Page 19 of Total Creative Control

But this deal could launch Lewis’s career in the US, taking it to a whole new level.

The truth hung, unspoken, between them.

“Okay, look,” Aaron said, crossing the kitchen to close some of the distance between them. “Why does Faolán have to be straight for there to be a love triangle? For God’s sake, it’s the twenty-first century. Half the fandom already thinks Skye and Faolán are shagging.”

“Most viewers don’t.” Lewis stayed where he was, leaning against the windowsill. “Charlie says women—who are our key audience demographic—would be more invested in the storyline if Amy was at the centre.Andhe thinks the US audience is more conservative than the British and European ones, that they wouldn’t accept a central same-sex relationship.”

“Bollocks. There are loads of US shows that have same-sex relationships, especially on streaming services.” He folded his arms. “Maybe it’s Charlie who’s conservative?”

“Ha!” Lewis pushed away from the windowsill. “Wouldn’t that be fucking ironic?”

Aaron gave a huff of laughter. “Just a little.” Charlie was always banging on about being a champion of diversity. It was one his favourite topics to brag about on his awful YouTube channel. “Bloody hell,” Aaron sighed. “This sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. But Charlie wants to ‘thought drench’ it this weekend, whatever the fuck that means.” He tunnelled his fingers into his hair, and Aaron watched, transfixed by the flex of muscles in his tanned forearms, by the silky fall of hair through his fingers. It was embarrassing how attractive Aaron found him, but, Christ, Lewis was a beautiful man. He and Mason had been dazzling together.

“Thanks for sense-checking me,” Lewis said after a while, dropping his arms and looking up. “I always value your perspective.”

“Any time.”

Their gazes locked for a moment. Then Lewis turned away, heading over to the counter where the kettle was boiling. “You, ah, you’re not really going on a date with Mason, are you?”

“Of course not.” Christ, it was ridiculous to even consider the idea. “He was just trying to make you jealous. I doubt I’m actually his type.”

Lewis flicked him a look. “Why not?”

“Hmm, maybe because he’s a model? And I’m…” His face heated. “Anyway, he’s notmytype, either.”

“Good.” He poured water into the mug. “And, of course, you have Colin the Caterpillar.”

“That’s not—Please don’t call him that.”

“Why not? I think there’s a striking resemblance. It’s the nose.”

“We’re talking about Mason, not Colin,” Aaron said evasively.

“If you’re not going out with him, what more is there to talk about?”

“Maybe the fact that he doesn’t seem to have accepted that you and he are finished? He wants to know ‘why’.”

Lewis scowled and rubbed his shoulder. “Why can’t people just move the fuck on? First, Mason won’t take my bloody obvious hints, and then, when I tell him in words of one syllable that it’s over, he won’t accept that either. What does he want now?”

Aaron considered that. Carefully, he ventured, “Mason’s quite young, you know, and a bit spoiled. I think this is the first time in his life he’s been the dumpee rather than the dumper, and he honestly doesn’t understand why things ended between you.”

Lewis sent him a sharp look. And well he might. This was straying into forbidden territory. For all the time they spent in each other’s pockets, for all Lewis’s teasing rudeness about Colin, and all their shared jokes, there were some things that they never spoke about—things they had silently agreed fell outside the boundaries of their close but carefully managed working relationship. Personal feelings were definitely one of those things.

At the very least, Aaron was getting uncomfortably close to that boundary.

After a pause, Lewis said, “What’s to understand?” He turned to face Aaron, leaning his hip against the counter, displaying that fine, broad chest that constantly battled the confines of his shirt. Shrugging, he said, “We fucked a lot. And then we stopped. It was fun while it lasted, but… it was just sex.”

Aaron kept his eyes fixed on Lewis’s face, avoiding the tantalising glimpse of tanned skin at the open collar of his shirt. “Yeah, well, not everyone sees sex that way. Mason clearly doesn’t. So you need to explain it to him. He won’t like it, but at least then he might understand and stop pestering you.”

“Ugh.” Lewis sighed in surrender. “Fine. I’ll try to call him tonight. I thought we were both adults though, not angsty fucking teenagers who have to fuckingtalkabout everything.”

“Talking is actuallythe adult thing to do,” Aaron said, smiling despite himself. After a pause he added lightly, “So is apologising.” But he knew Lewis was practically allergic to the wordSorry. He’d far rather buy someone an expensive gift than make a simple apology to them. Especially if he didn’t actually mean it. Lewis would say it was because he hated bullshit, but it was more than that. He hated dishonesty.