“Of course,” Naomi replies, a smile tugging at her lips. “Thank you so much again for agreeing to speak to me.”
His warm brown eyes and genuine smile make her feel at ease, like they’ve been friends for years.
“Sit, sit,” Trevor says, gesturing to a rolling chair. Aside from the extravagant vanity with the Hollywood-style bulbs, the room isn’t anything special. White walls, white curtains, and dark wooden furniture.
She turns her attention back to Trevor, who’s beaming with pride. “So what’s it like being the star for a change?”
He blushes, waving his hand dismissively. “Please, I’m not the star.”
Naomi tilts her head, smirking. “You just won a Tony. I think it’s safe to say you’re one now.”
He purses his lips and pretends to fling invisible long hair over his shoulder.
“Is it as glamorous as it seems?” Naomi asks.
“If you consider taking the subway here and eating a cup of noodles for dinner glamorous, then sure.” His laugh is infectious. So loud and boisterous it makes her laugh.
“But being here, at one of Broadway’s best theaters—I mean, I know you’ve performed at Madison Square Garden and other huge arenas—but this is pretty amazing.”
Trevor sucks in his cheeks and looks away before grinning widely. “Okay, yeah, it’s pretty fucking glamorous.”
“I knew it.” Naomi says, waving a finger at him. “So what made you make the switch, anyway? From backup dancer for Harlow to theater?”
Trevor purses his lips. “Well, a few things. I come from a small town.” He raises his eyebrows in emphasis. “Like, a really small town, with so few people that everybody knows everybody. And all I wanted to do was to explore the world.” He uncrosses his arms, extending his right arm, palm up. “So as you know, I did that for a while but it got to be a lot. Mostly because I fell in love and it sucked leaving my boyfriend all the time.” He leans back. “Anyway, Brandon had the idea for me to audition for Broadway and, well, here we are.”
Naomi’s about to comment on how sweet that is when Trevor adds, “But I’d be lying if I said Harlow had nothing to do with the decision.” His smile fades, replaced by a set of pursed lips.
“Why?”
“Because she’s a stone-cold bitch.”
Naomi’s eyes widen, surprised by the outburst. Bobby was so complimentary of Harlow, even sympathizing with her. But Trevor clearly feels differently.
“Wait. I thought you two were friends?” She thinks of the countless photos she’s seen of the two of them on tour, laughing hysterically. Harlow even posted birthday tributes to Trevor, and he did the same for her. “What happened?”
He raises a brow. “Well, we used to be friends. Close friends. She’d confide in me about Colton or whatever was going on.” He rolls his eyes at the mention of Colton’s name. “Sorry, not to talk bad about the dead, but I wasn’t a fan.”
Naomi’s surprised to hear Trevor has a similar opinion to Bobby. “Can you elaborate on that for me? You’re the second person today to say something like that, which surprises me since, before then, I hadn’t really heard a bad thing about Colton.”
He lets out a laugh, as if Colton’s glowing reputation annoys him. “I mean, I can’t pretend I knew the guy well but I just have a sense for people. And I had a bad one about him. Not only would he make Harlow cry and pick constant fights with her, but he just always seemed too smooth. Too polished. Fake.”
“Do you know what they’d fight over?”
“Harlow never went into too much detail, but with how quickly he moved on to Meghan, I assume him cheating was one of many reasons.”
Naomi makes a note, confirming her suspicion that Colton may have cheated on Harlow with Jade.
“But anyway, I was there for her. In fact, the last time I spoke to her was when she called me in tears after a fight with Colton. I calmed her down, told her she deserved better, and that I’d always be there for her. And she told me she’d always be there for me. Fucking heartbreaking.” Trevor pauses, swallowing. “And then, out of nowhere, she stops replying to my texts, won’t answer my calls. And then, boom! Charlie fires her entire dance team, citing bullshit ‘budget’ reasons. And the worst part is, Harlow completely ghosted me after that. Not even bothering to explain or apologize.”
Just like Bobby, Naomi thinks. “When was this?”
“End of 2021.”
Timing fits, Naomi thinks. “And you haven’t spoken to her since?”
“No. The last time—” He stops, then shakes his head. “Well, the last time Isawher, about a year after I lastspoketo her, she just completely blanked me. Walked right past me without saying a word…” He laughs in disbelief. “I was livid, as you can imagine, but also so shocked I didn’t bother saying anything. I wasn’t going to chase her down. If she didn’t give a shit about me, I didn’t give one about her… Ball was in her court and she stabbed it with a knife. She was finished with me, so I was finished with her. And that was that.”
His eyes glaze over with tears as he looks down, face flushed. Naomi can see how much Harlow’s hurt him.
