Page 71 of See My Words

“Uh—”

“And there goes all the relaxation you’d achieved,” Rylan muttered in disgust. “Thanks a whole fucking lot, Corey. Jesus.”

Scott smacked Rylan’s leg to shush him, earning himself a death glare.

“I know you’re a little skinny right now,” Corey continued, “but we can work with that through creative lighting and posing. As long as you haven’t turned into a fat pig or something overnight, you’ll be good enough.” He chortled.

Scott ran his hand over his flat stomach self-consciously. Was that a bulge he felt around his waistband area? Did he have a fucking muffin top? He swallowed, not really sure what all was going on but wondering if he’d fucked it up again by indulging himself this weekend and not worrying about his image.

Rylan put a hand on his thigh, and the warm, reassuring weight cut through the panic and self-doubt swirling through Scott in a nauseating wave. He cleared his throat.

“I’ll be back in Phoenix in a couple of hours, Corey.”

“Great. Get down to the club as soon as you get back, and we’ll go over our strategy before your hair appointment. Great things ahead of us, baby. Great things!”

With that, Corey hung up. There was silence, broken only by the sound of the hot, rushing wind outside the car.

“I’m the one who posted the picture of you in the contest,” Rylan said slowly. “I took it that first day on our hike with Minh. It was—you looked so beautiful and happy, and I just wanted everyone to see it.” He tightened his grip on Scott’s thigh. “I did tag the contest, because all the other entries were boring and stupid.”

Scott threaded his fingers through Rylan’s and squeezed. “Thanks. This whole weekend I never once thought of social media or MC₂ or the club—”

“Why should you have to? Can’t you have a weekend to yourself?”

“I have to stay relevant, Rylan. My injury—well, normally I’d have a hard time coming back from something like that. When you spend too long out of the public eye, there’s always someone new waiting to take your place. But now with MC₂—” He blew out a breath. “Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

Scott saw Rylan gnawing on his lip like he wanted to say something, and he squeezed his hand again. “Out with it,” he said drily. “It’s not like you’ve minced words these past few days, sweetheart, so what’s on your mind?”

Rylan cast him a sheepish glance, looking so adorable Scott wished he could lean over and kiss him. “I just—you were so happy and relaxed a few minutes ago, and now I hate to see you so tense again.”

Scott shrugged. “Isn’t that how everyone is? Vacation is over, back to reality. Most people don’t like their jobs.”

“So you don’t like yours?” Rylan’s voice was sharp, and Scott gave an impatient huff.

“I didn’t say that, Ry. I get paid good money to party in clubs, walk around half-naked, and be adored. What’s not to like?”

Rylan waved his free hand. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe being valued solely on your looks and not anything else. Maybe because you always have to work so hard to be nothing less than perfect.”

“That’s what I’m paid for, Rylan. I’m paid big bucks to be your fantasy of the perfect man come to life.”

“I know. And if what you’re doing makes you happy, then that’s all that matters. But—”

“But what? Don’t stop now.”

Rylan bit his lip and said, “Are you happy? It just reminds me of when we were kids. That you don’t—that you don’t think you have options.”

Scott didn’t reply, and after a moment, Rylan went on, “You have so much talent. You have people skills, charm, and diplomacy. You’re a thinker, a problem solver. If it wasn’t for you, Brian and Julia wouldn’t be getting married right now in such a beautiful and unique ceremony.”

Scott snorted. “That’s not true. I was just in the right place at the right time, willing to help—”

“No, it is true! You took a problem, and you worked around it with the tools you had. You turned it into something special, Scott, because people respond to you. You have class, and good taste.” Rylan paused. “All I’m saying is, it’s okay if you want to reinvent yourself. It’s okay if you want to take a step back, and find something you enjoy, but also something where you can just goddamn breathe for a change.”

Scott blinked back sudden tears. Fucking wind in my eyes. He let go of Rylan to root for his sunglasses in the console, slipping them on.

“Easier said than done,” he croaked.

Rylan put his hand on the back of his neck, stroking the nape with his thumb. “I know. And no matter what you decide is best for you, Scott, I believe in you. One hundred percent unconditionally. I just don’t want you to tell yourself there aren’t any other options, okay?”

Scott gave a jerky nod, not trusting his voice, and they made the rest of the drive back to Phoenix in silence.