Page 10 of Finding Grey
SIX
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SEAN
Gabi and I were led to a large room with several couches and a drinks table. The room had already been used for some kind of after-concert revelry. Discarded beer and champagne bottles gathered on every flat surface, along with half-empty glasses and the remnants of food. Apparently, Dante had been busy partying while his fans stood outside in the cold hoping for the chance to meet him.
“Did you really take the picture he gave you credit for?”
I turned to see Gabi drop the birthday present on one of the couches before she stared at me with wide, excited eyes. “Yes, I did. And I’ve got plenty more from the same night.” Pride filled me as I claimed the photo as my own for the first time. “And I’ll swear he wrote that song for me. I mean, I can’t actually say for sure but, it’s so totally my song.”
“What the hell, Sean?” She rushed at me, dragging me into a hug. “Why didn’t I know about this? And why have I never seen those photos? We always show each other our work.” I didn’t have a chance to answer before she pulled away again. “Holy crap!” She grinned, her fingers clamping around my arms. “You’re Dante Sinclair’s ex-boyfriend!”
“What?” I blanched at the title. “No, I’m not. We met once, for less than an hour. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” She gave me a doubtful look. “There has to be more to it than two teenage boys having a chat one night at a concert.”
I pushed the birthday present out of the way and we took a seat on the couch. “There was more,” I admitted. “But I don’t think a few minutes of tonsil hockey constitutes a relationship in anyone’s book.” It was a crude, casual way to describe what happened between us. His mouth on mine. The heat of his body against me. My legs wrapped around his waist. “I never breathed a word of it. Not to anyone.”
“Why the hell not?” she asked. “If I’d made out with Dante Sinclair, I would have told everyone who would listen. They wouldn’t have believed me,” she added. “But I would have told them anyway.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, boys don’t go around kissing and telling about other boys. It’s bad manners to out someone before they’re ready.”
Gabi’s mouth dropped open. “Heisgay?”
I slapped my forehead with one hand. “I didn’t say that.”
“You actually showed up.” A low, masculine voice cut the air and we both looked up to see Dante’s father standing near the doorway. “I didn’t think you would.”
The Head of Security stood at his side. Apparently, when he’d said he would let Mr Sinclair know we were here, he wasn’t talking about the Sinclair I’d come to see. It didn’t surprise me I had to get past the almighty Roger Sinclair to get to Dante. If I had to play nice with the man who tossed me out on my ear three years ago, so be it.
I rose from the couch and crossed the room with a forced smile. “Good evening, Mr Sinclair.” I offered my hand. He declined to shake.
Glancing over his shoulder, he nodded at the security guard. “I’ll take it from here.”
After the man left, Roger’s gaze wandered past me to Gabi, who sat frozen on the couch. “Who is this?” he asked. “Your girlfriend?”
“This is Gabrielle,” I replied, holding an arm out to her. “She’s a friend.”
“It’s awesome to meet you, Mr Sinclair,” she gushed as she jumped up from the couch to join us.
A stiff smile was his only reply as his gaze returned to me. I held it with every bit of confidence I could muster. At eighteen, that didn’t amount to much.
Roger inspected me closely, as if mentally weighing up the likelihood I was gay. The deepening frown told me his calculations were turning up an accurate result. “I don’t know what you think is going to happen here, but I can tell you now it won’t be much.” He headed for a small bar fridge in the corner of the room as he spoke. Taking out a bottle of water, he cracked the seal and drank. He didn’t offer us anything. I’m pretty sure that was the point. “Dante is about to embark on a worldwide tour to promote his latest album, as I’m sure you already know.”
Of course, I knew. Everybody knew. I didn’t need this jackarse to point out my total lack of significance in Dante’s life, or that this night wasn’t leading anywhere. It was nothing more than a chance to meet up with the first boy I’d ever kissed. An extension of the fantasy we’d begun three years earlier. Nothing more. That didn’t stop me from wanting it. “It’s just a visit,” I assured him. “Dante invited me, I came. That’s it.”
After a long moment, Roger nodded. “Good.” Placing the water bottle on a nearby table, he headed back towards the door. “I’ll let Dante know you’re here, then we can all go back to our lives.” By which he meant Gabi and I could go back to whatever hole we’d crawled out of and Dante could go back to being a famous rock star.
He left the room and Gabi and I released a collective breath.
“Wow,” she whispered, cringing at me. “That was intense.” We shared a quiet laugh and went back to waiting.
I paced the room, unable to sit still. My entire body buzzed at the thought of seeing Dante again. What should I say? Should I hug him? Dear God, I wanted to touch him so bad I could feel the ache of it in my bones.
Twenty minutes passed before I finally dropped back onto the couch beside Gabi. “What’s taking so long?”
She released a long sigh. “Maybe he had a lot of people to meet with after the concert?”