Fic: I'll Be Waiting | Part 8 of 10
Title: I’ll Be Waiting
Rating: NC-17
Links to other parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
**
Kris’s breathing got choppy when he saw John head down the aisle with Adam right behind him. Adam’s bright blue eyes were taking in the restaurant as he chatted with John, and Kris was pleasantly surprised that he hadn’t had his sunglasses on. Despite everything that happened, he missed him on an innate level that he didn’t realize until he saw Adam again. He had gotten the glimpse of the real Adam, and liked it. It just sucked that he didn’t get the chance to see more.
He had to admit, he enjoyed seeing Adam uneasy and uncomfortable in this environment. They were on his turf, a non-celebrity, non-Hollywood environment. Kris was pretty sure John had told his staff to play it cool, and the location of the booth pretty much ensured they had their privacy. None of the tabloids or gossips columns would know about this meeting, it would be as if it never happened.
It felt good to tease Adam into getting the cheeseburger, as it led the way from the uneasy and stilted conversation to the easy banter as they had their meal. When Anna came by asking if they wanted dessert, Kris again joked and taunted Adam, okay kind of bullied him, into getting the fried donuts to share.
“You’re killing me. You do realize this, right?” Adam groaned as the bowl of giant fried donut holes covered in sugar and cinnamon was placed in between them.
Kris speared a donut with his fork and dropped it onto his plate, carefully drizzling melted chocolate over it. “You know you want some.” He then poured some of the raspberry syrup in a random pattern alongside the excess chocolate.
“Killing. Me.” Adam said stubbornly, not touching anything around him.
Cutting into the fried pastry, Kris held up the fork, careful to not let the dark pink and brown liquid drip off. He put the donut near Adam’s mouth, turning the fork so that the raspberry and chocolate stuck.
“Say ahhh.”
Adam narrowed his eyes, but eventually opened his mouth as Kris pushed the donut in carefully...at first…then twisted the fork around. He pulled the fork back and cracked up, not sorry for the mess he made around Adam’s mouth.
“Not funny, Allen,” Adam groused while he wiped the excess sugar and sticky goo.
“It kind of is,” Kris said in between laughing and breathing. “The look on your face, man.” Kris bent over and cackled out a laugh.
“You need to learn how to feed people.”
“Oh, no,” Kris shook his head. “You need to learn how to feed yourself,” he said stabbing then eating the rest of the donut on his plate. “How could you not want to try this?” he muffled with his mouth full.
Adam scrunched his face, “That’s disgusting.”
“What? This?” Kris asked as he stuck out his tongue.
“You’re seriously 12 aren’t you?”
Kris shook his head, “16, actually. Just got my license and a cool car.”
Adam shook his head. “I’m going to the restroom to clean up.”
“Don’t throw up! That was some good fried shit there.”
Adam threw up his middle finger as he walked away.
John laughed as he approached the table, “Things going well then?”
Kris pushed his plate away, “Yeah, I guess.”
“Didn’t know you were all fancy-schmancy with the Hollywood friends there,” John replied as he stacked the used plates.
Shrugging, Kris played with his napkin, “Long story.”
John nodded, “Well, you know if you need to get away from the hubbub where to come for a good meal and discretion.”
Kris smiled at his friend, “Means a lot John, thanks.” He pulled out his credit card, “Let me take care of this before he gets back.”
“Drinks and dessert on the house,” John said taking the card. “Good to see you smiling again, Kris.” He handed the empty plates to the busboy waiting behind him discretely. “I’ll get this all set before he comes out.”
Kris nodded and thought back over the last year. It had been a crazy year, a year since Adam burst into his life. For John to say it was good to see him smile…did that mean his unhappiness and discontent showed that much to others? He thought he had it contained and hidden. The last time people around him commented at his happiness was…damn.
“You okay?” Adam asked sliding back into the booth. “You were in some serious deep thought there.”
“I’m fine, just…random thoughts,” Kris answered. He smiled and took the check from Anna.
“Oh, hey, let me get that,” Adam said reaching over.
“It’s done slow-poke. Don’t pretend you didn’t go to the bathroom to get out of paying,” Kris joked signing the receipts and slipping his credit card back into his wallet.
