Page 76 of Seal the Deal
“Where are you going?” Eden asks, moving towards the closet. “And what colors?”
“Just to Nicki’s house for a few days until this blows over. The paparazzi were kind of intense this morning, and Nicki thinks it’s safer if I stay at his place. He's got a lot of security. It won’t be for long. People will get bored quickly. It’s just temporary.”
Temporary boyfriend.
Temporary new home.
Temporary entire life upheaval.
Andrew is going to be sick. He hates temporary, and he hates change, and he hates all of this attention.
“If you need a way out, you know me and Charlie are only a call or a text away.”
“I won’t bother you.”
“And I won’t punch you as long as you never say that again. Get it through that thick skull of yours Andrew, you’re not bugging us.”
The words make sense but they don’t sink in. Andrew has always, always been the one cleaning up everyone else’s shit, making his parents’ lives easier when their jobs were demanding and chaotic, and his brothers needed more than they could give. He isn’t the one who causes chaos or messes. He isn’t the one who is supposed to need things.
“I know a thing or two about deals with men,” Eden says, carrying several of Andrew’s polo shirts to the bed. He lays them down at the end. “If you have any problems.”
“It’s not like that. Nicki just needs someone stable and boring for a thing. He doesn’t want more than that from me, trust me.”
“But you do?”
“What?” Andrew gapes. “No, I don’t—no. You know I don’t do one night stands.”
“I didn’t ask if you want a one night stand,” Eden scoffs. “I asked if you wanted more.”
“That’s irrelevant,” Andrew mumbles, moving to his dresser to take out several pairs of identical, folded khaki pants. He lays them on the bed beside the polo shirts he begins to fold, all while trying not to think about Nicki.
Until this moment, he hadn’t really considered the question. Why would he? Nicki made it clear Andrew isn’t his type in any way, which is fine. It makes things easier. Not having to impress him has allowed Andrew to relax around Nicki in ways he rarely does. It’s just that somehow along the way, he’s begunto see sides of Nicki he didn’t know were there—unexpectedly observant, protective, thoughtful, even if he won’t admit it. He’d make a good boyfriend for the right person.
Andrew King is not that person.
“You are avoiding the question.”
“Can you get me one more polo?” Andrew requests, ignoring Eden’s statement. “The pink one, please.”
Eden sends Andrew a glare so intense he’d be shaking in his boots if he had any. As it is, he’s wearing a pair of several sizes too big, designer slides Nicki let him borrow because Andrew was not about to wear his loafers with a sweat suit. Speaking of which, he looks down at the outfit he’s wearing, wondering if he should change into his own clothes. Nicki probably would like his back. Andrew smooths a hand down his stomach, allowing himself a moment to appreciate the material before he tugs it off and folds it on the bed, moving towards his closet to get dressed in one of his own outfits.
The moment he pulls on his familiar khaki pants and polo shirt, a little of his discomfort eases. His brothers always tease him about wearing the same thing every day, but he’s never been able to explain how the sameness of it offers stability, making it easier to put his mask in place each morning. It’s not just an outfit, it's a uniform—a ‘being a real person’ uniform.
Looking at himself in the mirror over his dresser, he smiles. This is fine. Not everything is different and what is, is only temporary anyway.
At the end of Andrew’s bed, Eden sits perched nervously.
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Eden frowns.
“You were thinking something. Spit it out.”
“Do you like him?”
“That’s a complicated question,” Andrew replies, adding several pairs of socks and underwear to his clothing pile. He’llneed to get a suitcase out of the back of his closet to bring this all to Nicki’s house. Thinking about how many pairs of socks and underwear he needs is a lot easier than thinking about Nicki.
“Alright, I can see that’s the only answer I’m going to get, but do me a favor. If things change, if you do decide you like him, don’t hold back, okay?”
