12. Jacob

12

JACOB

" J acob? Is that you?" Parker was on the other end of the video call, his eyes wide. "Holy shit! I thought you died!"

"You knew that I wasn't dead, Parker." I rolled my eyes as I finished getting ready for the day. The guys were having another photoshoot, this time on the roof, and I wanted to be there to support Leo. "I've responded to pretty much all of your texts."

"Pretty much all of them but not all of them." He scoffed. "What's going on with you, anyway? You're usually glued to your phone when it comes to work stuff."

"I am doing work stuff out here, Parker. We just got snowed in?—"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard. You and a bunch of athletes." Parker laughed. "Your life is so full of woe! How miserable it must be hanging out with famous people!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Anything interesting happening? Show me your room." Parker motioned at the camera. I picked up my phone and slowly waved it through the air, giving Parker a full view of my set-up.

"Damn. That looks fancy." He groaned. "Why does all the good stuff only happen to you?"

"Says the guy who's happily in love."

"Love is one thing. Being trapped with celebrities is another. And with digs like that?" Parker groaned again. "Next time, the lodge needs people to help them navigate Roanoke, tell them they can always call me, okay?"

"I don't think Bradley would appreciate us cutting into his business." I smirked. "The only reason he let me help this time is because his usual partner was on vacation. Hawaii, last I heard."

"Stop. Talking about warm places fills me with rage. Especially dealing with this kind of weather." Parker paused for a moment before he went on. "Okay. Crazy idea time."

"Crazy idea time?"

"Are the guys doing another photoshoot today?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can you sneak me in?" Parker beamed at the camera. "Give me a VIP pass?"

"You want me to video chat with you while on set?"

"Exactly."

"I don't know about that, Parker. I mean?—"

"Did they make you sign an NDA or something?"

"No, but still?—"

"But still, what? If you didn't sign an NDA, you're not even breaking any rules!" Parker pressed. "Okay, fine. If you can't get me a VIP view, can you at least give me a glance at everything? I'm just trying to live vicariously through you for like, five minutes. That's all."

"Parker—"

"Please? Pretty please? Please!"

"Fine," I relented, as I shook my head. "But you're going to owe me one after this."

"I will literally do whatever you want."

"Welcome to the Splash Zone!" It was the first thing Tommy said to me, as I stepped onto the roof. I looked around, now realizing that all the athletes were in various types of swimwear. Diego and Chris were in brightly colored speedos that left little to the imagination, Andrew was wearing what looked like a surfer suit, with tight, black fabric clinging to his skin. And Keith was wearing a crop top with swimming shorts, his general vibe reminiscent of a rockstar in the 70's.

I then noticed the huge buckets of sports drink spread out across the photoshoot area.

"Are we throwing liquid at people? In very cold weather?" I quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Throw the drinks. Get the shot. Wipe them off and heat them up before the next round of photos," Tommy explained, as he messed around with his camera lens. "It's supposed to be a branding thing. These drink companies aren't looking for logic, just eyeballs on their product."

Tommy nodded toward where the athletes were standing. "And nothing gets eyeballs on something faster than hot people drenched in something. Sweat. Water. Energy drinks. Whatever."

"Got it." I nodded back at him. "Have you seen Leo?"

"He's around here somewhere." Tommy shrugged. "Probably putting final touches on his plans for how everything's going to come together—Oh shit. Speak of the devil."

I turned my head, just enough to see Leo making his way onto the roof. He looked serious and determined, with a clipboard in his grip, like nothing was ever going to stand in his way.

Fuck.

It was kind of hot seeing him in boss mode, especially since I knew when he was with me, he had very little interest in being in control.

"Places people! Places!" Leo shouted, while cupping either side of his mouth with his hands. Tommy was soon by his side, setting up one of the main cameras. "We're going to need everybody fully focused if we're going to get through this without someone having a slip-and-fall incident! Or freezing to death!"

"If I freeze to death, cremate me, and send my remains to Tati," Diego said, with a grin. "She knows exactly where I want my ashes to be spread."

"Oy, let me guess. Fenway Park?" Chris chimed in.

"How'd you know?"

"Because I want mine spread at Wembley." Chris laughed, and the rest of the guys started to laugh right along with him.

"Hey! I'm not planning on anybody getting cremated!" Leo snapped his fingers. "Chris! Andrew! Stand side by side and look as serious as humanly possible."

Chris and Andrew got into position, and I took a step back from the photoshoot area before I dug my phone out of my pocket. A few seconds later, and I was discreetly holding up the screen, just enough so Parker could get a good look at Leo and the rest of the photographers.

