“So, how did you two meet?” one of the braver men asked during a lull in the conversation.
They hadn’t specifically discussed their story, so Danny was curious to know what Eliot was about to say.
“I did Danny’s coming out interview.” Eliot beamed at him. “You might have read it? Anyway, I fell for him pretty much instantly. I was so excited when he got in touch after. It’s like a fairytale, you know? I met this amazing person who I usually wouldn’t have any contact with and there was just this… spark.”
He turned to look at Danny with soft, warm eyes. It was incredibly convincing, but not in the same way it had been when he was faking it on their first date.
This was… different.
Real.
It was real adoration, and now that Danny wasn’t afraid to look for it, it was impossible to miss. He could feel it rolling off Eliot in waves.
He couldn’t remember thinking that anyone else felt like this about him. Not so earnestly, not for reasons other than who he was. Eliot had never cared who he was. He’d barely even bothered to find out before they met.
Eliot liked him because he washimself.
“Yeah, a spark is exactly how I’d describe it,” Danny agreed.
There had been a spark. He’d noticed that there was something about Eliot from the first five minutes he’d spent with him, but he hadn’t realized what it was.
The spark wasn’t why he was suddenly getting tingly every time Eliot’s shoulder brushed against his, though. That was something else. Something deeper, something Danny wasn’t used to feeling.
Something beyond physical attraction. Danny wasn’t used to that. Every guy he’d been attracted to before had been all about the physical, and the pattern had always been the same—he’d screwed them a few times, they’d realized that it was never going to be a long term thing, and they’d moved on.
Eliot had come along at just the right moment to break that cycle. All they’d done was kiss, and Danny’s stomach still flipped over whenever he thought about it.
The conversation turned away from him and Eliot, and then Eliot managed to extract both of them after a few more minutes. He led Danny away, and Danny followed blindly until he found himself being ushered into what he assumed was a study in the enormous house this thing was being held in.
He knew his own house was on the too-big side, but this one was ridiculous.
All the same, he was glad to be away from everyone for the moment.
“I thought you could use a break,” Eliot said, as though he’d read Danny’s mind. Or more likely, read Danny’s body language and remembered that he didn’t like these events, and put two and two together.
“Yeah.” Danny smiled wryly at him. “Thanks.”
He moved over to a big, leather couch in the middle of the room and sat down heavily, glad to take the weight off his knee as well. Eliot had probably thought of that, too.
Eliot was everything Danny wasn’t. Smart, thoughtful, observant, good with people, stylish. Everything about him seemed so impressive, and the way he’d charmed and entertained and acted as a social buffer between Danny and all the people who wanted to be able to say they’d hung out with him had been the most impressive of all.
Danny was very slowly starting to realize that all of that was really hot. The more he thought about Eliot, the more he wanted him.
“I’m sorry for disappearing on you the other night,” Eliot said, sitting down next to him. Danny’s stomach flipped again, his heartbeat speeding up.
He’d thought they weren’t going to talk about this, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about revisiting the subject. It was one thing to know he was attracted to Eliot, another thing entirely to have to deal with it.
“It’s okay,” Danny said automatically. Except, it wasn’t really okay. He understood why Eliot had run, but there was a part of him that wished he’d stayed. A part of him that had been devastated.
“It’s not,” Eliot said, perceptive as ever. “But I’m actually not sure why, that’s just a vibe I’m getting.”
Danny shrugged. “I was having fun. I…”
He wanted to sayI liked kissing you, but the words caught in his throat. The admission felt too big, too scary to make.
Eliot took his hand, the barest, gentlest touch. Danny turned to look at him, and saw the softness in his eyes, the complete lack of judgement, and that same look he’d given him before. Like he cared about Danny. Like Danny mattered to him.
Not as a star player or as a meal ticket, but as a human being.
Eliot was the only person on Earth, as far as Danny knew, who felt that way about him.
Before he’d really decided he was going to do it, Danny leaned in. Eliot’s eyes widened, but momentum kept Danny going, ducking his head to catch Eliot’s lips. He moved his hand to rest on Eliot’s neck, holding him in place gently, letting himself sink into the warmth and comfort of his mouth.
This was what he wanted. He knew the moment he made contact with Eliot that, regardless of his fears or insecurities or anything else, that this was what would make him most happy right now.
