Page 65 of Perfect Night

“Brandon. It’s been a while.”

So this was Brandon. To be fair, the guy was objectively gorgeous. He looked older than Sebastian, but not by the ten-year age gap he was aware of. Brandon looked distinguished in his tuxedo with salt-and-pepper hair. He was built like a line-backer, and yes, Charlie knew what one of them was. Sport porn was his favourite, after office porn, of course. Brandon had his arm round a twink who looked terrified and out of place.

“And who’s this?” he gestured towards Charlie. “Young for you, isn’t he?”

“This is my boyfriend, Charlie.”

“And how much is he charging you for the night?”

Charlie felt his cheeks go bright red. Did Brandon know something? He didn’t want him to cause a scene at this event. Sebastian squeezed his hand, providing comfort. The twink was introduced as Brandon’s fiancé. He made a point of showing the ring he was wearing, talking about it being custom-made. Charlie wondered why Sebastian was being polite. There was no etiquette which said you had to be nice to your ex, especially when they were an arsehole. Maybe it was an American thing.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Brandon?” said Bex, who was flanked by Martin and Deacon.

“Rebecca. Always a pleasure.”

“Well, the feeling’s not mutual. Sebastian, I need you for something.”

Everyone knew she was playing big sister to get him away. Charlie was now certain Sebastian’s relationship with Brandon had been abusive, but it was still his story to tell. It was something Charlie would never push him on.

“Are you okay?” he asked Sebastian once they were away from Brandon.

“Yeah, it was just a surprise to see him here. I was looking out for Henry, not him.”

“When did you last see him?”

“Ten years ago, when we broke up.”

“Understandable for it to be a shock. Let’s get you another drink.”

He nodded, and Charlie dragged him to the bar. With Charlie taking the lead, he had to push his way through the crowd. He didn’t have the same magic powers as Sebastian did.

Once they had fresh drinks, Sebastian seemed to relax a bit. Charlie nipped to the bathroom, leaving Sebatian with the others. Deacon looked like a guy who could look after himself should Brandon cause any trouble.

What he wasn’t expecting was to come out of the toilet cubicle and see Brandon’s twink crying by the sink. It was none of his business, but he couldn’t just ignore him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The twink jumped in surprise that someone else was there. A flash of recognition went across his face, but he said nothing.

“I’m fine, thanks. I just needed a minute.”

“Do you want me to get someone for you?”

“No, please don’t do that.” He sounded terrified.

Charlie knew he should leave and not get involved. But the guy didn’t know him or Sebastian. Charlie had no personal grudge against him.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“It’s Hunter. You’re Charlie, right?”

Charlie nodded, wondering how best to approach this. Hunter was upset about something, and he was sure it was Brandon. He put a comforting hand on Hunter’s shoulder, who jumped back like he’d been electrocuted.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

That was when Charlie noticed Hunter was wincing in pain.

“Has someone hurt you?”

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