Page 89 of Hard Count
Piper waited.
“I’m going to need to remember this night as something other than the night you read me a press release about your secret life.”
Piper took his time. After a second, Noah stood up.
“You need to leave. Jayson can’t know you are here.”
Piper pulled Noah to the door. “I need you safe, Noah.” Piper’s eyes filled with tears. He could not remember the last time he cried, maybe it was the first time he sawThe Bodyguard, he couldn’t remember.
Noah kissed him, “I’m not leaving Piper. Jayson can go fuck himself. I’m not afraid of him. He can’t own you. He can’t own my beautiful, messy, unusual, piece of fucking work boyfriend!” Tears streamed down Noah’s face.
“One last night together. Then we are rivals again,” Piper replied, unable to control his own tears.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Los Angeles
Piper knew he needed to make a move but could not fathom the potential outcomes. He just opened the door.
Noah crossed the kitchen.
He kept quiet. He didn’t reach for Piper right away. Piper didn’t back up.
Joan, this has to be the last fuck. Promise me this is the last fuck. Piper’s mind raced as he looked deeply into Noah’s eyes.
Noah put his hand on Piper’s cheek, his thumb pressing inside Piper’s mouth.
Piper sucked on Noah’s thumb.
They did not go upstairs right away.
Noah stepped back and looked at him, before walking past him into the living room. Piper followed.
“Play something,” Piper said with a smile.
“What.”
“Anything. We can’t have the house this fucking quiet.”
Noah picked up his phone.
He connected his Spotify to the sound system, and pressed play.Angel of Mineby Monica.
The first bar started low, and filled the room.
Noah looked at him across the room. Piper smiled back, and knew exactly what Noah was doing.
It was the first softness either of them had shown since he had walked in. Piper felt something in his chest loosen, and then tighten. “You like this song? It’s a classic,” Noah said.
“Yeah, of course I do.”
They stood there consumed by the opening bars of the song.
Then Noah nodded in the direction of the bedroom.
Piper’s bedroom was dark. He hadn’t turned the lights on when he came up after practice. Neither of them turned them onnow. The light from the hallway fell through the door in a soft band across the floor and Noah stopped at the foot of the bed and Piper stopped behind him, and for a second the only thing either of them did was breathe. Noah turned around.
“Say you want this.”
“I want this.”
