“There aren’t enough guys in makeup up here for you to be a creep,” Raiden joked back. He had stuck another couple marshmallows on sticks, and he passed them around the fire. “But don’t get me wrong. Gray has hooked up with all kinds of guys. He’s—”
“Okay,” Gray said, tensing as he barked out a laugh. “Let’s not go there.”
Jameson grinned up to Gray, then turned back to the guys. “I’ve really only shared this side of myself with Dee before. Being with Gray is new for me, too.”
“It takes most people a while to find themselves,” Dee said. “And even longer to share that with the world.”
Horatio hooted out a laugh as he stuck his marshmallow stick in the fire. “You should have seen how Raiden used to dress!”
Gray laughed as the memory came back to him. “Sweatpants every day. Every fucking day!”
“It’s a look,” Dee said.
Raiden straightened his jacket. “I got it figured out.”
“A whole closet full of Carhart,” Gray teased.
“It’s a better look,” Dee laughed.
Gray let his hand drift down Jameson’s back, inching closer to his backside, and Jameson wiggled his hips a little closer approvingly. It was funny to go from hiding in the motel to being around friends, especially because they were suddenly shy about all those cute little gestures, like they were keeping secret the way they played with each other when they were alone.
It was the kind of thing Gray had never done with a guy before. And he knew, no matter how much he and Jameson were acting cute and shy, the second he was alone with Raiden and Horatio, he was going to be teased mercilessly.
He grinned, watching as Jameson leaned forward and fiddled with his marshmallow, the flames reflecting in his eyes and casting shadows over his face. Gray felt a surge of pride that they were together and that Raiden and Horatio obviously approved. As though that wasn’t enough reason for him to beam, he hit it off with Dee immediately, too. When he first spotted Dee walking up to the mansion to visit Jameson, her fierce style and attitude had made Gray want to know her, but that was back when Jameson was still pretending to be Justin Sweet, and a thousand walls had stood between them. But now?
“Oh my god,” Dee said, holding a hand straight in the air. “It’s Queen. Jameson, it’s your favorite.”
Gray turned his attention to the radio. “Somebody to Love” was pouring out of the speakers, and the lush song hit him with a thrill.
“No shit,” Raiden said. “Queen is Gray’s favorite, too.”
Jameson looked up to Gray. “Really?”
Gray scratched the back of his head. “I had a crush on Freddie Mercury when I was a kid. Kind of never got over it.”
Jameson’s eyes shot wide open. “I had a crush on Freddie Mercury when I was a kid, too!”
Everyone laughed, and for a just a second, the fire cracked and the drums and piano of the song sang out. Then Horatio threw his arm around Raiden’s shoulder. “Can anybody find meeeee!” he called out, his voice cracking and breaking like always.
“Somebody to love!” Dee and Raiden sang out in unison.
Gray and Jameson swayed with their friends, passing around toasted marshmallows and cheering with their cans of beers. Their voices almost drowned out the radio, but when they all broke down in laughter, Freddie Mercury’s voice and the rhythmic, throbbing percussion pulled them back together.
The night crept on, and everyone got lost in the fire and the music. Sometimes the singing would die down, and Gray would catch the chance to chat with Dee a bit, watching appreciatively while Raiden and Horatio made Jameson feel welcome. But just as quickly, another song someone loved would pop on the radio, and they’d all start screaming along again.
The temperature dipped, and they huddled together a little closer. It felt like family, Gray realized. He’d always felt that way with Raiden and Horatio, but somehow, having Jameson there with his best friend made that feeling even stronger and brighter. And from the smile on Jameson’s face, Gray hoped he was getting the same feeling and the same welcome from the evening.
As another song died down, headlights swept across the fire from the passing road. Gray startled to attention, like a bolt of lightning struck through the cozy feeling he’d nestled into with Jameson. When the car slowed and angled into their driveway, Horatio and Raiden leapt to attention too and appeared on either side of Gray.
“Any idea what this is?” Gray asked.
“No fucking clue,” Raiden answered. He stood to full height and tightened a fist into the palm of his other hand.
Gray turned to Jameson, whose eyes had gone wide. “Could be anything, beautiful,” he said, then placed a hand on Jameson’s soft cheek, pinked with blush. “No need to worry. But let’s be safe. Why don’t you step into the trees here and stay back in the shadows? The woods stretch all the way around the property, so there’s no neighbors to worry about.”
Jameson nodded quickly. He turned to Dee, then nodded his head to the trees. “You want to come with me?”
Dee turned her eyes to the car, still idling at the top of the driveway. “Maybe I’ll stick around here, in case I can be helpful. That okay?”
