Chapter 11 #3
Ever since his interview had aired, he’d made certain to keep his phone nearby and charged at all times.
Just in case. So far there’d been no emergency, and the big fallout he’d feared hadn’t come.
Some nasty comments, yes, but—well. While he could do without them, they didn’t cause tangible damage.
There had been no economic impact, not one threat of secession by a Commonwealth member.
Those driving Scotland’s independence referendum had even made it a point to reaffirm that an independent Scotland would seek membership of the Commonwealth.
He snatched the phone, checked the display—and froze.
Leo.
That was Leo.
Why was Leo calling him?
Sitting down on the bed, Joshua felt his blood crawl through his veins at a hypnotic pace, slowing everything down.
The room was as paralysed as Joshua himself, his thoughts like building blocks, angular and monotone.
Why was—with the way they’d parted—why would Leo… Why. How, why. Leo. Why now. Leo.
Only when the ringing stopped did Joshua abruptly snap back to himself. He gave it a few seconds, long enough for Leo to end the call, before he called back.
Leo picked up on the first ring, with a low, oddly breathless, “Josh.”
“Hi.” It was one word, just one word, but it took a conscious effort for Joshua to push it out. His lungs squeezed down on his heart and made thinking difficult. The morning felt cool on his bare skin.
A gap followed, and Joshua could hear Leo inhale on a hissed intake of air. When he spoke, it was just as low as before, shaky. “You picked up. I, um.” Another gap. “I was wondering if you’d see me.”
Nothing made sense. Joshua’s head was a minefield.
“What do you mean?” he asked—too soft and affected, bordering on helpless. Twisting his fingers into the duvet, he tried to ground himself and stared out of the window at the endless expanse of the sky.
“Like…” Leo cleared his throat. “I’d like to talk to you. Right now?”
Nothing made sense. Shaking his head, Joshua squeezed his eyes shut. “Leo, I’m in Brazil.”
“I know.” Leo gave a wet laugh. “So am I.”
What?
“What?” Joshua whispered.
“I’m downstairs.” Again, Leo cleared his throat, gaining just a hint more confidence. “Copacabana Palace, right? I’m in the lobby. Nate as well. They won’t let us up unless you tell them it’s okay.”
Joshua clambered to his feet, pressed the phone to his ear and tried to still the rush of blood to his feet. Leo was… here? Why would… Leo was in Brazil? In Brazil? Half a day after Joshua had arrived?
Flattening one hand against the windowpane, Joshua tested out the words. “You’re here.”
“That’s what I just said.” Sudden humour glinted in Leo’s voice.
He still sounded small and uncertain, but there was a newfound brightness to it, a teasing edge that was so familiar it made Joshua feel vaguely sick to the stomach.
“Do try to keep up, little prince. Now, if you could convince these nice people here that I am no danger to your virtue…” Leo paused. “Well. Then again.”
Joshua barely heard him. “You flew to Brazil?”
“I…” For just a moment, Leo’s composure failed. “Yeah. I did.”
“To see me,” Joshua said, not really a question. Leo was here. That had to mean—he’d changed his mind. He wouldn’t have flown twelve hours just to break Joshua’s heart all over again. Would he?
“Actually, I figured if you threw me out, I could at least say I’d seen the giant Jesus statue.
” Then Leo sighed, all humour draining away to make room for quiet sincerity.
“Sorry, stupid defence mechanism right there. It’s—I am here for you.
Yeah. If you’ll see me. If you…” The shortest of breaks. “If you’ll have me.”
If you’ll have me.
Joshua’s lungs felt swollen, like a tick gorged on blood. He needed a moment to make his voice work. “I’ll ask them to bring you up. And Nate is here as well?”
“For emotional support, mainly,” Leo said, still in that quietly sincere tone. It was the most open, the most vulnerable Joshua had ever heard him. “Also a tad bit for Mo, of course.”
“I’ll wake him.” Dropping his hand, Joshua stared at its imprint on the windowpane for a stunned second, then tried to focus. He needed to call reception, and he needed to put on some clothes. God, he probably looked a dishevelled mess. “Yes. I’ll wake him, and I… We’re all on the top floor.”
“Of course you are.” Leo sounded immeasurably fond, and something in Joshua’s stomach gave, like a knot had been tugged loose. “I’ll see you in a minute, all right?”
“All right,” Joshua echoed softly.
Once the call had ended he stared at his own reflection, blurred and translucent in the windowpane. Then he straightened his spine and raised his head, felt the ghost of a disbelieving smile tug at his mouth.
