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‘That’s your prerogative.’After considering it for a second, Eric added a smiley too before he sent his answer. It felt like an olive branch—and surprisingly, he liked the idea.
‘Okay,’Lucas replied.‘Give me a minute - I’ll check with Max.’
Eric had expected it to smart at least a little, this tangible confirmation that the rumours were right. It didn’t, though—all he felt was a distant sense of loss. Even if Eric hadn’t known Lucas quite as well as he’d thought, even if he might have mistaken infatuation for something deeper, they’d had fun together, at least for a little while. And Max…
Fuck, Eric missed writing songs with him.
It wasn’t like they’d been truly close—trust was a rare commodity in Max’s world, and Eric had never qualified for that elusive inner circle. But their creative styles had matched.
They tended to work off sudden, sharp impressions—captivating images or lines that hooked them in. From there, they let the ideas spiral out, guided by vague notions and sparks of inspiration rather than predefined themes, until the pieces eventually coalesced into a coherent story. It had been fun to send lyrics back and forth, building on each other, following each other down inspirational side paths.
Lucas called ten minutes later.
Eric stared at the screen for a second, throat just a hint tight, before he picked up. “Hi, Lucas.”
“Hi.” A pause followed, half a second that felt longer. “So, I thought it’d be easier to talk. Is this okay?”
“It’s fine.” Eric took a breath and realised that it truly was. “Thank you for … being willing to talk, I guess. I don’t usually go around calling in favours.”
“Well, we definitely owe you one.” Humour along with a hint of regret tinged Lucas’s voice. “So, you know. Least I can do. And as a matter of fact—you said you wanted publicity, right? I’ve got an offer that you can absolutely refuse. But it’s on the table if you want it.”
Eric didn’t remember Lucas being in the habit of beating around the bush. “You may want to tell me what it is before you detail the fine print?”
Lucas huffed out a small chuckle. “Yeah. Sorry. So… Max and I were planning a holiday—in a couple of weeks, when I get a break and before he starts touring. And we’d loosely talked about how that could be the right time for us to, you know… It’s time to get the official confirmation out of the way. That we’re dating, I mean.”
“Don’t get your tongue in a knot,” Eric advised, and to his own surprise, there was very little bitterness. “It’s all right—at least things between us fell apart for a reason, right? And hey, maybe it means that I won’t get called up about you two anymore.”
Lucas sighed. “I’m really sorry about that.”
Half a year ago, Eric would have enjoyed Lucas’s guilt. Perhaps he’d have enjoyed it as recently as when he’d left London. Not anymore. “It’s okay,” he said, and meant it. “Honestly, it’s been a while since anyone bugged me for a comment. Think they’ve given up.”
“Well, thank you for refusing to talk to those reporters. You could have outed us and didn’t—that was classy of you. Not that I’m surprised.” Lucas’s tone held genuine warmth. “Anyway, so here’s the offer. Instead of some staged airport kiss, we visit your hotel—”
“Not my hotel,” Eric interrupted.
“But you care,” Lucas volleyed back.
“I…” Eric didn’t quite know how to finish, and Lucas did it for him, a smile obvious in his voice.
“Or maybe it’s the guy you care about. Adrian, is it?”
Jesus, when Eric had started packing his suitcase this morning, he sure hadn’t predicted that his afternoon would include a conversation with his ex—especially not said ex teasing him about his new love.
“Yes,” he said softly. “Adrian.”
Lucas was silent for a beat. “Does he treat you right?”
“I don’t think you’ve got a right to ask.”
“I don’t,” Lucas agreed. “Does he, though?”
Eric thought of falling asleep with Adrian’s solid warmth against his back, of daily lines and how Adrian reminded Eric to take breaks,offering kisses, wandering hands, and smiles. “He does. But we’re not… We’re friends with benefits, that’s all.”
“You’re in love with him, though.” It wasn’t a question, and yeah, fair enough—given how Eric had swallowed his pride and asked Lucas and Max, of all people, for a favour? It took no Sherlock Holmes to work that one out.
Eric lowered his voice. “I am.”
“Well, if he’s got two brain cells and a heart, he’ll be in love with you too.” Lucas moved on before Eric had a chance to react. “So, anyway. We bring a photographer, and next thing you know, pictures of us kissing at that hotel of yours will be everywhere. The whole thing should take a couple of hours, and then we’re off to somewhere warm while you get the publicity you wanted.”
