“Sure,” Gray said. The radio was still singing out as they both stood. “I’ll put the fire out and clean up out here.”
“Oh, you’re fine,” Jameson said. Just because he was a bummer didn’t mean Gray’s night should be over. “We’ll say you’re keeping guard.”
Gray chuckled. “That works. Hey, Jameson, I wanted to ask…”
Jameson’s gut clenched. If he had to lie through his teeth to give Gray another scripted reply, he was going to throw up in his mouth. “Yeah?”
“You said you love theX-Menmovies. Have you seenNew Mutantsyet?”
Jameson brightened, relieved by a question he could answer. “I was going to order a screener for it, actually. Why? Would you like to see it? I could probably arrange it by this weekend.”
Gray shoved his hands in his pockets, bouncing a little in the cold. “I’m not surprised you can get a copy. But what about a field trip? A matinee at one of the little theaters around here? That’s how you like to watch them, right?”
Jameson shook his head quickly. “It really doesn’t work. I get swarmed anytime I’m in public.”
“Yeah?” Gray rocked back on his feet. “You haven’t tried it with me as your security, have you?”
“Oh, I’m not paying you for that,” Jameson said quickly. “You’re just supposed to manage the grounds here. I have other people for travel, and I wouldn’t want to ask you to take on extra work.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering. And I want to seeNew Mutants, too, so it’s a win-win.”
Jameson bit down on his lip, indulging in the gesture even though it felt forbidden, too soft for his usual look. No one had ever asked him on a date. It was like celebrity had made him untouchable or something, but that was exactly what it felt like Gray was doing then. Like finally, someone was asking Jameson out.
“I don’t think you appreciate the challenge. I was literally swarmed by VSCO girls the last time I tried to go to a mall.”
“I might not have any idea what that means,” Gray said, “but I’ll bet everything I got that I can get you in and out of a matinee.” He held Jameson’s eye, not even blinking. “I’ll keep the crowds away, Jameson. I promise.”
With Gray staring at him, Jameson felt like his world had turned upside down, and the strangest things were going to just keep falling out of his mouth. “Thursday afternoon?” he asked. “My accountants are coming by tomorrow.”
“Thursday afternoon,” Gray agreed.
And just like that, they had a date.
Jameson
I can’t believeI’m doing this, Jameson texted to Dee, then added the entire range of freaked out emojis to emphasize the point. But sitting there in the passenger seat while Gray drove them toward a little city near the border with New York, he really couldn’t deny it.
Jameson was actually out of the damn house.
You’re twenty-five years old, Dee texted back.Live a little.
“You’re sure that this is all the costume I need?” Jameson asked as he studied himself in the rearview mirror. He was wearing a cheap pair of sunglasses and an old baseball cap that Gray had offered but otherwise wasn’t dressed that differently than usual.
“Totally. You look plain—that’s the point. Just remember what I told you. Hunch your shoulders, stare at the ground, and keep the collar on your jacket popped,” Gray said, glancing out of the corner of his eye, then swiftly returning his gaze to the road. Jameson had offered up either of his luxury vehicles for the ride, but Gray had insisted on the nondescript gray SUV. “I’m surprised you don’t already have an undercover look. You must have to blend in sometimes?”
Jameson adjusted the cap. “I always travel with a team. An assistant, a rep from my publicist’s office, and a couple of security guards, if not more.”
“Weird,” Gray said.
“Yup,” Jameson agreed. “Most people think it sounds cool, but you’re right. It’s super, super weird.”
They pulled up to the movie theater, and Jameson hesitated with his hand on the car door. There were only a few people in the parking lot, and the sky was cloudy enough that everything looked hazy.
“Just don’t smile,” Gray said. “You got this.”
“Don’t smile?”
Gray dropped his face, letting his mouth hang slack to demonstrate. “Justin Sweet always has a smile on his face.”
