“You said we don’t have time for this,” Trevor reminds him a little breathlessly. “And I need help finding something to wear.”
“Fine,” he says, pouting a little for dramatic effect before reluctantly letting him go. “Come on, babe.”
He picks up the towel but doesn’t give it back as he leads a naked Trevor into the bedroom. Trevor quickly steps into a pair of tight maroon boxer-briefs that hug his muscular thighs (and other parts) deliciously. For a moment, Skyler considers them skipping Jermaine’s party altogether before he gets himself under control.
He’s excited to see Jermaine and celebrate him dropping the first single off his upcoming album on a live TV appearance tonight in the city. When Jermaine called him and found out he and Trevor are back together, he demanded Skyler bring Trevor with him.
Trevor surprisingly agreed with almost no fuss. They can’t go publicly as a couple, so Mike’s dropping them off separately at the club Jermaine rented out. But still. Trevor’s going. And since he and Trevor haven’t been seen publicly in the same place at the same time since the band broke up five years ago, this is a big deal, even if they’re trying to pretend it’s not.
So there’s no way Skyler’s letting them skip this, no matter how tempting Trevor looks in his underwear.
He wanders into his closet where Trevor’s moved the small amount of clothes he packed to come here. He picks out a pair of Trevor’s fitted, light-blue jeans, and then searches through his own shirts for something that might work.
Trevor steps up behind him and places a hand on his back. “I’m not wearing one of your floral, see-through monstrosities. Or anything that sparkles.”
He laughs. “Don’t pretend you don’t like my outfits.”
“I like them very much on you.” Trevor says, scratching his nails lightly up Skyler’s spine and distracting him from his task. “Trust me.Verymuch. But they’d look ridiculous on me.”
“Trustme.” Skyler leans into his touch. “I’m sure I can find you something simple.” He forces himself to step away so he can keep looking, and eventually he pulls down a white, long-sleeved Henley. “Aha!”
When he holds it out, Trevor looks unsure. “You don’t think that’stoosimple for a party like this? I don’t want to look like I don’t belong there.”
Skyler makes him take the shirt. “Jermaine invited you and he’s excited to see you, so you absolutely belong there.”You belong anywhere I am.
Trevor pulls the Henley over his head and smooths it down his body. Skyler’s taller, so the shirt’s a tiny bit long on him, but it’s perfectly tight around his chest and arms, and clings to his abs. “You sure?” he asks, glancing down at himself self-consciously.
“Definitely,” Skyler insists. Then he pushes Trevor into the bathroom, where he finishes getting ready.
This is all so domestic. Wearing each other’s clothes, watching each other get ready. It reminds Skyler so much of the way they used to be. All those years of being in the band together, of living together and traveling together. Of being partners.
No matter how much he loves his solo career, those years in the band were the best ones of his life. Because of Trevor.
He can’t help but wonder if now the rest of his life could be like that too. Likethis.
Skyler’s been at theparty by himself for thirty minutes now, mingling. The place is packed already, a DJ playing music that’s not too loud to hold a conversation, but loud enough that he almost misses his phone ringing. Seeing Trevor’s name, he excuses himself from the indie film star he’s been talking to.
He finds a semi-private corner of the large room as he answers. “Hey, babe, are you here?”
“I don’t know if I can do this, Sky.”
He leans one hip against the wall and frowns at how nervous Trevor sounds. “I told you nobody here will think anything of us both coming out to support Jermaine. It’s a private party, no paparazzi allowed in. And you know we won’t do anything that’ll look more than friendly with each other.”
“It’s not that,” Trevor says. “It’s that I’m not a part of this world anymore. I’ve been so far removed from it. I don’t fit in with all the stars and industry people.”
“Yes, you do,” Skyler assures him. “You were always great at schmoozing industry people when you wanted to. And you just gave a TV interview. You’remore famous than most of the people here, regardless of how long it’s been since you were in the spotlight.”
Trevor chuckles over the line. “I don’t know about that.”
Adjusting his stance, Skyler double-checks no one’s close enough to overhear his conversation. “You can do this, babe. I promise. And while you’re here, maybe you could talk to some producers about your ideas for a new album, see if anyone would be a good fit to work with.”
Surprisingly, Trevor agrees. And he already sounds more confident when he says he’ll be there in five minutes. Maybe having a goal in mind makes this easier for him.
When Skyler goes back to wandering through the mass of people, he tries not to fixate on the entrance of the club. Trevor will be fine, and Skyler’s going to let him do his own thing. They’ll find each other when it’s natural.
He’s minding his own business, laughing at a story someone’s telling, when a hand slaps him hard on the back, making him slosh a bit of his Cosmo onto the floor.
“Skyler fucking James!”