“Hey now,” Adam protested.
“My treat,” Kris said.
“Well, thank you.”
“Um, you parked downstairs?” Kris asked getting up.
Nodding, Adam slid back out, “Level three. You?”
“Same.”
**
As they got off the escalator at level three, Adam headed towards the left exit door, Kris following him.
“Where are you parked?”
“Right there,” Kris said, pointing to a sleek gray BMW 3-series sedan. “But apparently some ass doesn’t know about personal car space.”
“Wow,” Adam whistled. “Got yourself a new ride.”
“Yeah,” Kris laughed as they walked towards it. “Figured it was time to get rid of the Ford.” Kris looked around, “Where are you parked?”
“Uh…funny thing,” Adam chuckled and he pulled out his keys. The sound of the alarm beeped, coming from the black Jaguar XK convertible next to Kris’s car. “I guess I’m the ass.”
Kris held in a laugh and tried to hold his blush at bay, “Wow, um. Sorry.” He approached the car, “Nice.”
Adam shrugged as they stood side-by-side, facing each other in the small space between the two cars, taking support from the metal behind them. Their bodies mirrored each other, far apart, but close enough that they could touch in an instant. They stood, silent, looking at each other, Adam taking the time to study the face that was so familiar, yet so new. Kris shifted, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans
“Adam…” Kris started to say. “Kris…” Adam spoke at the same time.
Adam dropped his keys onto the seat and pushed himself off the car, straightening his body, closing the distance to run his knuckles over the softness of Kris’s cheek. It was a touch he missed; didn’t know how bad until the pressure had built up to the point where he had to touch him. Adam watched as Kris’s eyes fluttered closed and his body leaned in. He turned his hand to cup Kris’s face and ran his thumb over the fullness of Kris’s bottom lip. Dragging the lips down slowly, carefully, then tracing the outline of his mouth, Adam leaned down and touched their foreheads together.
“Kris,” he whispered.
Kris grabbed at his wrist and held on tight, not trying to move it as Adam expected. The contact broke something in him, his free hand shot out over Kris’s shoulder so he could brace himself…anchor himself…with the door of the car, the metal and glass from the car allowing him to maintain his emotions, his composure. If more of him touched Kris right now, he wouldn’t be able to stop, regardless of the cameras in the parking garage or people milling about.
Their foreheads touching, Adam breathed in Kris’s breaths. He closed his eyes and admitted out loud what he wanted to say for months. “I miss you,” Adam said softly. “I’ve missed you…a lot.”
Kris’s grip got tighter and with a final squeeze, his fingers slid off Adam’s wrist, but not before his fingers slid lengthwise across his forearm, causing a flurry of goose bumps in their wake.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Kris murmured. He raised his head and looked at Adam, large brown eyes staring into him.
Adam slowly pulled away, trying to take in the texture and feel of Kris as much as possible. “If I asked, would you come to my place this week? After work? For dinner?”
Kris smiled shyly, “Are you cooking?”
A laugh bubbled out of Adam’s throat as he stepped back, “I am, actually.” He held up a hand, “But, I’ll have a back-up plan, so don’t worry.”
“Then, I’d be happy to.”
**
“Did you get the list I emailed you?” Cale asked as he leaned over to steal a French fry from the cardboard plate next to Kris’s half-eaten burger. At Kris’s nod, he continued, “So, any of the places catch your eye?”
“I don’t know if I can decide just based on pictures and floor plans,” he said taking a drink. He took a napkin to his mouth, “I was getting confused as to which one I liked and didn’t like.”
“Figured as much.” Cale pulled out a folder from his messenger back, “Here, I think this might help. I marked the buildings I’m familiar with and took my own pictures for you. The ones with the blue tabs are the ones I think you’ll like, and the ones with the red tabs are the ones I know you’ll like and are available for immediate move-in.”
Kris grabbed the folder and flipped through the pages. Absentmindedly, he pushed his plate of fries toward the middle of the table as Cale reached over again.
“These are all on the Westside?”
