Now
SKYLER
Skyler’s thrilled to behanging out with his sister, but he’s worried about Trevor getting wasted beside him. Asking him to go out like this was probably a bad idea. He just wanted to have fun with Layla, and he mistakenly thought it would be fun for Trevor too.
Granted, Trevor looks like he’s having fun now, but that’s the result of three drinks and three shots. Skyler passed on the previous round of shots that Trevor and Layla took together, and he’s still nursing his first drink. He never lets himself drink too much anymore, and besides that, he needs to watch out for Trevor.
When Trevor tries to take another sip out of his empty glass, the slurping sound echoes obnoxiously around them. “Want another,” he mumbles.
He’s already trying to stand and push Skyler out of the booth, but Skyler doesn’t budge. “Let’s hold off on that for a bit.”
“But I want it now,” Trevor whines.
And Skyler’s brain instantly goes to a different, much dirtier place.
He takes a deep breath, fighting the desire to shove Trevor into the wall of the booth and kiss him senseless. Because they’re in public, his little sister is right in front of them, andoh yeah, they’re not freaking together.
“Let me out,” Trevor urges impatiently.
He reflexively grips Trevor’s thigh, fingers digging into the muscle harder than they should. “You can wait,” he says firmly.
Trevor’s eyes widen in a way that makes Skyler think his brain is also in a different place now. Then Trevor’s body relaxes back into the seat. Like he’s forgotten his desire for alcohol and is waiting for something else Skyler can give him.
Skyler has to remind himself that Trevor’s drunk. And again, that Layla and Mike are right here. He asks Mike to get Trevor a water, then loosens his grip on Trevor’s thigh. But before he can remove his hand completely, Trevor reaches for it, lacing their fingers together. Trevor would never do this in public if he were sober—not after that first year together when everything was still relatively simple. But they’re the only ones in this place, and Skyler wants to keep him relaxed and not asking for another drink, so he squeezes Trevor’s hand and goes back to talking to Layla.
She’s filling him in on her dating life, which, due to her busy schedule, consists less of actual dating and more of hooking up with guys she meets in bars. He tries not to act all over-protective-big-brother about it.
After one story of her snagging a guy who started out flirting with someone else, Trevor cheers, “Hell yeah, get it, Lay-lay,” and they all laugh. But Skyler secretly revels in him using Trevor’s old nickname for Layla. He only wishes Trevor didn’t need to be drunk to do it. He wants him to be comfortable around his family like he was before.
At Skyler’s insistence, Trevor slowly sips the water Mike gave him. Now that he’s taken a break from drinking, he seems to be getting tired. He scoots closer to Skyler and leans into him more, curls his fingers around Skyler’s bicep.
Skyler doesn’t miss the looks Layla shoots him as they talk. He can read the hundreds of questions in her eyes, and he’s sure he’ll have to answer them when they can talk alone. Not that he knows the answers.
What are he and Trevor doing?
He has no fucking clue.
He gave Trevor a pass this morning, not wanting to cause him any more embarrassment. He understands that last night with the fire was overwhelming and Trevor didn’t mean to kiss him in that moment. But is there a chance Trevor might want to kiss him when he’s thinking more clearly?
That’s the million-dollar question.
The connection is still there between them. He can feel it like a tether. Five years apart from each other wasn’t enough to sever it. And he’s sure Trevor must feel it too. He’s just not sure Trevor’s ready to acknowledge it.
Eventually, it gets late, and since Layla has to go in for another shift tomorrow afternoon, they decide it’s time to leave.
Trevor manages to do another shot when Skyler goes to the bathroom, bringing him up to three and four. He’s going to feel like death in the morning. And it’s strange seeing him this way because Trevor was always the responsible one, leaving Skyler free to drink as much as he wanted.
Skyler knows he started drinking too much once things got hard between them. Knows how he let himself get out of control, how he forced Trevor to take care of him and worry about him. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t smart, and it didn’t do anything to help their situation. But it was the only way he knew how to cope at the time.
He doesn’t like that Trevor’s coping by drinking now. It’s not that he minds taking care of him—he loves being able to take care of Trevor—but he’s worried about where this could lead him.
When they get in Mike’s SUV, with Layla up front, Skyler has to help Trevor climb in the back and buckle up. Then as soon as he gets himself settled beside him, Trevor is all over him, testing the limits of his seatbelt to reach for Skyler’s thigh and hip, tugging Skyler closer so he can rub his nose along his neck.
Layla, ever observant (and might he mention,nosy) turns in her seat to watch the two of them. Skyler gives her a pleading look, but he’s not sure if he’s pleading with her to give them some privacy or to do something to stop this.
There’s no way Mike is oblivious to what’s going on, but he keeps his eyes firmly on the road. He probably deserves a raise.
This reminds Skyler of all the times he and Trevor tumbled into the backseats of cars together after awards shows or performances, buzzed from alcohol or adrenaline, and hungry for each other. They’ve gotten each other off clumsily like this more times than he can count. It’s no wonder their drivers were required to sign NDAs.
