Page 130 of Men in Shorts

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. This meeting never happened.” He stood quickly, resisting the weird urge to thank Evan for harvesting his secrets. “Goodbye.”

Andrew stalked toward the exit, catching his arm in the sleeve of his coat as he hurried to put it on. He felt more exposed now than ever. He’d sought out this man for understanding, and for tips on how to get back to normal. Evan had given him both in spades, but was any of it real?

As he tugged his scarf tight, then tighter still, it took all his self-control not to sprint out of the building, away from Evan’s knowing eyes. Whatever was wrong with Andrew, he’d sort it himself. He’d find a way.

And until then, he’d simply pretend.

Chapter12

There may have been an upside,Colin now realized, to being trapped in Andrew’s flat for all those weeks. During his recovery, he and Andrew could forget they came from two different worlds. During the Cocoon Days, they were just two men in love.

Now, surrounded by the posh set at this upscale Covent Garden restaurant, Colin was continuously reminded of the chasm between them. Every time he opened his mouth to greet one of Andrew’s friends or eat a peculiar food, it was clear he was just a Glasgow hooligan in borrowed Armani.

“Felicity, you look amazing!”

Colin hung back as Andrew embraced the book launch’s guest of honor, a tall woman with a silky blond bob and a sleeveless blue dress that highlighted her extreme fitness level.

“Thank yousomuch for coming, Drew.” The reality-show host squealed when she saw Colin. “Ooh, it’s your famous beau!”

“The one and only.” Andrew made the introductions, sweeping his glass of red wine between them. “It’s his first time amongst this madding crowd, so be gentle.”

“Don’t let him frighten you,” she said to Colin. “We’re perfectly normal.”

Then I definitely won’t fit in.Colin untied his tongue enough to blurt, “Congratulations on your book!”

After a half-second pause—perhaps to decipher his accent—Felicity beamed and thanked him. The three of them then chatted for a few minutes about the recipes Andrew had used to “facilitate Colin’s recuperation.”

When she moved off to greet another guest, Andrew whispered, “Thanks for not mentioning all the takeaway curries and fish suppers I fed you during exams.”

Colin snickered. “Talking of uni, are you skiving off tomorrow morning’s lectures? We’ll not be back in Glasgow till at least noon.”

Andrew’s face pinched. “It’s fine. I’ll get notes from a classmate.” He lifted his wine glass as if to sip, then muttered a soft curse when he saw it was empty. “Come on, let’s try one of Felicity’s specialty drinks. I hear there’s an amazing gin cocktail with rhubarb and fennel.”

Colin scowled, but followed dutifully. He’d lost track of how many drinks Andrew had had since they’d left Glasgow, between the train ride to London and the first hour of this party. He longed to join Andrew’s bender—booze would make mingling a lot easier—but between Colin’s nerves and the fancy food, his stomach was warning him against anything stronger than seltzer water.

On their way to the bar, Andrew was greeted every ten feet by another prominent, polished person, some minor celebrity or London socialite Colin sensed he should’ve recognized. He forced smiles for countless selfies until his cheeks hurt from the effort, all while feeling guilty for having crippled his boyfriend’s social life for so long. Clearly Andrew’s presence here was an event in itself.

When they finally found a moment alone, Andrew turned to him and asked, “Is this party really so awful?” His cajoling tone didn’t match the piercing look in his eyes.

Colin shrugged. “The food’s good, though half the time I don’t know what I’m eating.”

Andrew frowned, no doubt noticing Colin hadn’t said he was enjoying the company. “I know some of these people are pretentious, but they’re just human beings. Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Colin snapped.

“Then why can’t you say more than one sentence to each of them? You’re usually so gregarious.”

Only with regular people.“I’m out of practice.”

“So am I, but?—”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“Never.” Andrew placed a hand on Colin’s chest as if to soothe him. “I simply want you to be happy.” The dig of his fingertips through Colin’s shirt belied his words.

“You want me to fit in with this crowd, and I—” Colin cut himself off, refusing to sayI can’t.“I’ll try harder.”

“Thank you.” Andrew’s touch turned soft as he cupped Colin’s jaw. “I’d be proud to take you anywhere.”

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