Page 84 of If the World Was Ending

“We need a toast for the cast,” Marc announced, holding up his drink and pointing it at the bartender. “Tequila shots for everyone here.”

“I was just going to head out,” Hunter said.

Chris stepped closer. “Kiss her.”

“What?” Hunter hissed.

“There are network folks staring quizzically at you and your roommate.” The way he said "roommate" had the hair on the back of his neck stand up abruptly. He locked eyes with Chris and instantly realized he knew. About Colby. “So take the fucking shot and then kiss your costar.”

The bartender lined up glasses on the bar and started pouring tequila. Chris started handing them out. “I’ll let you throw this away if that’s what you want, after all the struggle it took to get here,” Chris whispered fiercely as he handed Colby a shot and turned to look at him. “You want that for him? Because you two are not fucking subtle.”

“To Platonic Planet!” Marc announced loudly, drawing the attention of the room if they weren’t already looking. “To the talented cast about to make history! May this be the beginning of all your dreams coming true.”

Everyone held up their shot glasses, and Hunter glanced over at Colby, who was pale and looked panicked, which was something Hunter had never seen on his face before. It made the situation all the more real. Fuck. Were they really going to fuck this all up before they even got to enjoy it?

Everyone downed their shots. Mikayla, who was hanging off him with an arm wrapped around his shoulder, reached over and grabbed a lime wedge the bartender had placed in a metal shot glass on the bar. She bit into one and shivered against his side. Her big, beautiful eyes squinted. “Your turn.”

She took the second lime wedge and placed it, flesh side out, between her teeth. Marc whistled. Hunter felt his skin heat. Chris glared at him, imploring him to play along. He wanted to look at Colby but knew he couldn’t. He heard him, though. A soft, resigned, “Do it.”

So Hunter did it. He wrapped an arm around her waist, leaned in, and bit the lime, their lips crashing together at the same time. Laughter and applause came from around the room. Hunter suddenly wanted to puke, but as he pulled away, he forced a smile onto his face and let a laughing Mikayla wipe his lips with the pad of her thumb.

“On that happy note, we’re heading out,” Chris said casually, like he wasn’t just hissing commands into Hunter’s ear a second ago. “How about you all?”

“I should get home. I have a meeting with the label tomorrow,” Colby mumbled.

“I need to go too,” Hunter said, and Mikayla looped her arm through his as he stepped away from the bar.

“We’ll share the car back to the hotel, right?”

“Yeah. Of course.” Hunter did have to go back to the hotel where he’d gotten ready. The network had booked the room for him, but he had intended to grab his stuff and go back to his apartment. And be with Colby. “See you soon.”

Colby nodded, his eyes never leaving the floor as he walked ahead of the group out of the restaurant. There were a few photographers out there, but they ignored Colby and yelled for Mikayla and Chris as he walked out behind them. And him. Suddenly, paparazzi were calling his name. What world was this?

None of them stopped, though. Chris and Marc got into their waiting SUV, and Mikayla and Hunter got into theirs. As soon as it started to move, Mikayla tipped her head back on the leather headrest and sighed. “Sorry. Chris made me do that without asking.”

“He was looking out for me.”

“So are you dating him? Colby?” Mikayla asked bluntly. There was a privacy screen between the front and the back of the car, so the driver wasn’t listening, but Hunter glanced his way anyway.

“No.”

“But he’s more than just your roommate, isn’t he?” Mikayla asked softly. “You can trust me with the truth, by the way. I’m all for people finding happiness wherever they can get it, especially in this industry.”

Hunter nodded again. “We’ve… yeah. And he’s my best friend, but yeah, he’s been more.”

Mikayla smiled softly and studied him with gentle eyes. “So, Chris wasn’t wrong. I thought he was dating Hannah Wolfe?”

“That’s what you’re supposed to think.” Hunter watched the streets of Los Angeles blur by. “We know it can’t become a thing.”

“Baby…” Mikayla reached across to take his hand in hers. “Seems like it already has become a thing.”

Hunter shook his head as his heart seized painfully. “It can’t. We both know that. And it’s not like…”

He didn’t finish that sentence because it was exactly like that. In his heart, Hunter’s feelings for Colby were real. And intense. And deep. And he was fucked.

Back at the hotel as the elevator climbed toward their floor—they were both on twelve—Hunter opened social media and was bombarded by a bunch of stuff about the LA premiere. Mikayla was on her phone too, and she gasped. “We’re number one. On the site! People are watching!”

Hunter felt a surge of excited relief.