Page 63 of Going Solo (The Brent Boys #2)

Chapter Thirty-Six

I woke to a fist banging angrily against the bedroom door.

“Fucksake, Cole, don’t you answer your texts anymore?” It was Fiona, and she sounded mad.

We got up and scrambled for our clothes. We were at Cole’s London house, on a hill near Hampstead Heath. It was a Sunday—the morning of the last of Cole’s three shows at the capital’s famous Millennium Dome. Cole and I had spent a full, glorious week together, hanging out whenever we could, sneaking around on the down-low in both Leeds and London. We did normal, couple-y stuff. We watched TV on the couch. I cooked him my grandmother’s traditional Swedish meatballs. He showed me seven new ways to find my prostate. The press hadn’t cottoned on to our affair and didn’t seem to suspect a thing.

Fiona pounded at the door. “Cole, let me in.”

“I’m coming. Geez.” He muttered something under his breath. “Is this about the Go Tos knocking us off number one?” he called out. “I was thinking about that. Should we bring forward the release of?—”

“It’s not about the bloody Go Tos. Open up!”

On his way to the door, Cole slapped me on the arse and clicked his tongue, like he was geeing up a horse. The moment the door handle was down, Fiona burst into the room, absolutely raging mad. She held out her phone, and we read the headline.

“Jasper can write?” Cole said.

“It’s not funny,” Fiona said. “It’s a big fucking problem.”

“Should I…” I pointed a thumb at the door.

“No, stay,” Cole said, grabbing my hand. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me down beside him. Fiona started reading the article aloud. With every sentence, Cole shrunk a little, his happiness leaving him in column inches.

“Why would he do this?” Cole asked, his head in his hands.

“I’m no Sherlock, but money seems like an obvious motive,” Fiona said. “Revenge, maybe? Attention? A spot on Celebrity Dorm Room , who knows?”

Those last words popped like a bubble, and an awkward silence fell between us all.

“Sorry, Tobes,” Fiona said. “I wasn’t thinking. You were in a completely different situation.”

Was I, though? I was an ex who used his connection to Cole for profit. That’s exactly what Jasper was doing. What conversations had Fiona and Cole had about me back then? Cole rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“But Jasper already got a ton of money.”

“Be real, Cole.” Fiona was pacing around the room. “He’ll have blown through all that on drugs or rent boys ages ago. What didn’t go up his nose will have gone up his arse.”

Fiona was shaking her phone like she wanted to snap its neck.

“But he signed NDAs,” Cole said. “Legally, surely, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

Fiona pressed her hand to her forehead. “They’re not our NDAs, Cole. They were Totally Records’ NDAs.”

“He still signed them.”

Fiona threw out her hands in exasperation. “Catch up, Cole! Felicity Quant can release Jasper from those NDAs at any time. Who the fuck do you think is behind this book? Jasper doesn’t have the brains or the contacts to pull off a stunt like this. This is all Felicity.”

Cole looked worried, realisation dawning. “Do we know what he’s going to say?”

“What could he say?” Fiona said. “I’ve organised a crisis comms strategy meeting for nine o’clock. Angie, Carmel, Winslow are all on their way. We need to go through every single claim Jasper could possibly make.”

“Everything?”

“Absolutely every last thing. We can’t afford any surprises. We have to work out an initial public response, and we need to work out a legal response. Then we need to work out the long-term comms strategy. This is a fucking mess.”

Cole looked shocked. I couldn’t imagine how he felt. Not only had his ex written a tell-all book, but now he had to tell his sister everything they got up to when they were together? I wouldn’t tell Elsa one-tenth of what Cole and I had got up to, and the most perverted thing we’d done was get a bit handsy in the cabin of his old man’s tractor. Fiona wrapped her arm around Cole’s shoulder and rested her forehead against his.

“We’re going to fix this, OK?” she said, almost whispering it into his ear. “I promise.” She kissed the top of his head. “Do you need to do the mantra?” she whispered. “Come on, let’s do Summer’s mantra. I can handle what comes my way.”

Cole mumbled the words.

She stroked his hair. “Happiness is always available to me.”

Cole muttered something.

“No, say it for me. It doesn’t work if you don’t say it.”

“Happiness is always available to me,” Cole murmured.

Fiona closed her eyes and spoke into the mess of Cole’s hair. “I am unaffected by the judgement of others.”

Cole parroted the words.

“The best is yet to come,” Fiona said.

“The best is yet to come,” he repeated.

Fiona kissed him on the head and went back to pacing. I’d never seen Cole’s demons up close like this before. He was always so happy, so glib. Seeing him like this scared me. I put my arm around him. He rested his head against mine. Something deep inside me, something primal and male, made me want to fix this for him.

“I need an advanced copy of that book,” Fiona said. “Do we know anyone in publishing?”

Cole shook his head. Suddenly, I realised I might literally be able to help.

“So, I don’t know if this is useful, but my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend works for the BBC’s Compass Point , and he used to work at The Bulletin , so he probably still has contacts there. And my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend’s boyfriend’s family actually owns The Sentinel , if that’s any use?”

Fiona stared at me, slack-jawed.

“The fucking gays, man,” she said. “They run the whole world. How you people have been so oppressed for so long is nothing short of baffling.”

“Do you want me to try to get a copy of the book?” I asked.

Fiona threw her phone into her bag and slumped into the chair.

“Toby, the only thing I’ve ever wanted in my life more than a copy of that book is Felicity Quant’s head on a pike by Southwark Bridge. Well, that and Kevin Jonas. If you can get me that book, I’ll seriously owe you one.”

There was a moment of silence, while I took on board the seriousness of the situation.

“Kevin Jonas?” I shook my head. “ Kevin ?”

“I know, right?” Cole said. “Like, Joe is right there.”

“Right?”

“Oi!” Fiona said. “Stick to the point. Do you think you can get that book?”

I shrugged. “I have absolutely no idea, babes. But I will certainly try.”

“Thank you, Toby. If you can pull this off, I might be able to swing you a knighthood.” Fiona stood up and put her bag over her shoulder. “The PM owes me a favour or two.” She put her hand under Cole’s chin and lifted his face to hers. “We’re going to fix this, OK? Shower, put on your game face, and meet everyone downstairs in twenty.”

Fiona marched out the door. Cole and I sat there in silence for a moment, Cole’s head on my shoulder. He smelt of sleep and morning and boy.

“Do you genuinely think you can get a copy of the book?”

I combed my fingers through his hair. “I have no idea.”

“Promise me something?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t read it.”

How bad was this book? What did Jasper have to say that was so terrible Cole didn’t want me to read it?

“Of course not,” I said, and kissed him on the head.

Neither of us made to move.

“What are you thinking?” Cole asked.

I shook my head. “Why would you choose Kevin?”