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But the fact that queer people still had to come out at all, that we had to announce who we were and who we loved, instead of just going about our daily lives like cis het people, was telling.
But judging by all the texts and messages from our friends and colleagues, Tate was going to get all the support he needed.
The question was, would he accept it?
And how would he deal with the inevitable backlash?
Nasty comments, insidious threats. Plus, there was the inability to travel to certain countries.
Tate’s life, his career… it was all about to shift forever.
His career wasn’t over, far from that. But it wouldn’t be the same.
And for someone who was as ambitious as Tate—single-minded in his pursuit of his goals—it was going to be a shock.
I stared at him as he read, watching every nuance of the rugged face I’d never get tired of studying.
And when tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks, I did the only thing I could. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, and I held onto him.
“Can you get Henn on the phone?” Tate whispered as he continued to scroll.
I took his phone and tapped Henn’s number and speaker.
“That was fast,” Henn replied.
“Henn,” I greeted her.
“Reed, is Tate okay?”
“Yes, we’re both here.”
“Jared is livid on your behalf. He’s shutting down production for the day while he looks into whoever might have done this.”
“If they do it once and don’t get caught?—”
“Exactly,” Henn replied. “So, how do you want to handle this?”
I turned to Tate and with my free hand, swiped at his tears. His answering smile made my heart stutter. It was hopeful and heartbreaking in the same breath.
Tate cleared his throat. “Like I said earlier, I want to issue a statement confirming my relationship with Reed.”
I trembled at his words. He was shaking too.
No going back now.
“I’ll get working on it. You’re going to be inundated with requests for interviews. You know the drill, I’ll deal with it and if anyone tries to approach you, refer them to me. It also might be a good idea to think about private protection for the next while. Just to be safe.”
“Jared knows someone,” Tate added. “He used to work for his fiancé, Alex. His name is Korry Doyle. We met him this week and he has availability.”
“Great. Set it up. I’m going to write up the press release and send it off for your input.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Tate replied.
“Talk soon.”
Tate tapped end and took the phone from my hand.
“It’s really happening.”
