Page 10 of Wear It Like a Crown

“Thanks, that would be helpful.”

“Okay.” Hesitating, Joshua wondered whether there was anything else, but he couldn’t think of a reason to keep Leo on the line anylonger. Leo had things to do anyway, and Mo was studying Joshua with an amused quirk to his mouth, wiggling his naked toes against Joshua’s thigh.

“So, I’ll call you if there’s news,” Leo said.

“Yes, please. And I’ll send you that list.” Joshua squeezed Mo’s ankle before he reached for his beer, the bottle damp and cool against his palm. “You can call me anytime, okay? If you find something, please let me know right away?”

“You say ‘please’ a lot,” Leo remarked, a glint of amusement to his voice. It was hard to tell whether it was criticism or a roundabout compliment, so Joshua went for a neutral tone.

“I wasn’t raised by wolves.”

“If you had been, I’d have asked for pictures. Talk to you later, Princeling.” Again, Leo laughed quietly, and Joshua couldn’t tell whether it was at or with him.

“Yes. Later.” Another moment passed, then the connection was cut off, and Joshua lowered the phone, staring at it for a beat.Princeling. Huh. Leo was so… weird. Yes, weird. A confusing mix of cheeky and withdrawn, professional, dismissive and approachable; a whole world of adjectives to describe a person Joshua had only just met.

“If a guy calls mePrinceling…”—Joshua gave Mo a sideways glance and paused to sip at his beer—“is he flirting with me? Or would you consider it an insult? Like, the historical context is nasty, but I don’t think… I don’t think he means it like that? More like little prince, or something?”

“Depends.” Mo poked Joshua’s thigh once more, for good measure, then tucked his cold toes in against the back of Joshua’s knee. “Could be teasing, could be flirting, could be derogatory. I mean, Tristan and I call you that when you act all posh around us.”

“You’ve known me for ages, though.”

“How long’ve you known this one, then?”

“Met him this morning. He’s part of James Boyle’s team.” Joshua slid a fingernail under the label on the bottle, began peeling off one corner as he continued. “We didn’t have the best start since he’s not a fan of… being born into privilege, is how he put it. But I think we have a truce now. Sort of friendly.”

“Sounded friendly enough to me, from what I heard.” Mo took a long pull of his beer and slid further into the cushions, his ratty, paint-splattered top rucking up over his stomach. Even so, his high cheekbones and classically beautiful face made him look more like a fairy-tale prince than Joshua did on his best days.

“He gay?” Mo asked into Joshua’s thoughts.

“Yes. Out and proud.” Joshua shrugged one shoulder and looked away, at the enormous telly they had yet to turn on. “He thinks I’m a coward for hiding.”

“You’re not a coward,” Mo said, suddenly harsh. “Don’t let anyone call you that, J. That’s noton. It’d be harder for you than it would be for most.” He frowned, touching Joshua’s elbow. “It’s not the same. Like, for me, it’s not that tough, you know? First shot I did for Lagerfeld was all dripping with homoerotic tension, and if I officially come out as bi, no one will give a shit after the first excitement blows over.”

“Are you thinking about it?” Joshua asked.

“At some point. I’m not in a hurry. It’s not like there aren’t rumours already.” Mo paused before he went on, quiet and gentle. “For you, it’d be different. It’d come up again, and again, and again. It’d be tough, given the public interest in your life.”

“Yeah. That’s definitely part of it.” Joshua exhaled on a sigh before he tilted sideways, into Mo’s solid support.

Now that Joshua thought about it, they’d never really talked about the topic in any detail. Like Tristan, Mo had always seemed to get it without Joshua needing to squirm through an explanation. The closest they’d ever come to a discussion was probably after the first time they’d ended up in bed, and Joshua had felt incredibly awkward when he’d said, “You know, though, that it’s not, like… I’m not looking to date anyone. Like, a guy. Our friendship’s great, and I don’t want things to get messy just because—this is good, yeah?”

Mo had thrown his head back and laughed around his cigarette, slinging an easy arm around Joshua’s naked waist. “Don’t worry, babe. This was fun, but I’m not looking to become your princess. Think we’re both a bit young to settle down, yeah? Friends first, rest’s a nice bonus.”

And that had been that. Mo had gone through a string of lovers,with Joshua as a recurring one, and Joshua had gone through Mo. It worked for them.

“I love you a lot,” Joshua said, apropos of nothing, and Mo laughed into his hair.

“Same, Curly. You’re my very favourite royal.”

“Don’t let Emma hear you say that,” Joshua advised.

“Far be it from me to offend your lovely and, frankly, scary sister.”

Joshua took another sip of beer, the liquid cool and bitter on his tongue, before he tucked himself further in against Mo’s side. “You know the whole… public scrutiny thing is not the only reason, right?”

Mo’s attempt at an answer was cut off by the doorbell. “Hold that thought,” he said, winding himself out from under Joshua’s weight. Joshua’s disgruntled noise and grabby hands were rewarded with a flick on the nose, then Mo left the room to buzz up either Tristan or the pizza delivery person.

Joshua took the opportunity to type up the list for Leo. By the time he sent it off, there was a mix of voices drifting in from the stairway—it seemed as though their food had arrived at the same time as Tristan and was now getting the bodyguard stamp of approval from Johnson. Hopefully, Mo would tip the poor delivery guy well.