“Fine. At least I don’t have to wear the bald cap.”
“Actually…” I say, giving him my most angelic grin.
“That’s creepy,” Ari says.
“Hush. I have an idea. Tomorrow is Halloween, and the fans always make a big deal out of our costumes. The makeup and wardrobe crews are already going to be here, so why don’t we make the most of it and do something fun for the fans by recording the video in costume? Will, you’d only have to wear it for a short while.”
“Yeah, no, for sure. I’d be cool with that.”
“Alright then,” Blake says. “It’s settled. I’m going to head back to the hotel to get some of this work done if anyone wants to ride with me.”
“I wouldn’t mind going for a swim,” I say. The other guys nod and decide to leave too.
We pile into our rented SUV, Blake sitting up front while Tad drives. “So, it looks like you all are free after about two p.m. tomorrow. Any plans for what you guys are going to do with your unexpected weekend off?”
“I think I might head home and check on construction. I should have at least the framework of a house up by now,” Naz says.
Ari and Will say, “New York,” at the same time and then pout. They share a condo in the city and usually go there during any time off we have.
“Atlanta,” I say, smiling to myself.
“What’s in Atlanta?” Will asks.
“There’s a football game I’d like to see.”
“Since when do you like football?”
Naz snorts. “Since he found himself aboy-friend,” he says, singing the word like a bully on a playground.
“What? Since when?” Ari shrieks.
I shrug. “About… six years-ish?”
Ari, Will, and Blake are all staring at me in confusion. I shouldn’t have said anything. Nosy bastards. I give them a brief rundown without much detail, just that we’d met at a party the night before the band got picked up by the producer. We lost contact and recently reconnected. That’s all. No biggie.
Blake huffs thoughtfully and turns back around. Ari and Will, however, are still giving me dubious looks.
“Y’all haven’t seen him walking around with that goofy-ass smile on his face, always typing away on his phone?” Naz asks. “Suddenly requesting a penthouse suite all to himself, and staying locked away in his own room when we share a suite like usual?”
“Wait. Is that why you were all distracted in Dallas?” Ari asks, with an almost sad crinkle in his brows.
“Uh, more importantly, when I walked out on the balcony yesterday morning, did I or did I not almost catch you taking a dick pic? Because you threw your phone down like you were doing something sketchy.”
“When have I ever been shy about showing anyone my dick?” I ask.
“Since you traded in your fuckboy status forThe Smile That Broke The Internet,” Naz laughs.
“WHAT?!”Ari’s outburst is so loud, Tad slams on the brakes and nearly gets rear-ended.
“Shit. Sorry. Are you okay back there?”
I give him a thumbs-up in the rearview.
“Jesus, Ari, calm down.”
“I fucking can’t,William,” he says, over-enunciating his name. “Did you hear what he said?” Ari looks at Naz, then points at me. “You’re telling me thatheis dating Mr. Colgate?”
“Don’t call him that. He hates that.” After his newfound fame, Luc was approached to do a toothpaste endorsement, which was mortifying for him. I was amused, though. I thought he should do it.
