Page 7 of Ice & Sweet

CHAPTER SEVEN

André

“You definitely have to go to bed now,” I said as I gently plucked the empty glass from Kane’s hand. He looked both exhausted and completely wired, like a six-year-old hopped up on sugar after a birthday party. “You need to get some sleep.”

“I don’t think I can,” he said in a giddy hiss. “I’m too excited. Fuck, André, I’m getting married! Tomorrow! To Austin!” He scrunched up his face and giggled, and I looked down at the wine glass in my hand, wondering just how many he’d had. He leant against my shoulder and sighed. “Thank you for coming. I know you’re really busy at the moment, but I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” I said and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. We’d always been close—spending so much time together recording or on tour had meant we’d spent ninety percent of our lives together for ten years—but after Underground Dreaming had split up, we’d all drifted apart slightly as we’d attempted to find our place in the world. But maybe this wedding was a sign for us to all get closer again. “I’m proud of you, though. I can’t wait to watch Llewelyn .”

“Thank you. I really hope it’s good,” he said. “Henry was so nice to work with! Have you met him yet? He’s here with his boyfriend, Alex.” He looked around the snug, which had emptied slightly now since it was nearly eleven. “Did you meet Theo and Laurie too? They’re Austin’s friends but Theo and Alex are also close. It’s a small world.”

“I did, and they’re all lovely. Now you really need to go to bed. It’ll make tomorrow come quicker.”

He smiled up at me. “You sound like my mum on Christmas Eve.”

“Well, it is nearly Christmas, and you will get a lot of food, alcohol, and presents tomorrow…”

“Sounds like Christmas to me,” Austin said, appearing on the other side of his fiancé and shooting him a fond look. “Come on, kitten, time for bed. You need your beauty sleep.”

Kane scowled at him and I hid my smile behind my glass as I took a long, slow sip of the red wine I’d been nursing. “You know I hate that name,” he said.

“You love that name,” Austin said as he pulled Kane to his feet and kissed him. “And you love me.”

“I do.” He giggled again, a sound he only ever made when he was drunk. “I do. I get to say that tomorrow!”

“You do, but only if you get your ass in bed.” Austin grinned at me as he slid his hand into Kane’s. “I’ll see you in the morning, André. We’re in 402 when you’re ready.”

“I’m in 309,” I said. “I’ll probably see you at breakfast. As long as you can convince him to actually get some sleep.”

Austin winked. “Don’t worry, I’ve got my ways.”

“They’re totally going to fuck,” Luke said, sitting down beside me as soon as Austin walked away with Kane. “Not that I can blame them. Austin’s really hot.”

“I can’t disagree with you there.”

“Have you seen his videos?” Luke asked in a low voice, leaning in close and sending a waft of cinnamon, clove, and brown sugar over me. “They’re fucking incredible. There’s this one with him and…” He glanced around, his face turning slightly pink as he did, and I assumed he’d spotted someone else he recognised from Austin’s extensive body of work. “How’s your evening been? I kept trying to get over here and talk to you but I got cornered by Henry Lu. We worked together on something years ago and he wanted to catch up. Did you know he’s moved to Yorkshire now? His boyfriend runs a coffee shop there, so he moved, which is something I never imagined Henry doing but I’m happy for him.”

“Oh, Kane mentioned that. Alex seems nice, though, from the quick conversation I had with him when Austin introduced us. He’s very good at playing host and introducing everyone.”

Luke chuckled. “He is and he seems to love it. He introduced me to more of his porn friends and I never realised how awkward talking to them would be. They’re all so fucking lovely, but do you know how hard it is to maintain eye contact with someone you’ve never met but have jerked off to like, a million times? It’s like, I’ve watched you get railed by five of the men around us and that’s all I can think about while you’re trying to talk to me about guinea pigs and how your best friend is getting married. It’s just weird!”

“I guess it’s just a job to them,” I said as I took another sip of my drink. “They’d probably be really nice about it if you told them you were a fan. Like when people compliment you on your cakes or your acting.”

“I suppose. I think I’d die from embarrassment, though.” He sighed and looked down at the empty glass he was holding. “Do you think it’s a sign of how lonely I am that I know most of their catalogues of work inside out? Shit, don’t answer that. That makes me sound like such a creep.”

I laughed softly and put my hand on his arm. “Not creepy at all. You appreciate their work and that’s all there is to it.”

“I hope you didn’t think my life was still glamorous,” he said with a half smile as his eyes met mine. There were little flecks of grey in the rich darkness of his eyes, like tiny stars in the swirls of the Milky Way.

“You must enjoy it, though? Otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen it.”

