“What? No. I can’t do that. It was your first guitar.”
“I want you to have it. You’ve been doing so well with the lessons. You need to continue and keep practicing.”
Bo’s eyes prickled. Lessons wouldn’t be the same with anyone other than Harvey as his teacher. He didn’t want to play with anyone else. His gaze darted to the guitar resting on the stand in the corner. Still, it would be nice to have something of Harvey’s around, especially something so important. “I’ll look after it.”
“I know you will.” This time Harvey’s smile was wider, but there was a hint of sadness to his eyes. “I’ll miss our lessons.”
“Me too.” Bo looked down and blinked, not looking up again until he’d brought his simmering emotions under control. “So—”
“I’d better—”
They spoke at the same time, then laughed.
“I was just going to say that I probably should get going,” Harvey said.
“Yeah.” He forced brightness into his voice. “That’s probably a good idea, what with the early start.”
Harvey yanked him in for a hug.Oh, God.Bo melted into the leather of his jacket, loving the feel of the hard chest underneath and the strength in Harvey’s arms as he wrapped him up tight.
Suddenly Harvey released him and he felt the loss immediately.
“Anyway, take care, Bo.”
He didn’t wait around and was two steps from the door before Bo called out. “Wait.”
Harvey spun on his heel. “Yeah?”
Bo rushed to him.I might not have another chance. Fuck, just do it.“Don’t go.”
A million thoughts crossed his mind. He’d crushed on Harvey for years. Harvey was his best friend’s brother. He was destined to have his heart broken. He pushed the thoughts away and raised on tiptoes to bring his mouth to Harvey’s.
“Bo.” His name was a whisper as he felt Harvey’s lips move against his.
It was one night. Surely he deserved to have his dreams come true even if it was for one night only?
Harvey didn’t move a muscle but when he didn’t pull away, Bo’s confidence grew. He raised his arms and wrapped them around Harvey’s neck. Harvey stayed still for a moment, then he groaned. And when he wrapped Bo in his arms and pulled him to him, mouth opening to deepen the kiss, Bo’s heart soared.
Chapter Seven
PresentDay
Ravi found himself thinking of the kiss over and over. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten up the courage to initiate something like that. And God, he wanted more. He paced the office while he waited for Harvey to finish the interview, his thoughts a mess. It had been a couple of weeks since that fateful night when he’d been brushing Harvey’s hair and given in to the urge to kiss him, but he was no clearer to knowing what was going on between the two of them.
They’d fallen into a routine that from the surface looked like a relationship. Going to appointments, taking care of household chores, heading to the gym, grabbing meals out, or cooking together at home. Harvey’s arm was getting stronger and stronger every day and he largely fended for himself, but there’d been no hint that Ravi should move out. In fact, when Ravi had raised it, Harvey had been insistent he stay. He caught Harvey looking at him when he thought he wasn’t being watched, and they shared little touches. In fact, Harvey seemed to enjoy touching Ravi every chance he got, not that Ravi had any complaints, and Ravi continued to brush his hair each night.
They’d taken some day trips from Sydney, visiting the Blue Mountains that Harvey had been keen for him to see, although no strenuous activity was involved, just riding a cable car over a breathtaking valley. Ravi still couldn’t get used to the looks that came their way—or more accurately, came Harvey’s way—when they were out in public. HyperOctane had a huge fan base and it seemed that personal boundaries didn’t apply when you were famous. Harvey was gracious and more tolerant than Ravi was, posing for selfies which seemed to be the in thing, no longer autographs.
It was because Harvey wanted to keep fans happy that they were here today at the offices of HyperOctane’s management. He was giving an interview as a follow up to an interview the rest of the band had given recently in the US. The interview with World of Rock magazine was supposed to be about the band but the resulting article focused on lead singer Rafe’s sexuality and his coming out and the effect that had on the band’s popularity. Thankfully it had been well received, although the headline,Rafe Moreno puts the Hype in HyperOctane, was being used to stir the pot. Ravi couldn’t get over how the management team wanted to leverage the headline and its potential for causing division within the band, for their own uses. Harvey’s interview was supposed to focus on how he felt about Rafe’s popularity overshadowing the rest of the band. It was totally ridiculous as far as Ravi could tell as he’d been nothing but supportive. Harvey’s intention was to answer questions but direct the conversation to the music.
The door opened and Harvey came through, laughing with the interviewer.Good, it must have gone well then.
“Hey.” Harvey’s eyes lit up when they landed on Ravi.
Ravi could help but grin back. “Hey there, all finished?” he asked as he stood.
“Yep.” He turned and gestured to the journalist from World of Rock. “This is Brina. Brina, this is my friend Rav.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose and Ravi could almost see the calculations flashing through her mind. “Yourfriend?”
