If Noah had a problem with the two of them dating, he should have said something before.
Oli was talking about something ridiculous now, which thankfully distracted the host. But Trevor was still reeling. He couldn’t look at Skyler’s face, because he was sure whatever just happened here must have upset him. He had trouble focusing for the rest of the interview and was relieved when the host let them go.
She told the audience, “Don’t worry. Boys Will Be Boys will be back at the end of the show to perform their single ‘Beautiful in Blue Jeans’ for us,” and everyone clapped.
Once they were offstage, Skyler reached for Trevor’s shirt sleeve. “Trev?”
He shook his head. “Hold on one second, baby, okay?”
As soon as they all stepped inside their shared greenroom, Trevor pushed Noah against the wall, fisting the front of his shirt. “What the hell was that?”
“Woah.” Jermaine was there immediately between them, gently removing Trevor’s grip and urging him to step back. Trevor was grateful because he didn’t exactly mean to do that.
“Dude, chill!” Noah said. “Did you not notice the warning stares Maggie was giving you guys? I had the earpiece in, remember? She told me to say what I did.”
Trevor frowned. “She did?”
“Yes! So instead of yelling at me, you should take it up with her.”
“I will.”
“Wait,” Oli interrupted them. “You were wearing an earpiece? How come the rest of us didn’t get earpieces?”
“Because she trusts me the most,” Noah said.
Trevor rolled his eyes. “I’ll be back.”
As he turned to leave the room, Skyler grabbed him. “Hey, wait, you don’t have to—”
“It’s fine,” he told him before giving him a kiss on the forehead. “I’m going to work it out.”
Skyler still looked upset, and Trevor hated it, but he left him there and went back into the hall to look for their manager. He found her standing with the production assistant. “I need to talk to you.”
She looked like she might refuse, but then she said, “All right,” and led him into another room. “Is something wrong?”
“Why did you make Noah say Skyler and I are just friends? You must know we’re more than that.”
Not that they'd told her, because why would they? But they weren't doing anything to hide it. She’d suggested it wasn’t the best idea before, but the guys seemed fine with it and everything with the band was on track, so he didn’t see why it mattered.
She sighed. “Listen, Trevor. We want all the focus to be on this hot new boy band and their first song.”
It irked him how she saidthisband andtheirsong, as if he wasn’t an actual person in the band who she was talking to. But he was kind of getting used to being talked about like that to his face, so he didn’t bother to point it out.
“We don’t need rumors already,” she went on, “about who in the band is dating each other.”
“I’m not going to lie about it.”
“I’m not asking you to lie,” she said. Which didn’t sound right, because hadn’t she just told Noah to lie for them? “All I’m saying is to please hold off on announcing anything like that. You guys can still be as close and friendly as you want to be, because that’s the image of the band we’re projecting, remember? That you’re all best friends who genuinely love hanging out and singing together. But we need the album to chart when it’s released before we focus on anything else. That’s the only thing that matters right now. You’vesigned a recording contract, but if the album doesn’t do as well as the label is counting on, then you may not be making another one. This could all end.”
He wanted to find something to argue. But all that sounded reasonable, so he resigned himself to saying, “I understand.”
Maggie smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I knew you would. You’re a smart guy. I know you want this band to succeed.”
Trevor nodded and they left the room together. Of course he wanted the band to succeed. Not only for himself, but for Skyler. And for Jermaine, Oli, and Noah, too. Everything she’d said made sense.
Yet when the band went back onstage for their first ever live performance, he got an uneasy feeling in his gut every time his eyes wandered over to Skyler, who was so sweet and innocent, happily singing his parts, unaware that their relationship might clash with the needs of the band. Trevor didn’t want to be the one to have to tell him.
SKYLER JAMES IS GAY—SO NOW WHAT?
