Page 18 of Wear It Like a Crown

Christ. Joshua couldn’t pretend that Johnson’s betrayal didn’t change things. He needed to talk tosomeone. Figure out his next move.

Quietly, he slid out of Mo’s bed. The air was cool on his bare chest, raised the fine hairs on his arms, and he stood still for a moment to study the way Tristan and Mo were sprawled under the duvet. God, he loved them so much. His brothers. He’d be a mess without them.

But they couldn’t help him with this. Not really.

* * *

Leo woke from his phone vibrating on the bedside table. Blindly he groped for it, his thoughts lagging like lizards in the winter sun as they limped through the following process:

Half one in the morning?

That was two quick buzzes, right? So, text messages. No emergency.

Fuck. Display too bright.

What’s my code again?

Somehow, he managed to gather enough mental presence to unlock his phone and open the message. Which was from the number Leo had saved asBloody Prince Joshua WTF. Okay. Except, what the hell? Leo hadn’t thought they were at the stage in their relationship where it was appropriate to text each other past eight in the evening. Also, uh, anything about relationships needed to stay out of Leo’s answering message.

What did Joshua even want?

Sinking back onto his pillow, Leo raised the phone above his face and squinted to make out the letters, his eyes still adapting to the brightness.

Hi! Sorry, I know this goes beyond your job, but do you think we could talk? What you said about wearing it like a crown?

A second message had followed right after.

I’ll pay for your time! Obviously.

I’ll pay for your time.Thanks, but Leo wasn’t in that business anymore.

Not that Joshua had meant it like that. Ofcoursehe hadn’t, and if Leo hadn’t been so bloody tired, his brain never would have flashed back to a period in his life when “How much?” was an acceptable way to open a conversation. Really, it was quite inconsiderate of Joshua to send his text in the middle of the freaking night instead of waiting for a time when normal people with normal day jobs were actuallyawake. To be fair, normal people also silenced their phones at night, but after that one time Nate had come to fetch Leo for an emergency situation, Leo had disabled the night mode.

Slowly, he lowered the phone and blinked at the shadows that filled the room. Then he rolled out of bed and grabbed a T-shirt off the floor, padding over to the open balcony door. For late May, the night was chilly on his skin. It served to revive his brain.

Why me?

Oh God hope I didn’t wake you.

Joshua replied immediately.

Sorry if I did. Didn’t expect you’d see this before morning.

He sent a second message half a minute later.

And there aren’t many people in my life who are… impartial outsiders I can trust. And you said it’s nothing to be ashamed of. And you know what it’s like, maybe. So.

Yes, Leo did know what it was like. He knew what it was like to risk something and have his optimism backfire; he knew what it was like to hit rock bottom; he knew a lot of things Prince Joshua couldn’t even imagine.

None of them were things Leo was willing to share.

On the other hand, if Leo turned him away… Fuck, hecouldn’t. Joshua had grown up rich, privileged and handsome, but at the heart of it, he was still just a person seeking advice.

Pulling his T-shirt tighter around his body, Leo sucked in a slow breath. All right, he could do this. Sitting down with Joshua for an actual conversation, just the two of them, might even provide Leo with some kind of closure.

Food is my price.

Buy me breakfast tomorrow . Or lunch or whatever fits. Unless James needs me at the office I can work around your agenda.