Page 83 of Conquest

With the car backed into the parking space, Jesse put it in first gear and eased it forward. He steered toward the garage exit, popped it into second, and hit the street with the tires squealing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Evan! It’s coming back on!” Brandon yelled from the family room.

Evan rushed out of the kitchen carrying three bottles of Guinness and two bags of potato chips. He headed for the couch, dropped one bag into JJ’s lap, and squeezed between Brandon and the coffee table. Brandon went immobile at having Evan’s crotch at eye level. Evan swallowed down a laugh, sat beside him, and focused his attention on the TV where Jesse sat next to the VJ for VH1 with Kenny on his right, Julian and Trish behind him.

“I think he’s handled himself pretty damn good, if you ask me,” JJ said. “Especially considering the mob outside the studio and all the girlies screaming for five minutes straight when he walked on stage.”

Evan ripped open the bag of barbeque flavored chips. “For all the coaching Greg and I gave him and the small interviews he’s done, this is nothing for him.”

An indiscernible grumble rumbled in Brandon’s throat.

Evan looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“You can give him all the PR training you want, but it won’t change the fact that sooner or later, his old habit of speaking without thinking is going to surface. It’s just the way he is.”

Evan turned his eyes back to the TV. What Brandon said was true, but so far with the questions he’d been getting drilled with, Jesse answered like a seasoned performer. Most were about his music and the history of Conquest, no one tried digging into his personal life yet, but he knew if they did, Jesse could handle it. They talked about it after the incident with Greg, and even though neither of them was thrilled with the idea of keeping their relationship a secret, they agreed that it was the best thing for now.

In truth, he hated having to stay quiet about it. If he had it his way, he would have gone with him to New York and made out with him in the middle of Times Square for all the world to see, but he had Jesse’s career to think about. He held no concerns for his own. If he did come out to the public, he was confident his career was strong enough to rebound, and if he was wrong and it did break his career, then so be it. But Jesse was just getting going, and it was hard enough in the music business to reach the level he wanted without having stigmas surrounding his sexuality holding him back.

For now, keeping their relationship a secret seemed the only way to go. They knew they were together and they loved each other, and that’s what really mattered. Though, at this moment when he had to sit and watch thousands of fans crying out their love and devotion to Jesse, it made him want to throw their decision out the window.

He knew it was to be expected. “Euphoria” hit Number One on Billboard and was iTunes most downloaded single within two weeks after it came out. Conquest debuted at Number One and dominated retail sales and Internet downloads. Evan gazed at Jesse as the camera zoomed in on him laughing. The love the camera showed him was only surpassed by his army of new fans.

Evan knew thousands of people were looking at Jesse, admiring him. He couldn’t fight down the jealously that rose in him and wondered if he really would be able to handle not telling the world that Jesse was his. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the interview.

“So, Jesse,” the VJ said, “I think not only did our sound guy have a heart attack trying to balance out all the screaming girls, but half of New York is deaf now. I guess you’re a little popular with the ladies, huh?”

Jesse laughed softly. “No, not really. Kenny’s a lot more of a ladies’ man than me.”

“Oh yeah?” The VJ craned around Jesse to look at Kenny. “You got a girlfriend, man?”

“Not right now, but I’m looking for a few,” Kenny said.

The studio audience erupted with girls volunteering for the position.

The VJ turned back to Jesse. “Let me ask you this and see if I can make a few thousand girls jump for joy or break all their hearts. Are you seeing anyone right now?”

“I am. I’ve been in a serious relationship for four months now.”

Evan froze with a potato chip halfway to his mouth.

“Four months, wow,” the VJ said. “Then I guess that means the buzz starting around you is either crap, or it’s true.”

“I didn’t think I’ve been around long enough for there to be a buzz about me. What is it?”

“Well, you know everybody’s hyped that Evan Arden is working on a new album, and it’s said you and him recorded in the same studio, and there’s a few folks out there saying you guys are a little closer than friends.”

“It’s true that he and I are working in the same studio, and it’s also true I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t for him. He’s my best friend and I love him dearly. And people can say and think what they want about me. I’m confidant enough in who I am to not be bothered by it.”

A few people clapped in positive response, but it seemed shock dominated most.

The VJ slapped his hand down on Jesse’s shoulder. “Well, I don’t have much of a response for that, except stay with us, because after the break we’ll be talking about…”

Evan fell back against the couch, staring blankly at the TV, his ears no longer hearing what came from it. “He said he loves me, on national TV.”

Brandon looked at him, his mouth still hanging open. He started to say something, stopped, thought, and began again. “Yeah, but, there are a lot of different kinds of love, and he said you were his best friend right before that, so of course he would love his best friend.”