by Jodi Payne
“I checked, they haven’t picked up yet, Owen,” she said.
Owen nodded. “Okay, thanks.” He took a deep breath and tried to reassure himself. They weren’t late yet. He still had a few minutes until places for the orchestra was called, and then there would still be ten minutes after that while they tuned and warmed up. Reese would be there. He knew how important this was to Owen. He’d be there.
***
REESE, IT’S fifteen minutes to curtain. Where are you?
Chad picked up the tickets, but he was starting to worry.
Reese had to be on his way, right? There wasn’t any reason to be nervous. He was probably just stuck in traffic and not getting cell service in the car.
In the middle of the city.
Right.
So, no. Okay, so maybe his phone was dead? It wouldn’t be the first time, right?
Chad shook his head and puffed his cheeks out as he exhaled, slapping the tickets impatiently against his thigh. He should have met Reese at the apartment. Adorable only got Reese so far, you know? The man was an utter disaster waiting to happen. He should have gone over there and made sure Reese was getting ready an hour ago. He would have, but after Reese spent all that time explaining to him how hard Owen had been working and what a big night this was for him, Chad really thought Reese would make damn sure to be there on time.
Never mind Owen. If Reese was late, Chad was going to kick that man’s little round heinie himself.
Chad stepped outside and dialed Reese’s cell but got no answer. He tried the house phone.
***
JESUS, HE’D drawn a complete blank. All of a sudden there wasn’t a single word in his head. All his carefully laid plans for this scene, the dangerous words they were supposed to exchange, everything just disappeared. Reese blinked, and his brow furrowed. What the hell was wrong with him?
Maybe he needed coffee. Or a change of scenery. After all, he’d been stuck in here writing all day. Maybe he needed food too. When was the last time he’d eaten? He stepped out of his office and was headed for the kitchen when he spotted the bouquet of flowers sitting on the table in the foyer. He blinked at them.
“Flowers.” He shook his head and walked over to them. Yellow Asiatic lilies and red Gerbera daisies. Owen’s favorites. “Oh fuck!”
***
“PLACES!” THE stage manager called. “Orchestra is called to places, please.” Owen’s heart stopped. Where was Reese? He hurried over to the stage manager, who was kind enough to get the house manager on the headset. “Hey, Adam. Yes, the two under Kelsey? You’re sure? Thanks, darling.” She looked at Owen. “They were picked up just a minute ago.” She smiled. “Relax. He’s here. Break a leg!”
Owen was relieved, but he suddenly felt a little dizzy, and then he realized he’d actually been holding his breath. He rolled his eyes and forced himself to relax as he headed toward the stage. Of course Reese was there; Owen felt awful for having doubted him.
***
REESE TORE down the hall to the bedroom in an utter panic, stripping off clothing as he went.
The phone rang, and Reese reached for it as he dressed.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Mr. Kelsey, we called your cell a bit ago, but you didn’t pick up. Your car is still waiting, did you intend to—”
“Perfect. Yes. Don’t let him leave!” Reese hung up the phone and pulled on his tux piece by piece. He ran to the bathroom and combed his hair, then scooped up his tie, cummerbund, and cufflinks. He could put those on in the car.
The phone rang.
“Tell the damn car to wait one more goddamn minute!” he shouted into the phone.
“Reese!” Chad shouted at him. “You had better shake a leg, honey.”
“I’m coming!” Reese dropped the phone, grabbed the flowers, and ran out the door.
***
CHAD COULD hear the orchestra warming up, and he stopped pacing to look at his watch. Reese was on his way and would be there any moment. Chad was sure of it.
Any moment.
And they’d have a lovely evening, assuming all of this fretting and agita didn’t cause him to suffer a stroke first.
Sure enough, a black car pulled up out front and Reese vaulted out of the back seat like he’d been ejected. He slammed the door and ran toward Chad. “How late am I?”