"I don't think I can show you any of the guys, but this should be enough VIP access for you," I murmured.

"Are you kidding me? This is amazing!" Parker's attention was stuck to the screen.

The first bucket splashed red against Chris's and Andrew's serious expressions, coating them in the drink. They kept their composure, as cameras flashed again and again, capturing every little detail.

"Okay! Good! Next shot!" Leo said, as Chris and Andrew were shuttled back into the building, towels covering their heads and torsos. As that happened, Diego got into position, an overzealous smile on his face. A few seconds later, that smile was covered in blue energy drink, some of it landing against his hair. After the photos were finished, Diego was treated to the same shuttling back into the building, as Keith started on his pose.

Except Keith never quite made it to the marked spot on the ground.

"Shit!" Keith shouted, as he fell toward the floor.

"Shit!" Leo shouted, too, as he ran toward him, seemingly trying to break his fall. Instead, Leo fell, too, collapsing right on top of Keith. Things were tense for a moment, as Keith and Leo shared a look between them.

But then, everyone around them broke out into a laugh. Tommy was laughing the loudest, barely able to hold it together. Leo started to laugh as well, as he stood up from the ground. He offered Keith his hand, which Keith eagerly took. He lingered, holding Leo's hand in his, before Leo completely pulled away.

"Okay, that was a great example of what we're trying to prevent here!" Leo joked. "Keith, everybody, let's get back to work."

"Did Keith have you filming the photoshoot, too?" One of the photography assistants I hadn't spoken to before was suddenly standing in front of me, her phone in her grip.

"What?" I was confused by her question. The photoshoot had just finished wrapping up, and I'd put my phone back into my pocket.

"Oh. Sorry." She chuckled. "Keith can be a bit of a diva, so I figured he was trying to get the whole thing from different angles."

"We're allowed to film the photoshoots?"

"Absolutely not." She shook her head. "But I don't think that same rule applies to the people in the photoshoots. And since I'm one of the assistant photographers, I think Keith figured why not have me work as his assistant, too?" She took another step toward me. "Wait. I think I've seen you hanging around Leo before. And didn't you help out with one of the shoots?"

Her face lit up with a smile as she went on. "So, he's the one you're acting as an assistant for. Quick question, is he a nice boss? He seems like he can be a hardass but not in an asshole way?—"

"You think I'm Leo's assistant?"

"I mean, aren't you?" She stared back at me with a knowing expression. "Is this one of those things where you think you're too good to be referred to as an assistant so you're making a big deal out of it?"

"I'm not Leo's assistant."

"Oh my God." She rolled her eyes. "Creative junior assistant. Is that better? Now, are you going to give me the deets about him as a boss or not? Because I love working on photoshoots, but I really feel like PR is where my head's at?—"

"I have to go." It was the last thing I said to her before I walked away from the conversation.

Leo's assistant.

For some reason, the title felt like a wrongful accusation, like she was trying to put a label on me that I'd instantly rejected.

Because I wasn't Leo's assistant.

Because I wasn't Leo's anything.

The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. The phrase lingered, even as I went back into the building, wanting to find Leo and catch up with him.

"Who's Leo?" Parker's voice came from my pocket.

Shit.

Was he still on that video call?

I pulled out my phone, stopping in the middle of a hallway. "No one. You don't need to worry about it?—"

"She said you were hanging around him, right? And did she say you were working as his assistant, too?" Parker laughed. "So, what? You're going to have two jobs now?"

"I'm not Leo's assistant."

"Cool. Then, what's the deal?" Parker smirked. "Come on, Jacob. I've known you way too long. I can tell when you're keeping something from me."

"Fine. But not here." I hastily made my way to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me just as fast.

"Uh, why so secretive, Jacob?" Parker's eyes went wide. "Shit. He's not married or something, is he?"

"What? No!" I leaned against a nearby wall. "It's not like that. It's just…"

"It's just?"

"It's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"He's the one running the photoshoot. All of it was his idea," I started. "And since he's in charge, he doesn't exactly need everyone knowing that we're sleeping together?—"

"You're sleeping together?!" Parker's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "Holy shit!"

"It's not a big deal?—"

"It's a huge deal!" Parker insisted. "Jacob, you've barely slept with the same person more than once in your whole life! You hooking up with someone on a regular basis? This is like watching a man walk on the moon!"

"I take offense to that summary of my love life."

"You can't take offense to the truth, buddy."

"Whatever." I resisted the urge to end the video call right then and there. "I was just trying to get you up to speed, anyway?—"

"Wait." Parker's tone shifted, now much more serious than before.

