“I’ll support you, no matter what.” He pressed a kiss into my hair. “I’ll be right by your side the entire time.”
“That’s what I mean,” I said, sitting up and crossing my legs. “You’re going to get pulled into a circus. People are going to make assumptions.”
“They’re not really assumptions, though, are they, Seb?” he asked, his voice soft. “We’re together.”
“Being out to your teammates is one thing. This is a whole other thing.”
“I know what it means.” He leaned forward and cupped the back of my head, his thumb tracing a slow arc just behind my ear.
I leaned into his touch.
“I was always going to come out this season. It’s time I stopped hiding, too.”
“Are you sure?” I studied his face, looking for the tell that would indicate Taylor was saying what he thought I wanted to hear. There was nothing there but him staring back at me like the answer was more than obvious.
“I’m ready.” A corner of his mouth lifted into a small smile. “In fact …”
He lifted his hips slightly and twisted to work his phone free from his pocket. “Give me your hand.”
“What are you doing?”
“Give me your hand, Seb.”
Not fully understanding where this was going, I did as he asked. Then he tugged me toward him, and I tumbled against him onto my side. He linked our hands together and positioned them against his chest. Using his thumb, he swiped open his camera and zoomed in. When he was satisfied with the composition, he took the photo.
He gave my hand a quick squeeze, then let go and opened Instagram, where he typed out, “Hi. I’m Taylor. I’m bisexual. And I love my boyfriend.”
He looked up at me. “Good?”
I nodded, my throat tight. I couldn't believe he was doing this. For me.
No. For us.
He posted the photo, then tossed his phone onto the coffee table, where it clattered against the wood and slid to the edge, dangling just over the side. Then wrapped both arms around me.
“There,” he said. “Now I’m out.”
I buried my face in his neck and breathed him in. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but tonight, I had this.
CHAPTER 34
SEBASTIAN
Election night was finally here,and the suite was filled with people whose futures were riding on a number they no longer had any control over.
Kendra stood with her back against the wall, her hands shoved into her pockets to keep her from picking at her manicure, as a talking head on the television screen provided a live update on vote counts as they came in.
“It’s too close,” Maya murmured at my elbow.
“It’s still early,” I said, checking my watch.
“Is it just me, or does she look like she’s about to throw up?” David asked from my other side.
I stole another glance across the room. Kendra’s chest rose and fell in the slow, deliberate rhythm of someone counting their breaths, her nostrils flaring slightly with each inhale. It didn’t look like nausea to me so much as a woman holding herself together by sheer force of will.
“She’s not going to throw up.”
“She threw up in the car on the way over here,” Maya pointed out. “Well, notinthe car. We had to pull over. Obviously.”