“You’re okay. It hasn’t started yet. I—”
“Dear God, I almost blew it, Chad,” Reese confessed, interrupting. “I was writing and… fuck, it’s a tough scene and I was really in my head. I could so easily have missed this.” Good gracious. The poor thing. It seemed like he might be ready to fly apart at any moment.
Chad gave him a gentle smile. “But you didn’t.” Reese did look like hell, though. His eyes were wild, and he looked like he’d slept in his tuxedo. That would never do. “Come here.” Chad took a minute to straighten Reese up, fix his tie, and do up a missed button on his shirt. “Tuck in. Good. Pull the cummerbund around, yes, like that. Okay, there. You’ll pass. Breathe.”
“Chad, imagine if I’d….” Reese ran his fingers through his hair. Chad took Reese by the arm and started moving them into the theater. “I don’t even want to think about it. Do you know how hard he’s been working?”
“Yes, you told me. I already picked up the tickets at Will Call for us. We can go right in.” Chad was actually pretty proud of his Reese. It was obvious the man genuinely cared about this. For the first time in as long as Chad had known him, something mattered to Reese as much as his writing. Maybe even more. Reese had never been this panicked about missing his word count; that was for sure. “Take a deep breath, honey. You made it, on time and with gorgeous flowers. He’ll be impressed.” Chad led the way into the theater just as the house lights were starting to dim.
Chapter XVI
REESE HIT the men’s room during intermission to fix his hair and make sure he really did look put together. He was still disappointed with himself, but he had made it—he didn’t even miss one note of the overture. Chad seemed to feel like everything was fine, but he didn’t know the terror Reese had been feeling in the car on his way over. On time didn’t mean he’d remembered. He’d gotten really fucking lucky, and pure luck alone was not going to hold down the best thing he’d had, well, in his entire life. Something was going to have to change. He’d dodged this bullet, but there was still a loaded gun out there.
He exhaled heavily, puffing out his cheeks and looking at himself in the mirror. Tomorrow he’d tell Owen what happened and they’d talk about it, he decided, but he’d let it go for tonight. Tonight was Owen’s.
The second act was very much shorter than the first, and that was good because after the adrenaline rush and arriving late, Reese was feeling a little wrung out. He also had a bouquet full of lilies sitting by his feet all night and he was getting a little overwhelmed by the fragrance. He apologized in his mind to the people sitting around him and resolved to get something subtler next time. Like long-stemmed red roses. If you could consider that subtle.
Oh well, clearly he was an amateur at these things.
Chad, however, was not, and he knew exactly what they were to do once the curtain came down. He led Reese out of the building and around to the side door, where they waited patiently with a great deal of other men in tuxedos and women in stunning gowns. As it turned out, they waited quite a while, long enough that Reese’s palms started to sweat and he was shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.
Chad put a hand on his arm. “Relax, you’re good. He’ll be out.”
The stage door opened moments later. “Clear a path, please,” a woman wearing a headset shouted. Most people readily complied. It wasn’t long before Owen came out, looking sleek and handsome in all black. He was carrying his cello and had a messenger bag over one shoulder.
“Bravo!” Reese called from his spot near the back of the crowd. He and Chad moved even farther out of the way as Owen came to meet them.
“Hey,” Owen said smiling at h
im.
“Hey, you.” Reese pulled him in for a kiss, barely giving Owen time to put his cello down. When he finally let Owen go, Owen was blushing.
“Wow, that was nice.”
“The orchestra sounded great,” Reese said, handing Owen the flowers. “These are for you.”
“Thank you.” That beautiful blush wasn’t going away.
“I enjoyed the performance, Owen. I hadn’t actually heard any of those pieces played live before.” Chad leaned in to give Owen a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Yeah, it’s an interesting collection, isn’t it?” Owen looked at Reese. “So there’s an opening night party I want to go to, but I need to stop at home first and drop all of this stuff off.”
“Here, let me help.” Reese took back the flowers and picked up Owen’s messenger bag. “I have a car.”
Owen grinned. “I don’t know how I survived in this city before I met you. I am so spoiled now.”