“Kris.” Cale made it a statement. He waited until Kris looked up from the folder. “You gave me a list of what you were looking for, and I’m not a moron. I’ve known you for what, almost 15 years? I think I know what you like.”
“Yeah, sorry, man,” Kris apologized. “I’m just getting antsy to move out, you know? I love my parents, but…”
“It’s hard to bring a hot Hollywood actor boy over and get hot and heavy on the couch when your mom might walk in on you?”
Kris choked on his soda and dropped the folder onto the seat next to him. Grabbing a handful of napkins from the dispenser, he barely held on before spewing the soda out through his nose and mouth. He glared at Cale, who was doubled-over from laughter, face red from trying to breathe, napkins at his eyes from the tears.
“I hate you so fucking much, you don’t even know.”
Dumping the used napkins onto the plate of fries out of spite, Kris coughed and took a few more napkins out to clean up the mess in from of him.
Cale breathed out, in between laughs, “That was…” inhale, “the best reaction…” exhale, “ever.” A not so subtle wipe at his eyes and then he blew his nose. “I…thank you, dude. I haven’t laughed like that in…” more breathing, “that was awesome.”
“Hate. You.”
“When are you seeing Adam again anyway?”
At Kris’s glare, Cale stated, “Well, you had lunch the other day. I figured you aren’t moping anymore and all of a sudden you want me to help you find a place…stat…I brilliantly deduced that things went well.”
Kris gathered up the dirty plates and napkins back onto the tray they had placed on the window sill. Then he picked up the folder of apartments again.
“Aww, come on,” Cale pleaded. “You know you wanna tell me.”
“Nothing to tell.”
“Uh-huh.” Cale yanked the folder from Kris’s hands. “You know I never bug you about shit like this, but I really want to know this time.”
“Give that back.”
“Spill.”
“Since when did you start acting like my best girl friend?”
“Tell me, and I’ll give you the folder back. I’ll even fill out the application for you so the paperwork will get done faster.”
Kris narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Cale knew he hated filling out forms and looking for a new place…the bastard. “You’ve never wanted details before. Why is this different? Why do you want to know so bad?”
Cale shrugged, “Honestly? Because he actually makes you happy. Like, genuinely, light-on-your-feet happy, and I’ve never seen that before.”
“Zach made me happy.”
“No,” Cale snorted. “The putz made you think you were happy with him. He didn’t actually make you happy. Big difference.”
Kris’s alarm went off signaling an appointment. “Shit. Can we do this later?”
“Come over to my place for pizza,” Cale agreed. “One of the units I think you’ll like is in my building anyway. I’ll get the manager to open it up for you. You can take a look.”
“Fine, fine,” Kris said standing up.
“Later.”
He looked down at Cale expectantly.
“What?”
“Can I have the folder?”
“Look at it all you want over pizza while I watch the game.”
Kris rolled his eyes as he pulled his sunglasses out, “Never knew you were such an ass.”
“You love me anyway.”
**
“Uh, hey Adam, I’m sorry to do this, but my boss needs me at this dinner tomorrow night, and I can’t find a way to get out of it. I called as soon as I found out so you don’t go to too much trouble. Can I take a rain-check? Um, call me when you get the chance. I’m uh…shit, got run into a meeting. I’ll talk to you later?
Adam made a face as he put the phone down. He looked at the bags of groceries sitting on his counter. If Kris didn’t sound completely annoyed and upset at cancelling, Adam would have been more upset.
“You okay boss?” Tatiana asked as she grabbed a bag.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Kris canceled.”
“Oh.” Tatiana looked up from pulling vegetables from the bag. “Did he say why?”
“Dinner with his boss. Sounded like it was last-minute,” Adam said as he sat on a stool. “What am I going to do with all this?”
Tatiana giggled, “Well, the way I see it, you can still cook.”
She laughed at Adam’s glare, “Come on, Adam. You’ve never really cooked before, so why don’t you cook and see how it tastes? That way when you guys reschedule…” Tatiana paused. “Um, you are going to reschedule, right?” Adam nodded. “Okay, so I’ll be your guinea pig.”
Adam shook his head, “Seriously Tati?”
