Page 38 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

“My mom used to be a bartender,” Julien explained when he noticed Tyler staring at him. “If you like martinis, you like gin, right? You use juniper shampoo, too, and you don’t drink pop but do drink tonic water. Plus, I know you like the flavor of orange. I think you’ll like this.”

Tyler blinked a few times, astonished. The realization that Julien noticed all of those details about him was such a shock that he didn’t even realize he was staring with his mouth open until the bartender slid their drinks in front of them. “I…yeah. Thatsounds good.”

Itwasgood. Tyler took a few sips and allowed the bite from the gin to settle before he spoke. “We should probably walk around a bit. We don’t want to seem as though we’re just here for the booze.”

“I am just here for the booze,” Julien said.

Tyler bumped against him. “Yes, but we don’t want tolooklike it.”

Tyler had lived in Pittsburgh for almost six years and only saw these people over Christmas. They might have known him by sight, but they only knew him as Hailey’s twin brother or Connie and Jim’s son.

Tonight, he didn’t have to trail aimlessly after his mother or his sisters. Instead, he walked around with his gorgeous boyfriend. Tyler caught more than one person glance at Julien’s way, and he couldn’t blame them.

He was total eye candy. But he was Tyler’s. At least right now, even if he wasn’t actually. Tyler couldn’t help but feel pride knowing that people were probably jealous of how sexy his boyfriend was.

They began a slow circle of the room and exited from the table-lined ballroom and into the hall, which was set up as a silent auction. There were various wreaths, fully decorated trees, and other displays to bid on, with the proceeds going to charity.

Julien stopped in front of one particular piece and grimaced. “It’s awful,” he said. He had to lean in close so Tyler could hear him without the other people around them overhearing.

Itwasawful. Fluffed pine branches twisted to resemble a giant rooster, with splashes of red holly berries positioned on the top to make up the comb.

“You don’t want a Christmas cock on your door?” Tyler asked in mock surprise.

Julien tilted his head back and shook his head. “Actually, when you put it like that…”

Tyler stepped forward and wrote a bid on the sheet. “Maybe we’ll win it. It’ll be your Christmas present.”

“You just want to be able to say that you got me a big cock for Christmas,”Julien said.

Tyler grinned, his previous apprehension about earlier evaporated. If they could joke this way, maybe Julien didn’t think it was a big deal. It wouldn’t be the first time Tyler blew something entirely out of proportion.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder before Tyler could formulate a flirtatious response, which was not his forte.

He turned around and smiled when he spotted Mrs. Sanchez.

“Hello, Mrs. Sanchez.”

The woman was in her seventies and wore a black glittering pantsuit. Her gray hair was toned with blue, but whoever her stylist was had done her dirty because, in this lighting, the hair did indeed look purple.

“Oh, Tyler, sweetie, you look so grown up. I talked to your mother. She said you brought a date this year. Is this him?”

Julien’s eyes were focused on the woman’s hair, but he seemed to realize he was being spoken about and smiled. “Hey.”

“Yes, this is Julien, my boyfriend,” Tyler said. “Julien, this is Mrs. Sanchez, a friend of my parents.”

“Nice to meet you, Julien. I see you were admiring my rooster.” She gestured to the wreath Tyler had bid on.

Tyler could not meet Julien’s eye because he knew if he did, he would laugh. “Wow! You made that?” He bit his cheek as hard as he could.

“I did. I think it is some of my finest work. It was such a hassle.” She leaned in as she spoke. Tyler could smell her lipstick’s waxy scent mingled with the intense aroma of rose perfume. “You know, I just had surgery on my bunions. But I couldn’t do nothing. Luckily, my grandson, you remember James, right? He is gay like you are. Well, he was around to help take care of me.”

Tyler tried not to wince at her oversharing. He wondered how long he would have to endure this woman’s conversation. “That’s nice of him.” At least the urge to giggle had subsided.

“It’s a shame you and he never hit it off. I think you would have made a nice couple,” Mrs. Sanchez told him.

Tyler had once gone out on a date with James, who was boring and stuffy. Though, he thankfully had a lot more tact than his grandmother. It amounted toapproximately nothing, but Tyler still could not believe she was talking about that in front of his boyfriend.

Tyler fake laughed and nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure we would have. Tell him I said, hi, alright?” he said. “I have to go find my sister.”

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