We worked togetheras if our lives depended on it. In only twenty minutes, we recorded a rough first demo that recreatedwhat we had improvised,anda proper version with the piano and vocals on separate tracks.
I couldn’t believe it. For the first time, I had a vocal demo to build on. Sure, the lyrics weren’t perfect, and the recording setup in my bedroom was less than ideal, but Sebastian’s voice made up for everything. I knew by now why he had vowed never to sing in front of people again, but hearing him like this made it feel like a waste. He claimed my music should fill stadiums, but in my opinion, it was his voice that deserved to be heard even more.
After the second recording, I played around with the equalizer on his vocal track until I noticed him sitting quietly next to me, watching everything I did.
“I’m sorry. This is rude,” I said. “I’ll stop now.”
“No, not now. Do whatever needs to be done. We won’t have a chance to do this again anytime soon, so we’d better make sure it’s as good as it can be.” He scooted closer and rested his arm on my shoulder, examining the screen. His chest pressed against my back, just slightly, but enough to make me feel that he was really there with me and equally invested.
For another minute, I tweaked a few things and made sure to save the file on my computer, my external backup drive, and in the cloud, to ensure it wouldn’t be accidentally deleted. But I had to admit that, from the moment he leaned against me, my thoughts weren’t on the music anymore. All I could focus on were his slow breaths, the rustle of our clothes against each other, and how his fingers tapped against my shoulder, still in time with our song.
This was all I had ever wished for: someone to make music with. Someone to hold me, someone who wanted to stay close, who encouraged me to keep going, who wanted to create something together with me. It was like a dream coming true—only it wouldn’t last past tonight.
Sebastian lived in Las Vegas, which was not even remotely close to Seastone, and he was leaving in a few hours. Even if we exchanged numbers, even if he recorded more vocals for me at his place and sent them over, there still wouldn’t be a future in it.
As those thoughts whirled through my head, the world turned upside down. First, my body became so light that I feared losing touch with the ground. Then, it became so heavy that I felt as if the universe were about to crush me. There would be no after this. Not after tonight.
I saved the file, as if I could save this moment, and turned my head ever so slightly toward him. “Wanna listen to it one last time?”
“M-hm.”
He eased his arm off my shoulder and stretched it across my back. His forehead rested against mine. I clicked play—and didn’t move a muscle as he held me while our song played. His recorded voice filled the space around us, but the second he cleared his throat, I could only hear the living, breathing Sebastian right next to me. His real voice even drowned out the recorded version of him. I twisted my head to catch a glimpse of his face, only to find him doing the same.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“More than I have been in a long time.”
I turned my head further. I shouldn’t have. Giving in to this would only make it harder in the morning when he had to leave, but… I decided that this wasn’t my problem, not right now, at least. That was something for the Alex of tomorrow to worry about.
He leaned his head against mine, our foreheads touching softly. We shared a glance more intense than any we had shared before. As the song reached its second chorus, we leaned in at the same time and pressed our mouths together.
Tingles shot through me, reminding me of all the things I had wanted to do with him when we sat on that boulder. It could have gone much further than making out back then if it hadn’t been so cold—andso stupid.
But now? Now, I wanted to give in.
I ran my hands up and down his back and, when they reached his waist, he chuckled. He grabbed my wrist and guided it toward his ass. “Don’t be shy, Alex.” The last word got muffled as his lips were back on mine before he finished speaking.
The song ended, and the sounds of our bodies singing together took over. Whenever his lips left mine to reposition for the next kiss, a little hum escaped Sebastian’s mouth. His kisses grew fiercer, each new one pushing the boundaries of what we were doing a little further.
Then the faint click of a key sliding into the front door downstairs cut through our song.
I held my breath, pulled away from Sebastian, and turned my head toward the door. Bewildered, he pulled back too, searching my face for an answer, when the thud of the front door opening downstairs, followed by voices, made him snap his head toward the noise.
Sebastian stared at me, mouthing for me to be silent, and I couldn’t have agreed more. We didn’t move an inch, staying as close together as possible.
A few seconds later, their footsteps moved away.
My shoulders sank. Sebastian couldn’t quite stifle his laughter. His forehead dropped toward my shoulder. “Oh, man.” Despite his attempts to keep quiet, his chest shook. “You never get any privacy in this house.”
“At least we had it for the last half hour.” I joined his silent chuckles.
His hands wouldn’t let go of me even as he checked the time on his phone. “They went to the party room. Based on pastexperience, I think we’ve got some time before they come back. Wanna risk it?”
“There is no way we’re going to stop now,” I said and kissed him again. We had already stepped over the edge. This was our only chance to give in to those feelings. Who knew if they would even still be there tomorrow? We might as well enjoy the opportunity.
His hands explored my body and, following his lead, I explored his. My fingers wandered down to his ass, brushing over the smooth skin above his waistband. The longer we went on, the more intense our touches became, until our shirts rode up, exposing skin here and there. Eventually, he got bold enough to slide his hand over my crotch, feeling me through my pants.
“This is such a bad idea,” he whispered, his fingers wrapping around the outline of my cock, stroking it through the fabric.