She grabbed the second bag and started to pull items from it, “You know I’ll tell you if it sucks. No need to give him food poisoning and ruin a romantic evening. Practice with me, then you’ll be good to go for whenever.”
He watched her put away all the food in small stacks around the stove. Maybe it would be easier just to go out, but he didn’t want to risk having another night out so that it could be splashed all over the gossip pages. Not until he knew if anything was going to come out of this, and not until he was sure Kris was okay with it. Until then, he’d keep a low profile.
Adam stood up and pushed the stool back under the counter, “You know? You’re right.”
Tatiana opened her mouth, but he interrupted, “Shush you.”
She giggled again, “Fine. I’ll finish up my work while you cook. Then, we’ll have an amazing meal while I put DeVito’s on speed dial.”
“Brat.”
**
Kris tugged at his tie as he tried not to think about the meal he could be having with Adam instead of his boss and whoever it was that it was mandatory for him to attend. He grabbed his jacket and switched off the lights in his office.
“Hey Joyce,” he said as she was leaving her office.
“Hi Kris,” she said looking him over. “I take it you’re heading out to The Belmont with Robert?”
“Yeah,” he answered, hitching his bag over his shoulder. “You know what this is about? How come you’re not going?”
Joyce laughed, “I’m not going because it’s a ‘strategic’ thing,” raising her fingers to make air quotes. “And that’s all I know.” She paused, “Random spot for a business dinner, it’s mostly known for the bar, and it’s a sort of hipster night spot.”
Kris scowled, “Great.”
“Aw, come on,” she said patting him on the back. “At least The Belmost has good food and ambience, though I’m pretty sure you don’t need a tie for it.”
“Apparently I’m supposed to look professional.”
“Well, you do look a couple years older with a tie, Mr. Director and not like you’re in college.”
“You’re of no help.”
She bumped into him, “You’ll be fine. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, good night.”
He stood in the lobby and watched as she got into the elevator. Taking in a deep breath, he leaned against the reception desk and waited for his boss.
“You ready Kris?” Robert’s voice boomed down the hallway ahead of the man.
Kris pasted a smile on his face, “Yup.”
“So, I figure we take separate cars so we can just head home after dinner and don’t have to head back this way.”
“Oh, sure, that sounds good.”
Robert turned to him, “Thanks for doing this. For some reason Robin insisted you be there so she could finally meet you.”
“Who’s Robin?”
“Robin?” Robert said punching the elevator call button. “She’s the head of Promise to Foster, they help smaller non-profits with grants, fundraising, promotions and all that. Amazing stuff, so as we’re growing, we can rely on them as we need it. She was at our gala the other night and was impressed with what you did and what you’ve been doing since you’ve been on board.”
“Um, that’s good, right?” Kris asked, still confused.
“It’s great. I’ve known Robin for a while, and she’s good people,” Robert replied as they headed to the parking garage. “Okay, see you at the restaurant.”
“Yup, sounds good,” Kris said as he waited in the elevator. He waited for the doors to open on the next level, as he tried to figure out what about tonight was bugging him. The feeling niggled at him until he pulled up to the valet.
And, there it was…
Zach.
“Kris, there you are,” Zach said with a giant smile.
“Hey, Zach,” Kris said slowly. He took the valet ticket and tucked into his wallet. “How are you?”
“Great…doing great.” Zach grabbed his elbow, “Come on, Robin and Robert are inside already and our table is ready.”
“Didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“Robin insisted when she found out we knew each other,” Zach replied. “She was seriously impressed with your little event the other night. Went on and on about it. Of course, I knew it would be amazing, especially considering what you had to work with. Major coup getting your father to include the film screening and the premiere tickets.”
“Like I said, it was offered, I’d be dumb to pass on it,” Kris stated blandly.
“Yes, yes, naturally,” Zach prattled. “Here we go,” he stopped at the table. “Robin, meet Kris Allen,” he turned to Kris, “Kris, my amazing boss Robin Varina.”
Kris shook her hand and sat between Zach and Robert, across from Robin. “Nice to meet you. Sorry we didn’t get to meet the other night.”
“Pleasure to meet you, too, Kris,” she smiled. “Did you want something to drink?”
