomorrow’s a new day, though, so remind me to tell you in the morning.”

“Still cryptic,” Lee informed him, but his expression relaxed, arms dropping to his side as he crossed to the other side of the bed and sat down gingerly. He made a point of looking elsewhere when Alex tugged off his T-shirt and slid under the sheet.

“Thanks for letting me kip here,” Alex said softly, partly to draw Lee’s gaze. It was silly and maybe even a little unfair, the way he wanted Lee’s attention on him.

“It’s not a hardship.” Lee’s voice was light. He still evaded Alex’s eyes as he stretched out on his side of the bed, though, a brief moment of silence settling between them that Alex couldn’t quite read.

“Thanks anyway,” he said.

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