Page 261 of The Locker Room
Xander had worn his jeans and a polo shirt. The lady herself had gotten
out of the town car and a producer had overseen lights, cameras, and
action—and even a little bit of makeup.
There was not, Xander reflected, enough powder in the world to
make Chris look less pale nor him less tall, but the little army of people
did what they could.
The interview had gone by in a blur. Ms. Walters had been
gracious, warm and… well, oddly invested in them. It had taken most of
the interview before Xander realized that she had known who they were
before he"d come out, and for some reason, that was the most surreal
moment of all.
The Locker Room 227
But mostly, it was uncomfortable, and Chris had been exhausted
afterward, and Xander had woken him up with another nightmare at four
in the morning, sleeping on the couch by his bed.
“Get closer, Xan,” Chris murmured, his voice soft in the dark.
Xander had moved, twisting his long body until his legs were on the
couch and his head and shoulders were on the bed next to the boy who
had captured his heart like cupped hands would capture a butterfly, and
had never, ever clutched him too tight, and never let him go.
Chris"s hand had been soothing, running through his sweaty hair,
and Chris and spoken softly, just like he always did when the scary
monsters came in and devoured his sleep in bloody chunks.
“We"ll have to do something, when I get healed. I don"t care if
you"re on season. Take three days, go away, something. It"s hot outside,
and I can"t stand being inside right now. I want to fly somewhere in the
sun and swim forever, and bake….”
They were already making plans for a big pool to take up some of
the wild space of their running path. It seemed silly with the lake just
down below them, but Chris would need it for physical therapy.