"Wait, what?"

"What's your boyfriend's last name again?"

"He's not my boyfriend. And his last name is Sullivan."

"Shit." Parker sucked in a breath through his teeth. "I'm pretty sure I just saw your boyfriend's name trending on social media."

"What the hell are you talking about, Parker?"

"When you had me in the darkness of your pocket, I got bored and scrolled through my phone. I saw something trending about Leo Sullivan and Keith Rogers, but Keith is kind of an asshole so I'm not really much of a fan?—"

"Why were they trending?" I pressed. "What's going on, Parker?"

"Hold on." Parker held up a finger as he reached for his laptop. Soon enough, he was holding the screen up to his phone. "Here. See for yourself."

In that same moment, my stomach dropped. There was a photo of Keith and Leo from the photoshoot, when Leo was helping Keith get back up. For a second, it looked like they were holding hands, and of course, his temporary assistant had managed to get the perfect shot.

It didn't help that they'd been laughing, remnants of huge smiles still on each of their faces.

Something worse than jealousy flooded through my veins, the emotion threatening to make me nauseous on the spot. I made the mistake of reading a few of the comments directly under the photo, people chiming into a conversation that should have never existed.

ARE KEITH AND LEO REALLY BACK TOGETHER? #KEITHANDLEO #POWER COUPLE

Omg!!! They look so cute in this photo!!! Holding hands just like the old days!!! #KeithandLeoForever #MyFavesareBACK

Keith might be a player but I always knew he'd go back to Leo… the only one who could ever tame him... #truelovealwayswins

Okay but when are they getting married? I want to see that wedding! Ca$$$h is in the air!

"What the fuck? What the fuck?" I softly murmured. "This can't be fucking happening. That's not even—that's not what happened."

"Yeah, you need to nip this in the bud," Parker said, as he moved his laptop away from his camera.

"Nip this in the bud?"

"If you really like this guy, you need to make a serious move. Something romantic. Something dramatic, preferably."

"Parker, I don't even know if he likes me. Not seriously."

"But you like him seriously, right?"

"I think I might. Shit. Yeah. I think I do." I groaned. "I know I don't like seeing him with his asshole of an ex, that's for sure."

"Then, find a way to do something special for him."

"Special like how?"

"I don't know. That part's up to you." Parker playfully waved toward the camera. "I just know that you've got to do something before he ends up back in that asshole's arms. Because if you don't make a move, it looks like he will."

"Yep. Got it. I'll talk to you later, Parker."

"Talk to you later! Go get your man!" Parker beamed. "And Damon says hi, by the way! He's somewhere around here, keeping the lights on."

"You should probably help him with that." I beamed back. "Or did you forget that you're part of Wild Woods, too?"

"Boo! I'll work when I'm dead!" Parker joked, before he ended the video call.

After that, I took a deep breath and left my bedroom, determined to track down Leo and have a conversation about that awful, awful photo.

Tracking down Leo was harder than I'd expected it to be.

I'd double-backed to the roof, just in case he'd gone back up for some reason, but the place was cleared out by the time I got there. After that, I went to his bedroom, but he wasn't there, either. I casually checked the lobbies, the gym, the bonus room, the Jacuzzi room?—

Halfway through my search, it occurred to me that maybe Leo was hiding from me, sneaking out of rooms as soon as he realized that I'd walked through the door.

Eventually, I'd decided to check Leo's favorite bar, mostly because I was running out of places where he could be. It was still early afternoon, so the bar didn't feel too likely.

Still, I had to give it a try.

"Leo?" I called out his name, as I walked up to the empty bar. "Are you in here?"

Then, I heard a small knock against the bar's frame.

I looked over the side of the bar, to find Leo sitting on the floor, his phone held out in front of him.

"Leo?" I said his name again. "Baby, what are you doing down there?"

"Having a pity party." Leo patted the empty space beside him. "Care to join?"

I settled into place next to him on the floor, one of my arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him close. "What's going on? Is this about the whole trending thing?"

"I made one mistake. One." He closed his eyes as he spoke. "And now, it's going to follow me for the rest of my life."

"One mistake?"

"Keith." Leo blew out a heavy breath. "It doesn't matter how well I'm doing in my career. It doesn't matter if I dedicate the rest of my life to working in PR for struggling non-profits. Everything will always come back to Keith."

"I think he planned the whole thing."

"What?"

"He had one of the assistant photographers filming the photoshoot the whole time," I replied. "I think he faked the fall, just because he knew you'd probably try to help him. Just with your instinct to help people and all."