Leo was here.
* * *
With each floor number that flashed by, Leo’s stomach sagged just a little lower. He’d never been more grateful for Nate’s steady presence by his side.
On the phone, Joshua had sounded… surprised, yes. Disbelieving. A little shaken, but not in a bad way. And maybe he was simply too kind to turn Leo away right now, when the sun was barely out and he’d flown all night, but if Joshua listened just long enough for Leo to explain himself…
The lift glided to a smooth halt. Its doors opened before Leo was ready.
Mo was waiting in the hallway, sleep-ruffled and dressed in only a pair of pyjama bottoms. He was undeniably hot.
Leo noticed it rather absently as his gaze slid past Mo to settle on Joshua.
Half-hidden behind Mo’s figure, Joshua looked alert, his hair a wild mess, eyes a clear green when they met Leo’s.
Good God, Leo was in love with him. So in love with him.
He thought about putting it out there, again—I’m in love with you. And I was wrong because it matters, it does.
Mo’s voice cut through the haze. “Babe.” He sent Nate a sudden smile. “This is unexpected.”
“Good unexpected?” Nate asked. He was grinning already, even though his hand remained clasped around Leo’s elbow.
“Very good,” Mo confirmed. Then he glanced over at Leo, down at the bags they’d brought, and oh, fuck.
Both the lift boy and the bellboy had been present for the entire exchange.
What did this look like to them? What if the security cameras saw Leo disappear into Joshua’s room, bag in hand?
What if the story spread before they’d got a chance to even talk?
Leo’s discomfort must have been obvious because Joshua shook his head, very lightly. But he didn’t know, couldn’t know just how bad it would be if word got out. Panic was a perfectly appropriate reaction, The Hitchhiker’s Guide be damned.
Holy hell, Leo really hadn’t thought this through.
Again, Joshua shook his head, more emphatically.
“Discretion,” he mouthed, and Leo was still processing it when Joshua addressed the hotel staff.
“Thank you both. I think we can handle it from here.” With that, he drew forward to hand over a tip and pick up one of the bags.
Nudged into motion by Nate, Leo stepped out of the lift.
He was vaguely aware of Mo grabbing the last bag.
Fuck, maybe Leo should have caught some sleep before doing this.
Only when the lift was back on the descent did Joshua speak again. Turning in the hallway, Leo’s bag slung over his shoulder, he told them, “Places like this rely on discretion. It’s one of their biggest selling points, and if they lose that, they’re done for. No one will know you’re here.”
“That’s what Leo just said a few minutes ago,” Nate put in. With a squeeze to Leo’s elbow, he let go and walked right into Mo’s space, tugged him in for a kiss. And… okay. So they really were official.
Blinking, Leo averted his gaze and tried to douse any spark of envy.
He looked up to find Joshua watching him with an expression that was hard to read, something between confused and hopeful, wary and guarded, but still so painfully open. Leo wanted to touch him so much that he felt completely frozen with it.
“You’re here to talk to me?” Joshua asked, and Leo exhaled around the crushing weight of what he was about to do.
His voice came out in a croak. “Yes. Talk to you.”
Joshua bit down on his bottom lip, little indents of his teeth, and nodded. “Talk, okay.” After a sideways glance at Mo and Nate, Joshua took a hesitant step towards an open door. His room, probably.
Just as Leo made to follow, Nate held him back with a hand on the shoulder. “Good luck,” he whispered, and behind him, Mo looked on in what might have passed for a bored expression had it not been for the worried glint in his eyes. Leo wondered just how much Mo knew. As much as Joshua, probably.
But Joshua didn’t know nearly enough.
“Thank you,” Leo replied, just as quietly. Shoving a hand through his hair, he adjusted his carry-on and moved towards the door Joshua had left open for him.
When he entered, Joshua had already dropped the bag in the middle of the room—suite, really—that was flooded with sunlight, still pale with the early hour.
Open glass doors led out onto a terrace, and beyond it, the ocean extended, gleaming like a silken scarf and melting into the sky.
Leo’s tired mind needed a moment to process it as more than a lucid dream.
An enormous bed was set against one wall, and Leo’s attention lingered there.
He took in the pristine, white sheets. Only one pillow was slept on, one open water bottle on the left of two bedside tables.
Irrational relief settled in his bones. In theory, he’d known Joshua wouldn’t go out and fuck the first random bloke, but it had still been a distant possibility.
And Leo couldn’t have blamed him. Not when things between them were… this.