“The show sends a car to drive Joel and me to work.You can come with us.”
“Then Joel will know I spent the night here.”
“Since you left your shoes by the door, I think he already knows.”
“Aw, shit.”
“What’s wrong with him knowing you spent the night?”
“It’s our business, Eddie.Not his.”
This wasn’t like him.He used to guard his privacy.He’d never told anyone we were together, except for Jack, and that was only because Jack had put him in a position where he had to tell him.
“Joel respects my boundaries,” he said.“That’s why he went out last night—to give us time alone.I’ll talk to him.You get dressed.”He put his hand on the doorknob and then looked at me.“Hey.”
“What?”I said.
“Thanks for spending the night.”And he smiled like he was genuinely grateful.
I tried to be cool, but a smile slipped out.
While he was gone, I put my warm-up gear back on and brushed my teeth.I checked my phone and found two texts: one from Royce,Had a good night, lover boy?which I deleted and one from Bex,You okay?which I replied to with,Yeah.Talk later.
Eddie wasn’t back by then, and I figured I couldn’t sit in his bedroom waiting for him indefinitely.I’d have to face the music.I’d done the walk of shame enough times when I’d had girlfriends.I’d survived awkward encounters with roommates or roommates’ boyfriends in the hallway or the bathroom.I could do this.I picked up my backpack.
The apartment smelled of coffee.The living room was empty.I found him in the kitchen, alone.On the table was a white bakery box full of fancy pastries.He was eating a chocolate croissant.I stood in the kitchen doorway.
“Come and have breakfast,” he said.
“I should go.”
“Drive in with us,” he said.“Joel’s in his bedroom.He can’t hear us.Come on, have a Danish.There’s a cherry one for you.”
I was always extra hungry the morning after a show, and those pastries did smell good.I sat in the kitchen chair and set my backpack down.
“Milk?”he said.
“Yeah, thanks.”
The Danish was amazing.I could have eaten ten.He set a glass of milk in front of me.
“I should probably go in on my own,” I said.
“Come in with me.I can show you my trailer...we can be alone in there.”
“I want to, but...”
“So do it.”He leaned in and kissed me softly on the mouth.“Please?”
“I just...Great.”
“What?”he said.
I glanced at the kitchen door to make sure we were alone.“I got a fucking hard-on.”
He leaned in and put his hands on the table close to mine.“I can take care of that for you in my trailer.”
When he put it like that...
