“Hi there,” Jameson called out warmly. “Good morning.”
Fuck, did Gray ever want to unleash on him. He wanted to jump up those stairs, three at a time, then throw Jameson to the ground. He wanted to undress him slowly, then keep him warm in the crisp air. Instead, he held back his primal instincts and cocked his head up with a backward nod. “Morning.”
From the back porch, Gray realized that Jameson could see down to his house, which he supposed was only fair, considering there were cameras all over the place that he controlled. “You have a busy day today?” he asked as he walked up the porch.
“Just a meeting with my publicist this afternoon.”
“If you don’t want to be an actor anymore, why do you still need a publicist?”
Jameson laughed, and Gray noticed that it sounded different, like there was more happiness in it. “It’s a full-time job, telling people I’m not available,” he said. He had a big blue sweater on over a pair of jeans, and Gray was struck by the way it made the gray and green flash in his eyes.
Jameson turned over his shoulder, into the house. “Would you like to come in? I was going to make some eggs.”
“Eggs are great,” Gray answered with a grin.
He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky that Jameson kept inviting him in more, but he wasn’t complaining. A counter floated in the middle of the wide kitchen, and Gray leaned up on one of several stools while Jameson started pulling stuff out of the fridge.
“Want any help?”
“I’m good,” Jameson said. “I was just going to scramble some eggs with cheese, and maybe toast some bread?”
“Beautiful,” Gray said, repeating the word he’d felt compelled to use the night before. When Jameson brightened, he felt a wave of satisfaction.
And just like the eggs Jameson was cracking, Gray felt any ability to resist temptation falling to pieces, shattering on the ground at his feet.
“Have you looked online this morning?” Jameson asked. “I’m pretty sure my whole appointment with my publicist will focus on the movie theater incident.”
“Oh,” Gray said, surprised. “That quick?”
Jameson laughed, then started whisking some lemon and milk into the eggs. “It’s the internet. You’d be surprised.”
Gray laid his hand over his pocket and felt the hard outline of his phone. “I’m sorry,” he said, scolding himself that he had spent the morning fantasizing about the parlor and not thinking of the consequences of their outing for Jameson. “Should I look and tell you about it? Would that help?”
“Actually,” Jameson said, “it’s not that bad. I had my friend Dee look last night.”
“Not that bad?”
“It’s everywhere. The video was, like, one of the most viewed things in the world on Twitter last night. But people loved it this time. They aren’t saying anything nasty or making up scandalous stories.”
“Holy shit,” Gray said. “I mean, that’s amazing. Right?”
Jameson turned, then shrugged lightly. “I’ll take it. I’d still rather be able to go to the movies without becoming the most talked-about person in the world, but people aren’t being anywhere near as horrible as some of the other times I’ve had unexpected public appearances.” He poured the eggs into the sizzling pan, then went to scrambling them with the spatula. “Everyone likes it because, in the video, it looks like I’m having fun,” he added. “I’m laughing while we run away, and I guess that makes me seem relatable. At least that’s what my publicist says.”
“Oh,” Gray said, thinking about it. “Cool.”
Jameson nodded. “People who laugh in a movie theater aren’t busy having massive satanic orgies at home, apparently.”
“Either way,” Gray said, “none of their business.”
Jameson slid the eggs onto a plate, then crossed the kitchen to hand them to Gray. When he stood up to accept the plate, they stepped close, only a few inches between their bodies, and Gray was slammed with the urge to press Jameson against the counter.
“Thanks again,” he said.
“Yeah.” Jameson turned his eyes away, then set himself up at a stool. “More good news, by the way. Everyone online just thinks that you’re a bodyguard, and it doesn’t seem your face is in any of the videos.”
Gray grinned. “Well, I am your bodyguard.”
“Right,” Jameson said quickly. “I just mean there aren’t any rumors about you or anything.”