The three of them made their way around to the front of the theater. After a quick check-in at the valet stand, Reese pointed out a black sedan parked off to one side. “That’s us.”
There was a lot of energetic conversation in the car on the way back to Reese’s apartment. Chad and Owen talked about the symphony itself, and Reese commented on the music, noting those places he practically knew by heart after listening to Owen practice for long hours.
“Are you coming to the party?” Owen asked Chad as they climbed out of the car.
“Oh no. Thanks, though. I’ll take the car from here.”
“Thank you for coming!” Owen said cheerfully as the window closed and the car pulled away. “Chad needs a date.”
Reese nodded. Something else to work on.
They made their way upstairs in silence but holding hands and keeping close. Reese slipped his key into the lock and opened the door, holding it for Owen and his cello.
“Whoa. What happened in here?” Owen asked, looking around. He rolled his cello over to the corner where he practiced and set it down.
“Oh shit.” Reese’s eyes went wide. He put Owen’s bag down in the foyer and dropped the flowers on the kitchen counter before rushing through the apartment picking up after himself. “You know me. I can be such a slob when I’m writing.”
“Yeah.” Owen looked thoughtful. “I do know you.” He moved closer, following Reese into the bedroom. “So, how late were you?”
Reese straightened up. “I wasn’t late.”
“Come on, Reese, the place is a mess, and I know you were writing today.” Owen crossed his arms. “You rushed out of here. How much did you miss?”
Reese looked away and started to change. He wasn’t going to the party dressed like a penguin. He could understand Owen’s doubt to a certain extent, but as far as he could recall, he hadn’t ever lied to Owen, nor had he actually been late to anything Owen had invited him to, which meant Owen was jumping to conclusions based on Reese’s past track record. That wasn’t fair. He didn’t trust himself to speak yet, so despite knowing Owen’s eyes were following his every move, he found some jeans and a sweater and pulled them on.
“Come on, talk to me. Did you ask Chad to pick up the tickets and cover for you? Did you miss the first act? More?” Owen didn’t sound angry, but there was definitely raw emotion in his voice. Reese looked at Owen.
“I didn’t miss anything, Owen. Not one second. I was in my seat, with Chad, before the overture began. I swear to you.”
Owen regarded him wordlessly.
Reese found himself getting emotional too. “Did I get caught up in my work? Yeah, I did, and I ended up running very late, and I was damn near in a panic about it. Chad called to see where I was. He was… worried about me. I was already on my way out the door.” Reese felt his voice get thick, and his brow furrowed. He turned away from Owen and headed toward the bathroom, swiping at his eyes angrily. “I made it, okay?”
He knew Owen was following him, but suddenly he just wanted to be alone. Reese held out a hand to stop him. “I just need a minute,” he said, swallowing hard.
“I’m sorry, babe.” Owen didn’t seem to be leaving.
“Look, I almost blew it, I did. I know that’s crappy to hear, but I was honestly panicking. I know how hard you’ve been working, how important tonight was to you, and I was terrified I was going to ruin it for you.” Reese had managed to swallow back the tears, but his stomach was still in knots and his hands were shaking.
Owen stepped even closer, working his way into Reese’s arms. “You didn’t blow it, babe,” he said softly, leaning into Reese’s chest. “I did. I’m so sorry.”
Reese slipped his arms around Owen. He cleared his throat. “I’m trying, Owen. I really am. If it matters to you, it matters to me. I swear to God, it does.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have doubted you. You were there when I needed you to be. I can’t ask for more. I love you.”
Reese nodded. “I love you too.” He stood there in silence with Owen for a while, just breathing in his lover’s scent, enjoying his warmth, and letting it calm him. Owen ran his fingers over Reese’s back and tucked them into the back pockets of Reese’s jeans.
Breathe, he told himself. Just breathe. He loves you.
