26

The conversation between me and Tai ebbs and flows, occasionally stilted and awkward, especially with all eyes on us. But as the day passes, we slip back into the comfortable rhythm we had at the resort. A few hours into the flight, Tai's eyelids droop, and he sags against my chest. I pull him closer, wrapping my arm around him, until his breathing slows, and he dozes off.

For the first time in months, everything in the world feels perfectly aligned.

Dante comes over and sits across from me. "This is a lot to wrap my head around," he whispers, eyes darting to Tai, asleep with his lips parted.

Fuck, he's adorable.

A goofy, love-struck smile crosses my lips, and I glance up and wipe it away when I see the way Dante's looking at me. I clear my throat as he smirks. "He's a heavy sleeper. You won't wake him."

"That's what I'm talking about. It's just… weird that you know that. How the hell did this even happen?" I give him a rundown of the story—how we were both oblivious to each other's identity, everything blowing up on the night I left, and Eric blocking his attempts to reach out to me.

"Fuck, Eric strikes again," Dante groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. "His heart's in the right place, but he's impulsive as hell. Kind of like a loveable wrecking ball—he crashes through your walls and knocks a giant hole in your life, then just fucking smiles at you."

"I heard that," he calls from behind Dante.

"I said you were loveable," Dante grumbles back, and I can't help but chuckle at their snarky interaction, even though Eric's eyes narrow at me once more. Dante's attention returns to me. "What are the chances, man? It's amazing how many things make sense now that I know. The past couple of months have been tough for both of you, but I never would've guessed it was connected."

"Yeah," I agree with a soft smile as Tai nuzzles against me in his sleep. "What are the chances that I'd find the… my…" I huff a laugh and shake my head. "That I'd meet him at that wedding and end up almost being neighbors?"

"Is this your first man-crush?" Theo asks, fluttering over and dropping into Dante's lap, throwing his arms around his neck as he rubs their noses together. It's still odd seeing Dante so… cuddly.

"Jesus, Theo, way to beat around the fucking bush," I mutter, my face flushing.

"What's that?" He leans forward, his blue eyes widening and that all-too-familiar smile forming on his lips. The combination means he's about to embarrass me. "Been doing much bush-beating, Jugs?"

"Theo," I groan.

"Anyway, you probably have me to thank for your new love of man meat… your newfound appetite for sausage. Blame the pheromones."

I sigh, staring at the ceiling as Theo grins like a maniac. He doesn't look away, so I finally relent. "What pheromones?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked. We've been playing the long game, and sprinkled queer pheromones all over the gym until you turned to the dark side."

"Dark side, huh? Thought it was the rainbow side?" I ask with a grin.

"You're idiots," Tai grumbles, and my chest bounces in a laugh that makes him open one eye and glare. "Every one of you is an idiot."

My fingers trace his jaw as he stares up at me. "Sorry for waking you," I whisper, licking my lips and inching forward before I catch myself and pull back. Given his request to take things slow, I can't assume he wants me to kiss him, especially with an audience. His gaze shifts into something heavier as he cuddles into my chest, and I know his thoughts are in the same place as mine. I hug him to me instead.

"Was I snoring?" He sits up and rubs his eyes, and I smile at the cuteness of it.

"No, my little piglet didn't come out to play," I tease.

" Piglet ," Eric wheezes, whipping around with his particular brand of malicious glee on his face. "He called you a little piglet when you sound like a fucking rocket being launched. We needed industrial earplugs just to sleep on the last tour, but you're his little piglet. Fuck me, that's hilarious."

My cheeks burn as I give an embarrassed cough, which only fuels Eric's laughter. Tai lets out an exasperated sigh as the pilot's voice crackles through the intercom, announcing the start of our descent. Everyone returns to their seats to buckle in, although Eric's shoulders still bounce with the occasional chuckle.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" I ask, and Tai's amusement is obvious.

"Not likely, chippoke." The sound of my old nickname leaving his lips sends a warmth spreading through my chest, and suddenly, I can't stop smiling.

As our flight descends into Warsaw, the darkness of the night is heightened by the plunk of raindrops hitting the windows, causing a slight chill in the air that is unexpected for the middle of summer. Nerves are frayed after being on the plane all day and night, and since it's nearing sunrise, everyone is tired. Tempers are running high as we file off the jet and gather our luggage before loading into the shuttle vans that wait.

Tai leans against me as we drive, his eyes heavy in the darkness, and everyone else is uncharacteristically quiet. The hum of the road under the tires is hypnotic, and I fight to keep from nodding off until we pull into the hotel.

