"Doyou think it's wrong?" Adam asked.
"We're not blood brothers," Luc said, his words slow and careful. "I don't think being together is incest.ButI know that's how pretty much everyone else would see it. There are people who don't realise we're not flesh and blood. Mum and Dad probably won't look past the fact that we've grown up together. DoIthink it's wrong? No. Will everyone else? Probably. Does that mean I want to walk away from how I feel? Fuck no. The question is, do you?"
Adam stared directly ahead. "I don't know." He tapped his temple. "I can't make sense of anything right now, Luc. I want you and then I hate myself for wanting you." He turned his head to meet Luc's stare. "I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear."
It wasn't, but it was the truth and Luc had to handle it. He was thankful that Adam had been honest with him. He needed to think with his head, not his dick, or he'd scare Adam off for good. Now that he'd tasted his stepbrother, he really didn't want to do that.
"Take as long as you need to think things through," he said. "But when you make your decision, it has to be the final one. Either you decide to giveusa go, or we both walk away. No more games and messing around."
"You make it sound so fucking simple," Adam grumbled.
"It's not," Luc sighed. "If I could make it any simpler, I would." He stood up. "I meant what I said. Take as much time as you need."
Chapter Fourteen
Adam
By ten p.m. Monday night, Adam was standing outside the backstage door, waiting for the members of Emotion In Motion to start leaving the theatre. Mason was one of the first to come out, carrying a rucksack over one shoulder. He bounced up to Adam, wrapping an arm around his neck to pull him into a hug.
"Did you get here in time to see it?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Adam couldn't be sure if his friend was excited, nervous or some amusing combination of both. Either way, Mason stared at him with wide, bright blue eyes, waiting for his answer.
"I did. It was great." Adam dug his fingers into Mason’s ribs. "You were great."
He meant it. It had been too long since he'd seen Mason dance. As far as he was concerned, Mason had been the most exquisite dancer on the stage, but he knew he was biased. He probably needed to see the ballet again the next night to take in the whole performance, rather than just concentrating on watching his friend.
Mason's lips spread into a wide grin. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He was still moving, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as though he couldn't stand still. "I've got the munchies. Are you hungry? If we walk a couple of streets we should find something."
Adam laughed. "Are you high?"
"Of course not. Just..." He pointed towards the green backstage door. "High from being on stage I guess."
Adam carried on laughing. He knew Mason would never put that crap into his body.
"Come on. Food," Mason said, grabbing Adam's arm so he could drag him away from the theatre.
As they walked, Adam took a good look at his friend. It had been too long since they'd seen each other, but Mason hadn't changed that much. The curls at the tips of his dirty blonde hair were a bit more pronounced, thanks to sweat from dancing for two hours under hot stage lights. He was possibly a bit thinner than he had been, but Adam couldn't be sure. Mason still looked like a fucking choirboy though, with his angelic face and ridiculously blue eyes. His skin was flushed, either from exertion or from scrubbing it clean, but there were still traces of thick grease-paint make-up around his hairline and jaw. The clothes he was wearing were fairly scruffy: a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, both of which were faded, and a blue jacket with a couple of rips in it that he hadn't zipped up. The soles of his boots were starting to come away, but they looked well-worn and comfortable. Adam wasn't sure if Mason had embraced the Boho look through choice, or if it was a money issue. He made a mental note to ask later.
They ended up in a little tapas restaurant and found a table in the corner, beside some plastic plants and a set of signed theatre posters; they were all for musicals, Adam noted. The restaurant was trying to look upper class but didn't quite manage it. The plastic plants didn't help. They enthused about the show whilst looking at the menu, Mason asking for a detailed account of Adam's thoughts and his feelings as he'd been watching.
"What's wrong?" Mason asked, once they'd ordered a selection of dishes between them.
Adam had gotten a little carried away with all the options and had ordered far too much food, but he figured he could treat himself once in a while. Mason had been much more restrained and had limited his choice to three dishes.
Adam shifted and stretched his legs in response to Mason's question. Part of the reason he'd come to visit his friend was to clear his head, but he hadn't expected Mason to home in on the fact something was wrong quite so quickly. But he could tell from the intensity of Mason's stare and the firm set of his chin that he wouldn't be fooled if Adam tried to fob him off with lies. They knew each other too well, and Mason had always been able to see right through him.
"Not here," Adam said, glancing around. "It's too public."
Mason scrunched his mouth up. "I'm not convinced anyone is paying any attention, but okay." He waved a finger at Adam. "I'm not letting you off, though. Something's clearly bothering you and I'm going to find out what it is."
Adam laughed, but it came out forced. "I can't get away with anything around you, can I?"
Mason shook his head firmly.
"How have you been?" Adam asked.
"What? Since the last time I sent you an email?"
