Epilogue
NINE MONTHS LATER
Alex
“Why is it that everyone is okay with seeing Henry naked but nobody wants to see me naked?” Theo asked as the second episode of Llewelyn drew to a close on the large telly in the corner of Henry’s and my recently refurbished living room.
“Not that Henry’s butt isn’t pretty, but my butt is equally cute.
There’s definitely a double standard here if you ask me. ”
“There’s no fucking double standard,” I said, avoiding the temptation to throw a handful of popcorn at his head. “Seeing your butt means watching you get railed.”
“And seeing Henry’s butt means watching him potentially fuck Kane,” Theo said.
He turned and grinned at Henry, who was sat next to me looking too bloody amused by this conversation.
“At least, I’m assuming that’s where this is going considering all the longing looks you’re giving each other.
The sexual tension is off the charts, by the way. I love it.”
“That’s fake, though,” Spencer said from the other end of the sofa. “Like, Henry’s not really naked, are you?”
“That’s definitely my butt,” Henry said, taking a swig from his bottle of cider.
“But no, when we do love scenes, we wear modesty garments, which can be anything from nude boxers to a wired cup thing you kind of just stick on, like burlesque performers wear. It depends on the scene and how comfortable you feel.”
“Let me guess,” I said, giving him a wry smile. “You went for the tiny cup?”
Henry winked but didn’t answer and I rolled my eyes fondly at him.
I didn’t know if it was weird that we’d decided to hold our own little premiere party to watch the first few episodes with our friends, especially considering how steamy the first season had turned out to be, but Henry had insisted because he wanted to share it with everyone.
I wondered if he was trying to rile me up so I’d fuck him possessively later.
I wanted to say I was immune to such underhanded fuckery, but I wasn’t.
I was definitely going to pin Henry to our bed and fuck him until we were both breathless and dripping in sweat and cum, with muscles that would ache for days.
Because the whole world was going to be looking at his ass tonight, and I wanted him to remember it was mine.
“It’s still a double standard.” Theo pouted as he folded his arms across his chest. “You’re all very mean.”
“Behave,” Laurie said, pulling Theo farther onto his lap. “This isn’t about you.”
“I’m just saying—”
“And so am I.” Laurie’s tone was firm and from here it looked like he was holding something under Theo’s skirt, but I wasn’t going to look any closer. I was just glad they’d finally gotten their bloody act together. It had taken them long enough.
“Do you want to watch one more?” Henry asked, sounding suspiciously gleeful. “Then there’ll be another five for you to all watch at home.”
There was a general murmur of approval, but a couple of people asked to get more drinks and go to the toilet first. I frowned at Henry as I followed him into the kitchen so we could grab more drinks and another tray of food.
Since there were quite a few of us, we’d decided against having any kind of formal meal and just had a fuckton of platters for people to pick at.
I’d never thought I’d be the sort of man who made fucking cheese and charcuterie boards, but here I was.
“What’s in episode three?” I asked as Henry opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers while I unwrapped some bits of cheese and opened a couple of bags of crisps.
“Nothing,” Henry said casually. “Oh, there’s a ball!”
“And?”
“And nothing, just a perfectly innocent ball scene…” Then he lowered his voice and whispered very quickly. “And me dragging Kane into the garden for a quick blow job. Although technically Charles drags Llewelyn, so…”
I raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, boxing Henry in against the fridge. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“You’re trying to make me jealous,” I said quietly. “You want everyone to see you fake it on screen in the hope I’ll strip you down as soon as everyone leaves and make you beg for it.”
Henry grinned. “Am I really that predictable?”
“Yes.”
“Is it working?”
“You’ll just have to wait and find out,” I said, brushing my lips teasingly against his before turning and walking away smirking.
“That’s not fair,” Henry said.
“I know. You wanted to watch another episode.” I grabbed another board and tucked a few bags of crisps under my arm before heading back into the living room, where everyone had resumed their seats across various sofas and armchairs. It was a bit squished, but we made it work.
Henry and I had bought the house near Will’s at the end of last summer and spent the time since rebuilding it.
Technically, Henry had bought it, paid for all the building work, fittings, decorating, and an interior designer to come in and style everything.