“I do. I know making the switch from acting to baking was a surprising one, but to me… it was the only thing I wanted to do with the rest of my life. There’s something about making cakes that speaks to me. I mean it can be stressful as fuck, especially considering how huge some of my clients are, but knowing that I get to help them celebrate their birthday or wedding day or whatever occasion it is brings me so much joy.”

“I love that,” I said, my hand sliding slightly further down his arm so my fingers brushed over the back of his hand. Sparks shot across my skin, making my breath catch. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I am. Most of the time. Are you?”

“The same. Happy most of the time.” I pushed the dregs of my wine across the bar, the glass clinking gently on the polished wood. When I spoke again, my voice was soft, like I didn’t really want to admit the rest of the words aloud. “A little lonely. But I think everyone is.”

Luke hummed sadly. “I think weddings and Christmas make it worse. I feel like such a pringle—everyone’s paired up and talking about their holiday plans with the people they love and I’m just… thinking about where might be open on Christmas Day so I don’t have to cook for myself.” He slouched down in his seat. “Sorry, I’m being a right fucking misery guts tonight.”

“As a fellow single-at-Christmas person with absolutely zero plans, I can promise you that you’re not being miserable. The whole world tells us Christmas is supposed to be this big family time but I’m not seeing mine again until January because they’re all back in Portugal with my dad’s family and I’m in rehearsals. I guess I could go for a flying visit but I don’t see the point, and I’d rather not be constantly reminded that I’m the only single person left amongst my cousins.”

“Then we can be lonely, single, and feel sorry for ourselves together,” Luke said. I smiled, heat stirring in my stomach. This was quite possibly the worst time to think about acting on my desires but it also felt like the first and only opportunity I’d get this weekend to say something.

“We can,” I said, suddenly wishing I’d had another few glasses of wine to loosen my tongue. I’d never been the sort who could pull with nothing but a wink and a smile, not even at the height of my fame. And the prospect of asking the man I’d had a crush on for years if he wanted to hook up was about as terrifying as the thought of headlining a solo show at Wembley. “And if you wanted… we could take a bottle of wine upstairs. Relax. Forget that tomorrow we’ll feel more single than ever. Help each other take the edge off.”

A slow smile spread across Luke’s face, a new fire igniting in his eyes. “Are you asking me if I want to hook up?”

“Yes? Unless you’re going to say no, in which case I’m just suggesting we get drunk together and see if we can get some more mince pies from room service.”

“I am totally down for wine and mince pies, but I’d rather we had sex first.”

“In which case, why the fuck are we still sitting here?” I asked, half-stunned that he’d said yes and half telling myself not to question it. Luke’s smile was mischievous and there was a glint in his eyes that made me feel like I was about to be devoured. It made my cock twitch in the confines of my jeans, anticipation swirling in my stomach.

“I don’t know. Want to go to my room? I’m in 311.”

“I’m in 309.” I grinned. “I guess it’s whichever door we get to first. Although… do you have lube? I don’t think I packed any.”

“I do. Kane kept hinting at introducing me to people and I hoped I might get a not-pity fuck from someone.”

I snorted. “You mean one of the beautiful men you can’t even look in the eye let alone have a conversation with?”

“Since when was conversation or eye contact important for them to rearrange my guts?” Luke asked with a smirk as he slid off his chair and held out his hand to me. “I’d rather it was you, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Now get your ass moving—less talking, more walking.”

I wasn’t going to argue, even if I did want to ask why he wanted it to be me. Did Luke feel the same way about me as I did about him? Or was he just looking for something fun to take his mind off being alone?

He slipped his fingers into mine as we ducked out of the snug and strode towards the lifts. Neither of us was being particularly subtle but then again there weren’t exactly many people still around.

“I didn’t know you were queer,” Luke said as he jabbed the button for the lift. “I’m not complaining or, like, questioning. This is more like a good-to-know thing.”

I chuckled as the doors opened and we stepped inside, the button for the third floor lighting up as I pressed it. “Yeah, I’m pansexual. Figured it out a long time ago. Tried to deny it, kept it under wraps, and then realised the only person who got to make the call about my life was me, so I started exploring it more. Turns out that I’m shit at picking them no matter their gender.”

“That bad?” Luke asked with a wry smile.

“Truly terrible. Remind me to regale you with stories later when we finally get to the wine.”

“Or,” Luke said as he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my neck and brushing his lips across mine, “maybe this will help you forget about all of them.”

He kissed me, fierce and hard, with a mouth softer than marshmallow and sweeter than sugar.

And for a moment I forgot that anyone else in the world existed.