It's nearing five a.m., so there's no foot traffic inside the lobby even as the first hints of sunrise dust the sky. Monica gets the group checked in and hands out keycards, ordering everyone to get some sleep.

We have two whole days with no obligations before the day of the concert. Considering the time difference and jet lag, Monica expected the band would need a chance to adjust, and with the way they shuffle like zombies to the elevators, I'm inclined to agree.

When we reach our cluster of rooms on the third floor, everyone grumbles their goodbyes. Eric and Dmitri disappear behind the middle door before Theo and Dante stumble into the first. Bruce ushers Aaron into the room the three of us will share as Monica, who is somehow still perky, says goodnight and shuts herself away for the night.

Tai and I stand, somewhat awkwardly, as Bruce keeps watch in the hall. "Hey, uh, Bruce? Go ahead… I'll catch up in a few."

He's too tired to make a sarcastic comment—which is really saying something—and reaches for the handle. "Want me to sleep on the pullout sofa?" he asks, voice gruff, but I shake my head.

"It's fine. You take the other bed."

"You sure, boss?"

I snort at the nickname. "Yeah, I'm sure." He tosses me a lazy salute and walks inside, leaving only me and Tai in the hallway.

"Let me help you get settled," I say, at the exact time he says, "Do you want to come in for a minute?" We both stop talking and then awkwardly chuckle in unison. He swipes his keycard, pushing the door open as we enter the dark room. It's clean and comfortable—serving its purpose for the few nights that we'll be staying here.

Tai clicks a lamp on and drops his bag on the king-sized bed, then sighs as he walks over to me, still standing at the doorway. "I don't like how weird things are," he admits, and I give him a soft smile as I hold my arms out, pulling him into a hug. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act right now."

"You don't act, just be yourself. That's all I want."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It doesn't have to be complicated, Tai. At the resort, everything was so naturally easy between us. It didn't get messy until we made it that way."

He nods, his face tucked into my neck. "We fucked up," he whispers.

"Nah, I'm the one that fucked up. You were only reacting to the information you had at that moment. I don't blame you for that."

He shakes his head. "If I hadn't put those stupid rules in place to begin with, we would have avoided a few months' worth of hurt. It made zero sense. Communication has always been important to me, and I basically asked for your permission to deceive you."

I drop a kiss on his hair. "Neither of us could've predicted this."

He sighs, still refusing to separate himself from me, and I'm perfectly happy with that. "No, but I should've been honest from the beginning. I was so desperate to just be someone else… escape from my life for a few days."

"Why would you want to escape this?" I ask.

He lifts his head and meets my eyes. "Do you have any idea how weird it is to be… a fucking rock star?" His disgusted expression makes me laugh. "No, I'm one hundred percent serious. I sound like a chode just saying that. And on top of that, I'm constantly worried that people will care more about my fame than getting to know the real me."

I rest my hands on the sides of his neck. "The real you is the only one that interests me."

His smile is soft. "Yeah, I know that now, but then? I was running away from reality… running away from my loneliness." When I tilt my head in question, he grimaces. "You try spending five days a week with the most sickeningly happy couples in the world. They've gotten used to me being the level-headed and easygoing one of the group, and it felt like that was becoming my entire identity. When I wanted to scream, I didn't, because they expected me to be cool. "

"You are so much more than that," I whisper, and he tilts his chin up. I smile, swiping my thumb over his bottom lip. "You're everything, sweetheart." His breath hitches as I lean closer, but he wants to move slow, and I honor that by pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He twists to face me right as I pull away, and our breath mingles in our shared space as I fight the urge to go back for more. My hand lands on his jaw, tracing the shape of his face as I soak in his sweet smell and soft skin.

"You need to rest," I say, dragging my thumb across his lip once more. "A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours."

"I'm not going to wake up and find out this was a dream, am I?"

"No, sweetheart, I'm afraid you're stuck with me this time." His tender smile makes my head spin, and I know if I don't leave now, I won't. "Come and get me after you've gotten some sleep, okay?"

"You'll wait for me?" he asks, and both of us understand that the question goes beyond the surface.

"I will always wait for you." He smiles, but there's a hint of sadness to it as he nods, following me to the door as I force myself to part from him. We say goodnight, and I walk across the hall to my room, where Bruce and Aaron are tucked into their beds, sound asleep.

I step into the bathroom to brush my teeth and change into a pair of shorts, and I freeze as I find my eyes in the mirror. The happiness in them is something I haven't seen in months, and with that thought on my mind, I tuck into bed and fall asleep.

Smiling.