I’d been really fucking hesitant about everything because I hated having no financial stake in anything, and I’d had a lot of long chats with Lewis about coping with the disparity.
He’d been really helpful since his financial situation had been worse than mine when he and Jason had gotten together and he’d struggled as well.
Lewis was the one who’d recommended our interior designer, Alexis, to us.
She was the sister of one of his brothers’ boyfriends, and while I hadn’t been sure about hiring someone, I’d had to concede that I knew absolutely fuck all about decorating.
But I had made good on my promise to myself to try some colour, and the house was a mix of warm tones, cosy styling, and a modern undertone—at least, that was how Alexis had described it.
All I knew was that it felt like Henry and me, and I loved living there.
It was strange living outside town for the first time, and it’d taken some getting used to.
I’d been worried how I’d feel when Henry went to LA for the first time, because although I’d lived on my own for a few months between Noah moving out and Henry casually moving himself in, I preferred having someone around.
Noah must have noticed I was uneasy because the first night Henry was away he’d turned up with food and an overnight bag and said we were having a sleepover.
I felt better about Henry going away now, but Noah still came round at least one or two nights a week when he was away—even if it was just for dinner.
Sometimes Spencer came too, and occasionally they brought Theo and Laurie with them.
Theo had issued an open invitation for me to drop in on him and Laurie for a movie night whenever I wanted, which I sometimes took them up on since Theo and I shared a love of ridiculous, over-the-top horror movies.
But as much as I enjoyed spending time with my friends, I loved it when Henry came home.
At times, I wondered if it was weird to feel this way about one person—to be so in love with them that it sometimes physically hurt to be apart, even if we talked every day.
Then I’d realised I didn’t care. I’d resigned myself to being alone for so long that having someone I felt this deeply about was something I’d never expected to experience.
And if that meant I missed Henry so fucking much I wanted to scream, then so fucking be it. I’d take that over being heartbroken, angry, and miserable.
“Are we all ready?” Henry asked as he flopped down on the seat next to me, handing me another drink and pressing a kiss to my temple. I pressed play and leant against his side, feeling his solid warmth press against me as the opening credits began to play.
There was a flash of light and vibrations from Henry’s pocket as the scene opened on the castle under a clear morning sky. Henry pulled his phone out and snorted, turning the screen to face me. “I think Jason just watched episode two.”
Jason
Thanks a lot, asshole, I thought you were going to warn me when you were getting naked!
Henry
Did I? I don’t remember that.
Jason
Dickhead. I really didn’t want to see your ass today.
Jason
Lewis wants me to tell you you look really good.
Henry
Tell your beautiful husband I said thanks and that he has good taste xxx
Henry
Also episode three includes sexy fun but I’m not telling you when. It’s a surprise!
I bit back laughter as Henry showed me his responses, knowing that he and Jason would playfully argue for the rest of the evening.
I knew Jason was proud of him, though, because he’d sent Henry a huge bunch of flowers the day before the London premiere and he’d posted about the show all over social media for weeks, telling people to watch without even mentioning that he was making his own appearance.
I’d have to get Henry to invite Jason and Lewis to stay again before they started filming season two, which Jason had also been dragged into. Apparently it was very difficult to say no to Jenny without good reason, and Jason hadn’t managed to think of one.
“Fuck, you look good,” I murmured as Henry appeared on screen looking hot as fuck in his costume.
“Right? Period dress suits me.” He kissed my head again and pulled me closer.
“It does. You’ll have to bring some home.”
Henry chuckled softly. “I’ll try.”
I tilted my head up to look at him. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Henry said, leaning down to kiss me softly. “Oh, we’re nearly at the ball. You have to watch.”
I shook my head and rested against him, focusing my eyes on the screen.
If someone had told me a year ago that my life would end up like this, I’d have said they were joking.
Now it was real and I still had to pinch myself.
Spencer and I had a booming coffee shop business with plans for our first expansion well underway, I had a home filled with warmth and laughter, a family of friends who were nosy as fuck but always there for me, and a boyfriend who’d shown me how to love again and be loved in return.
It all felt like a fucking fairy tale.
Only here, there was no pretending. There was just love.
The End