“So…,” Reese said finally, deciding to lighten things up. He could laugh at himself. “Just because I was on time doesn’t mean I wasn’t a disaster getting there. I stripped while running down the hall, pulled on the tux, and went flying out of here like my hair was on fire. I had to put on my tie and cummerbund and my cufflinks in the car.” Reese chuckled. Owen pulled away and looked at him, a slight smile on his lips.
“You’re kidding.”
“No, and when I finally arrived, Chad looked horrified. He practically re-dressed me in the lobby, rebuttoned my shirt and everything.”
“Oh my God.” Owen’s grin was wide now.
“I didn’t realize my shoes were still untied until intermission.” That got them both laughing. The laughter felt good; it made Reese feel like everything was okay. “I’m a hot mess.”
“You are. A really handsome hot mess, though. Finish cleaning up, and then let’s party!” Owen kissed Reese softly and stepped away.
REESE HAD been to many, many book release parties and more conventions and conferences than he could count. But none of those things compared to the spread that was put on by the producers at Symphony Hall. They had rented out an entire two-floor restaurant, set up a buffet and a dance floor, brought in a band, and offered an open bar. There was media all over the place, cameras flashing, interviews happening at tables along the walls; it was absolutely insane. And Reese felt embarrassingly underdressed. His tux would have been too much, but the jeans he’d pulled on were much too casual. They made his ass look nice, though, so maybe he’d be forgiven.
Owen found a table of his fellow musicians in black and squeezed in two chairs.
“Hey, Owen!” A petite woman in a black dress stood up and gave Owen a kiss on the cheek. “Is this…?”
“Yes! Nicole, this is Reese. Reese, Nicole.” Owen smiled as he made the rest of the introductions, putting his fellow musicians first. “Also, this is Jack and his wife Elsa; Lauren and her fiancée, Braden; Sharon and her….” Owen raised an eyebrow.
“Boyfriend!”
Owen grinned. “Boyfriend, yay! Sharon and her boyfriend, Alex, and that’s Hugh, and I don’t know this lovely lady.”
“Amy.”
Owen smiled. “Hi, Amy.”
Reese nodded to everyone. “I won’t remember any of that, so please forgive me.”
Everyone laughed. Reese held Owen’s chair for him and then seated himself. He leaned over and whispered into Owen’s ear. “I see straight people.”
Owen laughed. “Not all of us are members of an Artistic Queen’s Club, lover,” he whispered back.
“Right. Don’t tell me it’s not killing you that the many good-looking men at this table have no interest in fucking you, at all.”
“Nicole hi
t on me once.”
“Reese.” One of the men whose name Reese had already forgotten got his attention. “I don’t mean to call you out, but I really enjoyed your latest.”
Reese smiled. “Thank you. I’m pretty proud of it.”
“How many more do you have planned?”
“I’m working on the last one in the series right now.”
“Just one? That’s it? Ugh! You’re killing me.”
“Oh. I’m not the one doing the killing, believe me.” Reese stood up. “Owen, can I get you a drink?”
Owen smiled at him. “Whatever you’re having.”
Reese very purposefully gave Owen a kiss and headed for the bar. He was determined to keep the focus on Owen tonight, not his books or himself. That kiss should give them all something to talk about while he was gone.
From where they were sitting, there were two ways to get to the bar: either go all the way around the wide dance floor, or cut straight through it. Reese grinned, deciding to live dangerously, and dove into the fray. It had been a long time since he’d been out on a dance floor, and he enjoyed being jostled around as he danced his way through the mob. By the time he escaped on the other side, though, he was pretty disheveled. He stopped just beyond the writhing throng and tucked his shirt back in. He ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it, and when he looked up again, it was directly into a painfully familiar pair of hazel eyes.
“I thought that was you.”
Reese’s chest instantly grew tight. “Paul.”
“You look amazing. It’s good to see you.”
He was completely thrown by Paul’s presence, never mind everything Paul had just said to him. “It’s, uh. What are you doing here?”
“I’m on the board, remember?”
Reese nodded slowly. He did remember. Now. “Right, of course.”
“This is my last term, though. I roll off in a couple of months.”