“Just water for me right now,” Kris answered.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this already from Zach and Robert, but your event was impressive. I’ve been to a ton of events from local organizations, but wow,” she said.
“Thank you for attending and the kind words,” Kris replied. “I wish I wasn’t running around like a crazy person, I would have made time for you.”
“Not a problem, I know how insane these things can be,” Robin sympathized. “And considering it was as big as it was? Most remarkable considering what Robert’s done in the past.”
Robert laughed, “Hey now. I finally have a team that makes me look good.” He nudged Kris with his shoulder, “Robin here helped me get some key donations and two giant grants that helped allowed me to hire you and Joyce.”
“That’s great,” Kris nodded. “Joyce is amazing.”
“My whole team is amazing,” Robert beamed. “It’s finally coming together.” He held up his wine glass, “To us,” he said.
“To us,” they all cheered.
They ate and drank and talked, but Kris was too busy trying to tamp down the weird feeling at the pit of his stomach. It didn’t happen often, but every time he felt like this, it turned his life upside-down…not in a good way.
**
“Well, as long as you didn’t have to call 911 and Tatiana didn’t keel over in pain, I think you should consider your foray into cooking as a success,” Brad said digging through the refrigerator.
“Shut up, it was fine,” Adam retorted as he finished wiping down the counter. “She actually said…and I quote…it was yummy.”
“Did she finish the meal or hide the evidence into a napkin and throw it away?”
“Funny, only not. And, yes, she finished her meal,” Adam replied and stuck his tongue out. He tossed the dishrag to the side of the sink and started to wash his hands. “I know I have to make a few minor adjustments with the spices, but overall, it was…uh, good.”
“Mmm-hmmm,” Brad said taking a spoon from the drawer. He scooped up a bite of ice cream and twirled around the kitchen. “If you say so.”
“Don’t you have something to do or someplace to be?”
“Not until 10, so I’m hanging out here since my place doesn’t have ice cream.”
“What if I wasn’t home or had company over?”
“Please,” Brad waved his spoon. “I have a set of keys, so I still would have come over and raided your fridge. Plus, since when do you have people over who aren’t me, Tommy or Tatiana? You’re, like, a hermit. If the tabloids knew what kind of boring life you actually have, I think their balls would shrivel up and die a mind-numbingly, dull death.”
“I don’t feel like I need to live my life in public,” Adam scowled. “I need to keep some semblance of privacy.”
“Uh-huh, except when you need the rags to think you’re not into a cute little puppy that likes wearing plaid, but cleans up nice because you want to protect him.” Brad took another bite and spoke with his mouth full, “Really sweet of you, by the way. Oh, and how’s that going anyway? You were grinning like a fool after you came back from your disappearance with Nury at the fundraiser thingie. You get a quickie from a random in the bathroom? I don’t think you’d do anything with a breeder, because I mean, I know it’s been a while sweets, but…”
“Oh fuck off, Brad.”
“What?” Brad squeaked. “You avoided puppy most of the night, you disappear for like half an hour and when you come back to the table, you have a giant smile on your face. Then, you’re chatting with what could have been your in-laws like nothing happened…” he stopped and turned on Adam. “You motherfucker.”
“What?”
“You’re seeing him again aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” Adam repeated and avoided Brad’s eyes.
“You goddamn motherfucking jackhole!” Brad screeched. “You saw him! Why didn’t you tell me?” He slammed the ice cream carton onto the counter. “When? Details, sweets! Details!”
“It’s not like that.”
“Not like what?”
Adam walked to the other end of the kitchen and blew out a breath. Pulling out a chair, he sat on it with one leg under the other and looped his free foot around the leg of the chair, “We met for lunch on Sunday.”
“And?”
“And nothing. I invited him to dinner tonight, but he called and canceled yesterday because he got stuck with a work thing. We’ve been playing phone-tag trying to reschedule.”
“Aren’t you going to New York next week?”
“Yes.”
“So, when are you supposed to meet up?”
Adam shrugged, “Dunno. Maybe this weekend…before I leave on Sunday. Besides, my New York trip is only a couple of days, I’ll be back a week from today, so we can still meet.”
“But you won’t be able to cook.”
