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17
Maddox
Cece takes off, and after my Chevy Tahoe gets brought around, I jump in, feeling amazing. The last thing I want to do is go home, but I do. Why? Because the other option would be going to the party I told everyone about, but what’s the point? Cece isn’t going to be there, so I don’t know what I’d be doing. I am entirely uninterested in checking out other girls, getting their numbers, or anything else that I’ve been doing for the last few years.
If you would’ve told me a couple of months ago that’d be my mindset today, I would’ve told you you’re crazy. That I’m Maddox freakin’ Barkley and I have no time for a serious relationship. Then again, a couple of months ago, I didn’t know Cece, and my entire world didn’t get flipped upside down with these feelings I’m having now.
It’s crazy.
Pulling into our parking garage, I expect to see Adam’s parking spot empty since he told me about the party, but his Porsche is parked in its place. Still slightly surprised at my frame of mind, I stare at his car and nod to myself. I need to tell him. We’ve been one another’s wingman for a while now, and I don’t mind doing that for him, but I have to tell him I don’t need one anymore.
Another chuckle escapes me. I can’t believe I even think that, but I do.
Getting up to our penthouse, I walk through the doorway, dropping my keys into a small bowl we have on an end table. The entryway opens into our wide-open living area, where our large flat-screen TV is on, and some guy is on the couch. From where he’s sitting, I can see he has blond hair that’s a little shaggy.
His head snaps around, and he stares at me with slight trepidation. “Oh, hey. You a friend of Adam’s?”
He goes to speak, opening his mouth, but no words come out. Walking out from the kitchen, Adam has his phone in his hand. “I guess we ran out, Jules. I’ll just order some take-out or something.”
For a second, Adam doesn’t see me. Then he does, and his eyes jump back and forth between the guy on the couch and me.
“Jules?” I ask, not understanding why he’s calling him the name of the girl he’s been seeing for months now. Then it hits me, and my gaze jumps back to him. “Hold up, you’re Jules?”
He gets to his feet, rubbing his fingers together nervously, but doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks over at Adam, whose brain seems to be running a mile a minute. He goes to say something but shuts his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he stares at the ground for a moment before meeting my eyes again with a somber look. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to that party?”
A flabbergasted chuckle escapes me. “I didn’t want to go. Um …” Now I’m struggling to try to find the words.
It’s not that I’m shocked to discover that Adam’s gay. I typically don’t give things like that a second thought. But for months now, I’ve heard tidbits about Jules, and I’ve always assumed that it was a female’s name. So, to see a guy about my height, fit build with broad shoulders, standing in front of me who apparently Adam’s been secretly seeing … Yeah, it’s a little shocking.
Adam hurries over to him, and they exchange whispers. I feel like I should leave them alone for a minute, but my feet are still stuck to the ground, trying to figure out what’s happening. Adam nods, and Jules walks over to me.
“Hey, I’m Julian.”
A smirk crosses my lips, easing from the introduction. “Julian. Jules,” I chuckle again.
“I’ll see you later. Nice meeting you,” he says, and walks toward the door.
“Oh, sorry. You don’t have to leave. I can take off or hang out in my room, or … whatever.” The confusion is starting to fade, and now I feel uncomfortable. I feel like I ruined a date or something.
“No, it’s okay,” Adam says, then nods to him. “I’ll call you later.”
I hear the door open and close. Adam folds his arms, staring down at the beige carpet in the apartment. “Dude, seriously, he didn’t have to leave. It’s cool, Adam. It just would’ve been cooler if you had trusted to tell me, that’s all.”
I say it with a smirk, and a light laugh floats out, but he’s all business. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Maddox. I don’t trust anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
Letting out a low sigh, he turns and heads to the couch, taking a seat. He leans over his knees, fidgeting with his fingers. If confusion was circling the room before, a new heaviness wraps around us.
“You can’t say anything, Maddox,” he tells me but doesn’t make eye contact. Instead, he stares down at his feet.
I walk over to the couch, grabbing the remote to turn off the television and take a seat next to him. “Adam, it’s all good, bro. You know I won’t—”
“I’m serious.” His eyes finally find mine. As much as we’ve hung out, he’s always come off as calm, cool, and collect. A Hollywood hotshot that loves to party and have fun. It’s what connected us in the beginning. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him as grave as he looks now unless it was in one of his dramatic roles for a movie. “No one can know.”
“Dude, people are cool. It’s not like it was when—”
“You don’t get it!” he snaps. “It’ll ruin my career. I wish it didn’t have to be like this, but it does. My manager tells me all the time. If it ever got out, my career could be over.” I don’t know how to respond, so all I can do is nod. “Years ago, I was going to come out. This was right when my career started taking off, and I was getting bigger roles on TV. My manager told me it’s better to stay in the closet. Producers and directors, the people who run this industry, if they didn’t like it, my career would’ve been over. So … no one can know.”
