Page 89 of Ambiguous
Jules pales.
“What boys’ home?” I ask before I can stop myself.
A look passes between Jules and Colin, and then Jules says, “It’s not public knowledge, but our mum died of cancer when I was thirteen and Col was eleven.”
My face falls. “I’m so sorry.” I realize I know little about Jules’s background, though he’s mentioned his mother in passing. His wiki page just said he was born in London and came to fame by being on a televised talent show where the host put him together with other boys to form a band.
“Thank you,” Jules says. “Our dad was never in the picture, and we didn’t have any other family. So we were in what you would call a group home until I got on the show and started making money.”
“He got on. I didn’t.” Colin’s sour expression tells me his light words are a front covering deep hurt.
I look at him in sympathy. “I’m so sorry.” I’m not sure whether he’d want Jules to have told me, so I leave it at that.
He snorts. “Julian isn’t the only Hill with talent. They don’t report the people who try out and don’t make it.”
I’m a bit surprised the show didn’t want them as a package deal. Singing brothers seems like a good marketing angle. But I don’t want to push such a sticky subject. So after taking a few more bites, I switch the conversation to safer topics like the balmy Southern California weather compared to London. I talk about turning on the air-conditioning on Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house every year when I was a child, so we could have a fire, and seeing all the sweaters in the stores and knowing they’ll mostly go to waste.
Colin seems particularly interested in me—and who my grandfather is.
Something about him makes me not trust him entirely. I’m not sure what it is.
After we eat, we go outside to watch the sunset. Jules stands close to me, his hand low on my back, almost inside the waistband of the pants I’m wearing.
Colin follows us out, holding his phone. “You two make a cute couple. How long have you been dating?”
Jules and I grin at each other. “Since today.”
“No shit?”
“No shit,” Jules says. “We had reasons not to, but those have gone away.” Jules puts an arm over my shoulder. “Sam had work reasons for us not to be together, but they’re all resolved now.” He boops my nose. “And in the category of good things we do that no one ever sees, we didn’t get together until today. We were perfectly ethical. Mostly.”
“Mostly,” I agree.
“What does that mean?” Colin asks.
“We waited until I turned in my album to…” Jules rubs his face.
Colin chuckles, but it’s interrupted by a yawn.
“I’ve been linked with someone else,” I say. “But that was just for the cameras. So, if you see something online that says I have a boyfriend, I don’t. It’s just Jules.”
Colin nods. “Interesting. Why did you do that?”
“My grandfather’s campaign. You can’t believe everything you read.”
“Don’t I know it,” he says. He glances at his phone. “I’d best be headed to bed. Talk to you later.”
After he leaves, I find myself yawning, too. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Julian says. “It’s late. Want to sleep here?” He leans in, biting his lip.
It makes me smile. “I can’t. I need to get to work early tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he says, and kisses my forehead lightly. “You can wear that home if you want.”
I look at him. “How often is your brother here?”
“All the time, for now.” He sighs. “But he’s my responsibility.” I want to ask what he means, but he keeps going. “We’ve been lucky that we’ve had some privacy. I don’t feel like I get much of that these days. It’s my most precious commodity.”
