Page 55 of Stay A Little Longer
Chapter Fifteen
Trent nearly fell off the step he was standing on. He blinked and then blinked again. He wasn’t dreaming. This wasn’t a fantasy. Lance was really walking towards him. The sea of reporters was parting to make room for him, to let him closer, and for once in their godforsaken lives they were quiet as church mice as they watched the scene unfold. It was real. It wasn’t a fantasy but it wasthefantasy.
At least it would have been if he’d ever given it even a moment of consideration.
Lance standing up in front of all these cameras and asking him to stay. Lance outing himself. Claiming Trent. Being here, with him, in this situation instead of running away or hiding.
He’d seen Lance arrive. He hadn’t been waiting for him but he’d known that eventually he would show up here. He’d asked Lemon to tell Shane not to call him in if possible but clearly it had gotten out of hand and they’d needed reinforcements. God knew there were probably a hundred people on the lawn at this point so he wasn’t surprised Lance had come. But he’d told Lemon that it couldn’t wait a moment longer, that he had to go out there and say something before Lance made some sort of scene that he couldn’t take back.
They’d spent a while thinking about what he should say and what he shouldn’t. He thought they’d covered everything nicely. Made the media feel like shit for tracking him down like this. Check. Pointed out that he hadn’t come out by choice but now that he was he wouldn’t back down. Check. Reminding them his personal life wasn’t any of their business? Check. But then the questions had started and that blonde woman seemed to know more than she should.
So he did what he did best. He lied. He’d lied to them. Again. Told them that he wasn’t dating anyone. Which, he supposed wasn’t technically a lie since he and Lance had never been on a real date. And wasn’t that just the saddest realization in the world? They’d never gone out together. Anywhere. And now, facing the end, their short amount of time spent sequestered in Lance’s trailer didn’t feel like nearly enough.
He’d wanted more and then, as if out of a dream, he’d heard Lance’s voice above all the others. Lance’s rough, tough voice drawing the attention of all those reporters to him. Trent hadn’t known whether to cut him off and keep him from saying whatever it was he’d wanted to say or rush towards him and drag him into his arms. In the end, he hadn’t had time for either.
Lance had spoken. Firmly. Clearly. And now he was walking towards Trent with purpose if not a little bit of hesitation.
“Oh my God.” Lemon whisper hissed from behind him.
He ignored her because what was there to say? He was struck speechless. His heart was in his throat, making it impossible to talk. Lance had just done the unbelievable. He’d outed himself. Not just to Trent or to their friends or even to his small hometown. He’d outed himself to the world by asking him to stay and Trent loved him so damn much for being brave that he felt tears well in his eyes and shook his head, trying to shake them away.
Lance stopped walking. The crowd stopped breathing. And Trent figured out a second too late that shaking his head made it look as if he was saying no.
“Oh God… no. I…” He took a step down and then another until he was on the ground, “No. Ask me again. Please. That wasn’t my answer… just ask me again.”
Lance’s handsome features had gone tight with wariness and Trent wanted to kick his own ass for making him hesitate. His dark eyes traced Trent’s face and he licked his lips nervously. Trent took another step forward but didn’t reach for him, scared of spooking him now that he’d already made one misstep.
“If I told you that I love you…” Lance’s voice was quieter now that there was barely a foot between them, “Would you stay a little longer in Fate?”
Trent’s heart spun in his chest, “Tell me and find out.”
Lance’s lips twitched and he would have sworn he muttered something about Trent being a bossy bastard under his breath but he didn’t care. He held his breath. Waiting for the question that was going to change both of their lives forever.
With a deep breath for courage, Lance met his gaze, “I love you, Trent.”
He took the last step forward until mere inches separated them, “And?”
Lance’s eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth, “And… will you stay a little longer in Fate? With me?”
“No.” He watched Lance’s eyes go wide but before he could react further Trent smiled and raised his hands, cupping Lance’s face between them and smoothing his thumbs over his cheekbones, “No, I don’t want to stay in Fate for a little while longer. I want to stay forever, if you’ll have me.”
There was a quick, collective gasp from the crowd gathered around them. Trent smiled. Lance gaped up at him for a long moment. They just stared at each other, like they had so many times over the past few days. Like they both knew how lucky they were to have found one another.
Lance raised his hands finally, gripping Trent’s wrists tightly, “You mean it?”
“I love you too, Lance.” He nodded, “I know it happened fast and I know we have a lot to figure out but… you jumped the biggest hurdle already and I’m ready to run the rest of the race with you. If you’ll let me.”
Because there were cameras and a ton of people watching, Trent wasn’t prepared when Lance all but launched himself into his arms. He caught up with a grunt, steadying them by wrapping an arm around his man, and then lowered his mouth to let Lance have what he wanted.
Lance kissed him right there in public, in the open, with cameras recording every second of their personal moment.
Trent groaned and wrapped him up tighter. God he loved this man. Loved how strong he was. Loved that he was being brave and that from now on they could try to be brave together. He loved the taste of him, the way it felt like coming home and he loved that no matter how crazy it might sound, that’s exactly what coming to Fate had been.
He’d found his home. The place he belonged. The person he belonged with and his soul belonged to.
It was Trent and Lance against the world from here on out.
Vaguely, he heard some cheers erupt around them and he smiled against Lance’s lips. He wanted to cheer right along with them. But more than that, he wanted to get his man alone. Because he didn’t like to share his private life and that’s what Lance was. Not a secret to keep. Not something to hide. But his and his alone. To be protected and cherished and loved.