"What the fuck?" Leo whined. "So, he planned to potentially hurt himself on a photoshoot just to get a picture of us holding-hands-but-not-really?"

"Yeah. That sounds about right."

"What the fuck is his problem?" Leo whined again. "Fuck. He doesn't even like me that much."

"I feel like it's probably the opposite?—"

"I mean, he doesn't like the way I look." Leo cut me off, his tone low. "Remember how I told you he was cheating on me every chance he got?"

"Yeah?"

"Pretty much all of those guys looked like you. Or Diego. Or Chris. Or Andrew." Leo laughed, but it came out broken. "Nothing's changed, you know? I still look the same as I did before. Which means, he still wouldn't be happy with how I look."

Leo looked over at me, as he went on. "I tried. To bulk up. After everything went sideways between us, I wondered if there was something I could do to save it. Isn't that so pathetic? I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me, and I tried to fix it by making myself look prettier for him. Just… completely fucking idiotic."

"You're not an idiot, Leo."

"Sure feels like it to me."

"Look at me," I said, as I gently placed my hand underneath his jaw, forcing his eyes up toward mine. "Do you know what I see when I look at you?"

"A particularly needy sub?"

"I see someone who's been through so much and came out the other side of it, still kicking. I see someone who works so hard every day, just going after their dreams without an ounce of fear. I see someone strong, resilient, capable. Someone who's able to turn dust into glitter and gold."

I leaned toward Leo, until my forehead rested against his. "I see someone who's going to take the world by storm."

"Even if I can't bench press 225 pounds?"

"Even if you can't bench press 225 pounds." I smirked before pressing my lips against his cheek. "How many times do I have to tell you how perfect you look? How beautiful you are?"

"You're just saying that because you want to get in my pants." Leo smirked back.

"Uh, who wouldn't?"

Leo playfully rolled his eyes before he closed the distance between us with a kiss.

"Back off."

It was the middle of the night, and I'd groggily answered my bedroom door after hearing someone knocking on it like a madman. Leo hadn't slept over this time around; he was getting prepared for yet another photoshoot tomorrow. Since he needed to put on his serious game face, I didn't mind the separation.

Even if I was already missing him.

Standing in front of me now was Keith, a look of pure rage on his face as he stared back at me from the hall.

"What?" I unintentionally yawned after hearing his demand. "Sorry? Did you need something from me? Or?"

"I just told you to back off. Officially."

"I don't understand what's happening right now." I shook my head. "Are you trying to call dibs on Leo? You do realize that he's your ex-boyfriend, right?"

"And you realize that I could completely ruin you, if I felt like it, right?" He beamed. "I've been playing nice with you, Jacob Bronson."

"Congrats on learning my last name."

"I don't think you get it." Keith took a step closer toward me. "I'm willing to pay however much money it takes to find out dirt on you. I'm willing to expose you, completely. Whatever you think you have with Leo is going to be done by the time I'm through with you."

"What's your deal, anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious. "You cheat on him throughout your entire relationship and now you want him back? Why? Just so you can hurt him again?"

"I want him back because he's mine." Keith scoffed. "I want him back because we belong together. Or did you not see the pictures from the photoshoot today?"

"The ones you planted in the press? Yeah, I saw them." I tried to sound as dismissive as possible. "Pretty low trying to trick people into believing you're back together."

"What's your deal, Jacob?" Keith looked like he was puffing out his chest, ready for a fight. "Why are you so obsessed with Leo? If he doesn't want me, he sure as hell doesn't want you. You have to know that you're a downgrade?—"

"Goodnight, Keith—" I started to close the door on him.

"I'll fucking destroy you!" Keith yelled, as he stuck his foot in the door, keeping it from closing completely. "You don't get to take what's mine! You don't get to have Leo! Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I'm Jacob Bronson. Remember?" I waved goodbye, before knocking Keith back just enough so that his foot slipped out of the doorway. When it was completely out of sight, I finally slammed the door, a surge of adrenaline running through my veins.

That could've been worse.

I was glad that the situation didn't devolve into a fight, but I was pissed off that Keith thought he had the right to talk to me like that.

To talk to anyone like that.

It pissed me off even more to think of how Keith used to talk to Leo when he was upset, making him feel so small and unwanted. No wonder he could barely believe that he was perfect, barely believe that he deserved something better than someone half-assing their way through a relationship?—

Fuck. I needed to find a way to calm down.

After a few seconds of brainstorming, I hastily made my way to the gym for a late-night workout, pushing my body to the brink as I pushed away thoughts of Keith's bullshit.

I tried to push away thoughts of Leo, too, trying my best to not think about him for the rest of the night.