“I’ll order pizza. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
The security phone buzzed, making Adam raise an eyebrow. “Brad, did you invite people over again?”
Brad closed the lid on the ice cream carton and was headed back to the refrigerator, “Not my doing, sweets.”
“Weird,” Adam mumbled as he got up to answer. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
“Hey Vince, what is it?” Adam listened, then said, “Oh, yeah, of course, let him through.”
Brad crossed his arms and leaned against the sink, “Who’s here?”
“Kris.”
**
As the flashes went off, strangers with baseball caps and zoom lenses shouted out Zach’s name. Kris gripped Zach’s wrist hard, so hard he heard Zach squeal. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked under his breath.
Zach maintained his smile, though his eyes bore signs of pain, “I’m getting some press for us. It’s no big deal.”
“There’s no reason for paparazzi to be here taking pictures of me…of us together,” Kris muttered between his teeth. “We’re not famous or in the entertainment industry.”
“Please, you’re Neil Allen’s son,” Zach said wrenching his wrist away.
“I have nothing to do with the production house.”
“Nothing wrong with getting your own press. Think about what it’ll do for your profile, your job.”
“Which would be fine if I was at an event or a conference for work. My profile is fine, I don’t need to be in front of cameras all the time,” Kris gritted his teeth. He straightened up, “But apparently you do. You called them and told them you’d be here with me.”
“You never had a problem with getting your picture in the papers when we were in Dallas,” Zach said.
“It was for work!” Kris ground out. “And, I wasn’t society fodder until you had our lives and relationship plastered in the gossip columns every chance you got,” he sneered. “Is that was this is about? You need to be validated by being famous? You need to see your face and name all over the place?”
Zach hissed, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the work you do recognized! If they happen to want to know about me and want my opinions of random things at the same time, there’s nothing I can do. If it opens more doors, then what’s the big deal?”
Kris chuckled ruefully, “Wow.” He paused to rake his fingers through his hair. “Wow, I think I finally get it,” he said. “After all this time.”
Zach pulled his shirt-sleeve down, “Get what. What are you talking about?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Kris saw his car pull up, “Nothing, Zach. Just…have a good night.”
Leaving Zach by the valet stand, Kris drove away. He pounded the steering wheel when he stopped at the light. He finally understood what Cale was trying to tell him. What his parents were too nice to bring up in all the time he and Zach were dating. Yeah, Kris was good and pissed, but to revved up to go home. Times like this he wished he had gotten his own place sooner or at least stayed at his previous apartment, so he could slam the door shut, blast some music and block everything out.
He found himself driving deep into Beverly Hills where the roads got wider, the streets a tad bit less congested and the homes and lawns bigger. Kris glanced at the clock on his dashboard as he pulled up to the driveway he didn’t remember driving to…a little after nine. Lights were on in the house, as well a familiar red Mini in the driveway.
Fuck it, he thought.
Kris had a moment of panic when the security guard called up. What if Adam wasn’t home and Brad was house-sitting again? What if Adam didn’t want to see him after he canceled dinner? He was showing up unannounced, and Hollywood people didn’t do that, did they? They had their people contact other people to make arrangements. People didn’t just show up, right?
“Go on up, Mr. Allen,” the guard said, pushing the button that allowed the gates to open.
Kris sighed a breath of relief. It didn’t matter if it was just Brad at the house. At least he’d have someone to vent his frustrations to, whether Brad deserved it or not. He pulled up next to Brad’s car, for some reason parking next to it instead of behind it. Not wanting to think about it, Kris stepped out and headed to the front door.
As he turned from checking to see if he locked his car, the door opened and cast a tall shadow onto the pathway. Kris looked up to see Adam leaning against the doorjamb, hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked calling out to him.
Kris nodded, unsure of what to say without crumbling at his feet. As he neared the entryway, Adam’s brows creased, but Kris smiled shyly.
“You sure you’re alright?” Adam asked again quietly.
“Yeah, just…” Kris stepped inside and stopped as Adam closed the door behind them. Kris involuntarily shivered as the memory of his back against the door.
He moved inside and away from it. “Found myself driving around, and I ended up here,” he said. Somehow, it felt right. Despite his initial trepidation in coming to Adam’s house, it felt like home.
