Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Tai
“Ready to go in or do you need a minute?” I asked on Friday night as Jules met me just down the road from Lewis & McKinnon, which sounded more like a law firm than an art gallery to me.
Then again, I wasn’t exactly their target audience.
But I’d go to fucking hell and back for Jules, for reasons I was trying not to look too closely at.
He didn’t need a new boyfriend to swoop in and save him, he needed a friend to support him while he saved himself.
But I couldn’t stop myself from noticing how good he looked in his suit, his navy trousers hugging his thighs and the top button of his shirt undone.
Shit, when had a glimpse of collarbone made my dick hard?
But I’d always had a weakness for a man in a suit, and when it was someone as cute as Jules…
No, I needed to get my fucking act together and focus on something else.
Like how I was itching to meet Darius and unleash all my pent-up fury on his smug face. Because I just knew he had a really smug fucking face.
I’d been tempted to stalk him online, but I’d resisted since I’d known it would make me angry.
Everything Jules told me about him, and his boyfriend, Philip, made my blood boil.
They sounded so stuck-up and self-centred, like they didn’t care who they hurt or used as long as they got what they wanted.
They didn’t deserve Jules and it made me so bloody angry hearing the things they’d said and done to him.
But the worst part was that he seemed to think some of this was normal, and the way he seemed so resigned to being treated like this.
I hated that he didn’t think he deserved people in his life who were interested in who he was, what he liked, and what he wanted.
He’d spent so much time living in Darius’s shadow and making excuses for his so-called friend’s behaviour that it had become normalised.
I’d seen it before, both in my life and online, and I knew he’d need support and encouragement to break away.
Because, although he could objectively understand this behaviour wasn’t normal, it would be easy for him to stay stuck there, especially since Darius had spent his whole life telling Jules his worth was tied to how Darius felt about him, and that nobody else would want him anyway.
All I could hope was that I’d started to show Jules he was worth so much more than what those cunts thought.
“I think I’m ready,” Jules said, looking down at himself and adjusting the way he was carrying his violin case.
“Do you think I look all right? Darius kept changing his mind on what I should wear, so in the end I just thought I’d go for smart and respectable.
I’m sure he’ll still have comments, but I’m not psychic and there wasn’t much else I could do. ”
“You look amazing. That suit looks incredible on you,” I said with a smile, wishing I could give him a hug or a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks.” He flushed slightly and ran his hand over his chest, smoothing his shirt. “You look amazing too. And far too cool for something like this. But I really do appreciate you coming with me, I feel a lot less nervous with you here.”
I grinned, glad my black shirt, pinstripe trousers, and patterned waistcoat were up to scratch.
I’d been tempted to throw on my leather jacket as well, but I didn’t want to melt.
But I had worn my black and silver boots, which clicked in the most satisfying way when I walked.
And I’d thrown on some eyeliner and made sure my mohawk was extra spikey, simply because I was ninety percent sure it would piss Darius off.
“Good, that’s what I’m here for. Just remember, you’re fucking amazing, and if anyone makes you uncomfortable then we don’t have to stay. You just say the word and we’ll walk out.”
“Oh…” He looked relieved for a second, then his expression faltered. “I don’t think Darius and Philip would like that though, and I don’t want to cause a scene.”
“Don’t worry about them,” I said. “If it comes to it, I can always deal with them.”
And I was not above making a scene. I almost relished the idea.
“Would you?” Jules asked, looking up at me, his forehead wrinkling in a worried frown. “I feel so bad for dragging you into this, but I always struggle to stand up to them, even if I want to.”
“If you want me to, then yeah, I will. Don’t feel bad about asking me to either.
I know how shit these sorts of situations are and how hard it can be to find your voice when you’ve never been allowed one.
” I smiled and stepped closer, slowly reaching out to rest my hand on his waist. Jules’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he leaned into my touch.
The urge to lean in and kiss him surged through my chest, but I shoved the feeling away. Now was not the time or the place. And I was not going to take advantage of Jules’s vulnerability like that.
“Thank you for helping me find it,” he said quietly.
“You’re welcome.”
I gazed down into his beautiful eyes, framed by those stunningly long lashes, and swallowed. He really was gorgeous, but what I’d started to feel for Jules was more than just physical attraction. He was stunning inside and out, and what I wanted more than anything was to see him shine.
“We should go in,” I said. I didn’t want to break the moment, but we needed to get this shit over and done with as fast as possible.
“I suppose… I wish we didn’t have to though.”
“We don’t. If you don’t want to go in, we can leave now. Fuck those wankers.”
“I know, but… fuck, why is this so hard? Part of me doesn’t want to go in, but the rest of me is screaming that if we don’t, I’ll have ruined everything and everyone will hate me.”
“That’s a lie,” I said. “I won’t hate you, Jules. I promise.”
“You won’t?”
“Of course not. And as for those bellends, does it really matter if they hate you? What would change in your life if they did?”
“Well, um, well… I’m sure Darius would send me a lot of angry messages. Philip too.”
“Okay, we can block them everywhere.”
“And they might try and make my life very miserable, spread rumours about me, that sort of thing.” He glanced away. “But I suppose… well, if I’m not friends with any of them, I don’t think that would matter.”
“It wouldn’t. And making your life miserable sounds like a lot of work to me.”
“True, and neither of them are very fond of that.” Jules giggled softly then put his hand to his mouth. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”
I chuckled and gently moved his hand away. “Don’t apologise. I like hearing you laugh.”
