“I like you.”
Something sweet flashed in Roman’s eyes at Brett’s confession. “Then put your phone away and spend some time with me. I can’t stay in California forever. You’ll still be amazingly successful long after I’m gone.”
A wave of sadness washed over Brett at the thought of Roman leaving to never be seen again. He needed to use his time wisely. That way, Roman wouldn’t forget him. Brett set his phone aside. “Tell me about yourself. I want to hear about your life.”
A bright smile lit Roman’s face. He slid his hand across the table palm up. Before Brett could take it, Jeremy, another regular, appeared beside their table. He only had eyes for Roman. “Hi.”
Roman’s smile slipped a hair. “Hello.”
Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. “Would you like to have lunch sometime?”
To Brett’s surprise, Roman scowled. “What’s the deal with this place? Is Brett invisible?”
Jeremy’s gaze slid Brett’s way. He looked even more nervous than before. “No.” Horror touched Jeremy’s features as he held Brett’s stare as the truth obviously dawned. “Oh my gosh. I’m sorry, Brett. You never date anyone. I just assumed he was a new client.”
Brett waved off the apology. He knew Jeremy to be a tender-hearted guy. Jeremy wouldn’t purposely approach anyone else’s date. “Don’t worry over it, sweetie. You’re right. I don’t date.” He stole a quick peek Roman’s way before adding, “Plus, Roman is ungodly gorgeous. It was fair to assume he could be famous.”
Jeremy’s shoulders fell—like a weight slid from them. “That’s very true. You’re a lucky guy. I’ll leave you to your breakfast.”
Brett smiled and nodded. He waited until they were alone again before looking Roman’s way. Roman stared at him with an intensity that took Brett’s breath. “You’re a hit,” Brett said, hoping to hide his sudden onset of nerves. He swiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his shorts. “Jeremy is very shy. You should be flattered he stepped out of his comfort zone to meet you. I expected half a dozen others here would have approached you first.”
In a flash, before Brett could register what happened, Roman came to his feet. He didn’t stop there. Roman climbed onto his chair. “Excuse me, everyone.” The coffeehouse fell silent at Roman’s loud words. Brett couldn’t wrap his mind around Roman’s actions. Roman wore the same smile he always wore when putting on a show. It struck Brett that he knew that now. He could tell the difference between the real version of Roman and the showman. His mouth went dry as the truth sank in. He was the only one who got to see the real Roman. That didn’t explain why he stood on a chair now. Roman didn’t drag things out. He touched his chest. “I’m Roman. I’m with this guy right here,” Roman said, pointing at Brett. He said the words so loudly and comically that no one could possibly be offended. “I just wanted everyone to know that so you can know how goddamn lucky I am that he not only wastes his time and affection on me, but also that he’s still alive and well. That’s all.” Roman leapt from the chair, grabbed Brett’s hand, and loudly kissed it while everyone still watched. Several people made sounds like they were moved by Roman’s gesture while a few laughed at his audacity. Brett couldn’t stop staring at him in shock.
Roman settled back down in his seat, but he held tight to Brett’s hand. “Okay. Where were we? Oh yeah. You asked about my life. Well, let’s see. I was born in Kit Carson, Colorado, which is East of Aspen. My parents still live there.” Brett stared in awe as Roman spoke, as if nothing happened. He had spent so much time being Wrecker’s booty call that he didn’t know how to feel now. Roman had publicly claimed him in a spectacular display. Brett felt... stolen—like Roman had swept him off his feet when he hadn’t been looking. He had to force himself to listen to every word Roman said because he was completely floored.
Roman kept talking, oblivious to Brett’s plight. “My dad loves golf, so they travel a lot so he can try out different courses. Mom is a gay rights activist. She owns more pride gear than the factory that makes the stuff. I’ve been going to parades and rallies since I was born.”
Brett found himself snagged. The shock faded. They were together. He wanted to know more. “Obviously something drives her.”
Roman nodded. “My grandmother’s brother was an out and proud gay man when it wasn’t anywhere near as easy to be so. He never had any kids of his own, so he doted on my mom. They were very close. He died from complications due to AIDS. She said he wasn’t treated with the dignity he deserved, and it lit a fire inside her. His life mattered. She won’t stop until everyone knows it.”
“That’s very sweet. I’m guessing you didn’t have to suffer the coming out most people do.”
A bright smile lit Roman’s face. He snorted. “You’d be right. Growing up, I would be like, she’s hot. Damn, he’s sexy. They look nice today. Mom would just smile and be like, well, pick one then. You’re not limited. She’s pretty amazing. She’d love you.”
Brett smiled at the thought. A shot of longing hit. “I do miss being hugged by my mom.” Brett froze. He couldn’t believe he had confessed such a thing.
Roman’s smile fell. “Has your mom passed?”
“No.” Brett tried for a smile and failed. “She doesn’t really speak to me anymore.” He tried starting from the beginning so Roman would understand. “We were a military family and moved all over the world. I was the new kid at school every single school year and sometimes more often than that. In our house, kids were seen but not heard. We were expected to blend into the background and not rock the boat. By the time I was seventeen, that was getting to be way too hard for me.” Brett motioned toward his bright clothing. “I’m not the fading-into-the-woodwork type. At first, I secretly took my eccentricity online. I started a YouTube channel where I played video games and talked about life. Before I knew it, I’d made a ton of money. We were living in Georgia and had been for two years. That was the longest we had stayed anywhere. Dean was fifteen and he had finally found his place after years of us being dragged around. We were happy. Then they dropped the bomb. Dad had been re-stationed. We were moving to Germany.” Brett shook his head, losing himself in the memory of that horrible time. “We had two months to pack and ship everything to a new country. I was pissed. Dean was devastated. Even though I was still six months away from graduation, I was only one month away from turning eighteen. So I put my foot down. I not only refused to go, I demanded they leave Dean with me. They were angry and refused. We spent the next two months fighting and tearing each other apart. In the end, they agreed that Dean’s happiness meant more than staying together.” Brett shrugged. “He’s been with me ever since and my mom refuses to speak to me now.” Brett skirted that last topic to save his heart. “I worried that moving to L.A. would be another jarring move for Dean after he graduated, but he was actually excited to move again by then. I hope I’ve given him a pretty good life.” Discomfort had Brett quickly shifting topics. “What’s your stage name?”