Page 93 of Seth

“Come with me?” Seth pleaded, a whisper of a voice.

“You know I can’t.”

“Why not?” Seth motioned Ignaz closer. For the last two days, they barely saw each other as Ignaz returned to work, and Seth spent his days in the final preparations for the launch of SkyBlade. Now, the need to go to the launch party spoiled his mood. “Please?”

“First, I don’t have anything fancy,” Ignaz gave a new, marvelous look to Seth’s black tuxedo.

“That’s not a problem. We can stop by a shop.”

“You, rich people.” Ignaz shook his head in feigned disapproval, chuckling. “And how are you going to explain my presence?”

“I’ll tell them the truth, that you are my lover.”

“Am I your lover?” Ignaz whispered.

“You don’t want to be?” Seth’s fist clenched, crumpling the silk tie.

Ignaz’s chin lowered to his chest in an attempt to hide a smile. He stepped into Seth’s space and plucked the fabric out of his grip. Lifting on his toes, he wrapped the tie around Seth’s neck. “That’s not the point. You can’t tell people this.”

“Why not?”

“The media will drag your name through the mud just because you are with me. My past isn’t something I want to see in newspapers.” Quick fingers flipped the ends of the bowtie and tied them together. “There.”

Ignaz stepped away to give Seth a once-over. The hunger in his eyes made Seth tug at the tie, undoing it.

“Maybe I should stay home?” He mouthed. “They don’t need me there anyway.”

“You can’t.” Ignaz laughed. “Moreover, I already have plans. I’m meeting some old friends. They said they have a job for me.”

Seth lifted a brow. “A job? Why do you need a job?”

“To pay the rent?” Ignaz grabbed the tie again. Every nerve in Seth’s body strained when the boy once again leaned into him, fixing his tie. “The mall job is just a temporary, substitution job.”

“Move in with me and you won’t need to pay any rent.”

An incredulous expression stretched Ignaz’s face; he bumped Seth’s chest with the back of his fist. “You are joking, right? We barely know each other.” When Seth didn’t return his smile, Ignaz added, “You’ve swept me off my feet since the moment we met. I can’t remember when I was last at home. I can’t rely on you this much.”

“Why not?”

“Because life isn’t this simple.”

“People make it complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.” Seth bored into Ignaz’s face as he stepped into his personal space and cornered him until Ignaz’s back flattened against the wall. “I want you to be here, with me.”

Seth leaned in and kissed Ignaz’s lips. He instantly retreated, and threw a last glance in the mirror. In the evening sun breaking through the large panoramic windows, his white shirt looked almost pink, contrasting with his black tuxedo.

“Grab a cab and keep your phone on. I’ll pick you up after the party is over.”

He didn’t look at Ignaz as he left because he was sure that a single glance full of longing would prevent him from leaving.

* * *

“Seriously,what are wedoing here? Didn’t you say he is in love?” Diego dropped his head on the steering wheel, looking ever sharp in his black tux. Behind him, across the street, a strip of red carpet stretched over the newly paved square and disappeared into SkyBlade. “I thought you gave up.”

“No. I said he thinks he is in love. There’s a difference.” Gustavo checked his phone and switched it to silent mode.

“Oh, please enlighten me,” Diego crooned.

“It’s not love. He’s just infatuated.”