50. Tom Cobalt
TOM COBALT
Being kicked out of dinner gives me a better reason to go home early and mitigate the silly string situation. But when I arrive at the apartment, there is no situation.
Harriet and Phoenix are sitting on the couch together, all evidence of debauchery cleaned away. Spotless kitchen counters. Floors vacuumed. I can’t deny…I’m bummed.
“Tell me you took pictures,” I demand.
“Good criminals don’t keep evidence, Thomas.” Harriet tilts the laptop on her knees to Phoenix. “These seats?”
I look between them. “What is going on?”
“Paramore tickets went live. We just got out of the queue,” Harriet says.
Phoenix raises his brows, then skims the length of me. “You okay, nepo baby? You look like you’re about to self-destruct.”
“Yeah. Yeah. It’s been a night. And you two are now concert-going friends. My brain is overloaded, dude.”
Phoenix frowns deeper. “Want to talk about it or is this a secret tea party thing?”
“I’m honestly not sure.” I let out a shaky breath. “Probably have to wait for the dust to settle.”
Phoenix gives me a consoling look before he points to the laptop. “Those four,” he tells Harriet before rising to meet me. He cups my face, just to kiss me, and I hold his left hand at our sides while I smile against his soft lips.
It’s a short kiss, but it feels like it lasts forever. My pulse still races when he pulls back—then it suddenly registers what he said to Harriet.
Those four.
“Four seats?” My eyes widen. “Is this a double da—?”
“I would rather sleep on spikes,” Harriet cuts me off. “You’re invited by proxy because you happen to be the boyfriend of my partner in crime.”
Her partner in crime.
“You performed one act of silly string—that you didn’t even document—and all of a sudden you’re a criminal mastermind?”
Harriet flips me off.
I flip her off.
She closes the laptop and shoves it in her bookbag. “It’s done. And the tickets are for next year.”
“If you’re even with Ben by then.”
“Tom.” Phoenix frowns. “What the fuck, man?”
Yeah, that was too far. I’m ready to fling myself on my mattress.
Harriet glowers. “You might not even be with your new boyfriend next year.”
“True. Thank you, yeah. All valid points, Mouse Killer.”
Her mouth parts, and her gaze darts warily to Phoenix before daggering me. “You promised not to bring that up.”
Dude, how can someone fuck up this much? I put my hands on my head. “Around Ben,” I defend. “Phoenix doesn’t care that you murder mice in the name of research. Right, you don’t care?” Please help me, I plead through my eyes.
Phoenix is nodding. “Do not care.”
Harriet relaxes. She opens her mouth, then closes it. Her eyes flit around me. “Everything okay?” She’s asking nicely.
Holy shit, I must really look distraught. “Fine.”
She nods. Then zips her bag. “See you next week.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?”
“I don’t live here,” she reminds me, pulling the strap to her bookbag on her shoulder. “And I need to get back to the Honors House anyway and look over my summer syllabi.”
She leaves before I can apologize.
Phoenix and I retreat to the bedroom, and I pull him down onto the mattress. “We’ve got like an hour before Ben comes home.” I pull his shirt off over his head.
“You really don’t want to talk about it?” he asks while he unzips my pants. His phone buzzes on the nightstand, and he reaches over to silence it. Not even checking to see who it is.
“Do you want to talk about that?” I eye the phone. Every Wednesday and Thursday his phone goes off like clockwork. His parents know these are his days back in New York, so they use it to suggest auditions around the city.
As if he needs a backup plan for when The Carraways crash and burn. The realism, I get. I just wish they had a little optimistic bone in their bodies. I hate that they still think I might ditch Phoenix for another drummer.
It’s never once crossed my mind.
Phoenix cups my jaw and pulls me into a kiss.
It doesn’t last long since he answers my question.
“They won’t stop unless I pick up a gig.
But I’m not going to be like Birdie and split my time in two.
I’m all-in on The Carraways, man. My parents will get sick of trying to protect me sooner or later.
” He drags a hand down my chest and raises his brows. “You?”
My throat swells. “Tonight was the first time in a long time that Eliot and I weren’t on the same page,” I say, my face breaking. “It fucking sucks.”
Phoenix wraps his arms around me, drawing me into a tighter embrace. I close my eyes, his comfort better than any drug I could ever take.