“Really? I’ve been told it’s quite irritating.”
“Whoever told you that is a knob. It’s beautiful.”
“Well, it was Philip so…”
“There we go then,” I said. “Ignore him and laugh.”
“Thank you. I realise it must be annoying to deal with me being, well, me.”
I frowned, a kernel of anger popping in my chest. Not at Jules, but at everyone who’d made him feel like this.
It was a feeling that was going to take a long time to go away, and I knew I’d have to temper it to stop it bursting out and obliterating everything in its path.
I’d always been a passionate person, but sometimes I’d found that manifested as anger, especially when it was a situation outside of my control.
I just wanted people to stop being cunts.
“You’re not annoying, I promise. And I’m not just saying that.”
“Thanks,” he said. I didn’t know if he believed me, but all I could do was keep saying it until he did.
He let out a slow breath, a spark of determination igniting in his eye.
“Let’s go in. I don’t know if I’ll play, but I want to see Darius and tell him…
I don’t know. But I’m not going to let him push me around.
Well, I’m going to try. Because I know he’s going to attempt to manipulate me and tell me I’m ruining everything, and I know I’m not but I might need you to remind me of that. ”
“Don’t worry, I will,” I said with a nod. I stepped back and held my hand out to him. Jules looked at it with surprise, then he smiled and slipped his hand into mine.
We walked towards the gallery door, Jules’s palm warm and soft against mine.
There was a security guard outside the door with a list in hand, but Jules gave his name and said I was his partner.
I didn’t know if they were going to let me in, but Jules seemed so confident and cheerful that he completely sold it.
Plus, he made a point of making the violin case obvious and said something about playing tonight.
The guy waved us in and we stepped into the gallery’s open space. It was warmly lit but cooler than I imagined, which I appreciated. There were plenty of people in expensive-looking clothes milling around, with a few staff in black moving through them with trays of drinks and canapés.
The art on the walls was fine—pretty but dull landscapes and scenery and a few coastal towns, things I’d seen done better elsewhere.
Definitely not to my taste. Although there was a chance my opinion was tainted by my personal views of the artist, but it wasn’t something I’d ever be able to separate.
“There you are!” A sharp, hushed voice cut through the air as a brown-haired man in a suit that was on the wrong side of achingly fashionable hurried towards us. His whole air screamed desperate, trying too hard, and “I have too much money and not enough taste.”
“Good evening to you too, Darius,” Jules said, his voice steady as he squeezed my hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“You’re late, you were supposed to be here two hours ago with the staff. And what the fuck are you wearing? I told you black.”
Jules let out a slow breath while I bit my tongue, my nostrils flaring, as I attempted to keep my shit together. “You did say black but then you changed your mind, several times in fact, and I thought this would do. Also, as I told you before, I am not a professional musician and—”
“Oh for God’s sake, stop arguing with me! You’re making a scene,” Darius snapped. “Everyone’s staring.”
“No, they’re not,” Jules said. He was gripping my hand so tightly it was almost painful, but I just squeezed back to let him know I was here.
“What on earth is wrong with you tonight? You’re never like this,” Darius said.
He glanced in my direction, suddenly noting my presence, and sneered.
“And who the hell is this? I didn’t say you could bring anyone.
How dare you drag some riffraff in here!
You’ll ruin the aesthetic. Then again, I should have expected something like this from you.
You always were jealous of me and Philip.
He doesn’t want you, Jules, and he never will, and honestly it’s just pathetic of you to try and pull a stunt like this.
I always knew you were desperate, but this is a new low. ”
I stood there, completely stunned, wondering how the fuck this bellend had managed to add two and two together and get thirty-nine. Like how the fuck had this man looked at Jules and decided he was jealous? It would be like me being jealous of a pile of horse shit.
My eyes flicked across to Jules, trying to read the expression on his face.
He was trembling, his mouth slightly open, and eyes shining in the light, as if he was about to cry.
Another wave of anger flooded me and made me desperately want to intervene.
But Jules hadn’t tagged me in, and I wanted to respect his autonomy.
At least until Darius crossed the line he was tap-dancing on.
“You’re okay,” I whispered, rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand. “I’m here.”
“Wow… Okay…” Jules said slowly, nodding his head and I could see the pieces clicking into place for him.
“I’m never going to be the person you want me to be, Darius, but that doesn’t make me desperate or worthless.
For years, I’ve put you first, built my life around you and what you want, and then I did the same for Philip.
” He glanced over the room and I saw another man watching us, champagne glass in hand and smug expression on his face.
“But nothing I did was ever enough for either of you, because you didn’t want a friend or a partner, you just wanted a servant.
And I refuse to be that person anymore.”
“How… I… You…!”
“And don’t you dare insult Tai,” Jules continued, levelling a finger at Darius’s chest. “He’s a better person than you or I will ever be, and I refuse to stand here and let you treat him the way you’ve always treated me.
I’ve only known him for two weeks and I already like him more than I’ve ever liked you.
He’s kind and brave and likes me for me, not who he wants me to be.
So, you can take your fake friendship and shove it up your arse, Darius.
Don’t bother messaging me again. Good night! ”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door, leaving Darius spluttering, with his cronies standing around gawking. I smirked and winked at him, loving the way his face had turned a delightful puce.
So long fuckers, I thought. You won’t be missed.