Adam smiled, “I’m glad. Come on.” He placed a warm hand on Kris’s lower back to lead him toward the kitchen. Kris closed his eyes at the feeling.
“Puppy!” Brad squealed as he half-ran down the hallway. He bounced into Kris’s space and enveloped him in a giant hug, almost wrangling him down to the floor. “What are you doing here?” Brad stretched his arm out to eye Kris from head to toe, “Don’t you just clean up all nice and pretty? You should do it more. I mean, the tux the other night was fabulous, but this is fabulous, too.”
“Oh, and Brad’s here, by the way,” Adam stately flatly.
“Shush, you,” Brad pouted at Adam. “Puppy loves me,” he said wrapping an arm around Kris’s shoulder. “Come on, we have ice cream, and you look like you can use it.”
Kris’s eyes widened in panic and turned to Adam for help, pleading with his eyes as Brad led him into the kitchen.
“Sorry, Kris,” Adam laughed. “We have ice cream.” He followed them in.
**
“So, puppy,” Brad said scooping ice cream into two bowls. “Tell us what’s wrong.”
“Uh, you’re not going to have any?” Kris asked as he eyed the bowls carefully.
Brad stuck the spoon in his mouth as he shut the lid and put the container away. Dropping the spoon into the sink with a loud clatter, “Nope, already had some before you got here. Plus,” he checked his watch, “I need to scoot in about 20 minutes, which should be plenty of time for you to share your story.”
“I don’t have a story,” Kris said, picking up a small spoon.
Adam watched Kris’s hands from across the counter as he played with the spoon and scratched it over the top of the frozen lump with one hand, his head resting heavily in the palm of his other.
“Well, something’s annoyed you because you have that look on your face,” Adam finally said.
Kris looked up from making lines in the ice cream sitting innocuously in the bowl. “I have a look?”
“Yeah,” Adam answered softly. He took a bite of his ice cream and looked down to study his bowl.
Brad cleared his throat, “Puppy…are you going to share or not?”
“Why exactly do you call me puppy?” Kris asked Brad.
“Because I know it annoys you,” Brad shrugged. “Plus, you kind of reminded me of a really cute one when we first met. Your big brown eyes, messed up hair like you just…”
“Brad…” Adam said in warning.
Kris flushed the slightest pink, which made Adam want to kiss Brad for implementing. It was a look he missed on Kris, a look that made him irresistible.
“Come on, puppy,” Brad cajoled. “You know you want to tell us and get it off your finely, muscled chest.”
“Brad!” Adam shouted. He glanced over at Kris, who was now blushing furiously and finding his ice cream incredibly fascinating.
“What?” Brad turned to Adam. “Tell me you haven’t had the urge to feel him up after you hug him just to make sure you weren’t imagining it? Just putting your arm around his shoulder and you can just…”
“Stop, okay? Just…please?” Kris finally choked out. “Uh, so yeah, I’m in a bad mood. I had dinner with my boss, and my ex was there.”
Brad grinned unrepentantly at Adam, “See? He just needed a little motivation to talk.”
“This ex of yours,” Brad said as he sat next to Kris. Adam resisted the urge to reach out and choke the nosey bastard, instead stabbing his ice cream and putting a giant spoonful into his mouth.
“It’s that tan, douche-y looking guy, right?” Brad continued. “The surfer blondie? With the teeth, yeah?” Brad motioned to his own exaggerated smile.
Kris laughed like he couldn’t help it and nodded. He looked to Adam who had to bite his lip to keep from laughing with them. It was Kris’s ex, he wouldn’t do or say anything to disparage it, no matter what he thought.
“He is pretty, but he’s kind of a fame-whore, isn’t he?” Brad asked.
“Yeah,” Kris sighed. “I guess I didn’t see or it didn’t want to. Kind of discovered that the hard way tonight.” He dropped the spoon into the bowl, giving up any pretense of eating.
Adam wanted to reach over and pet him, but instead he got up and took Kris’s bowl and his own to the sink. He’d keep busy while letting Brad do the dirty work and talk shit about the ex. It was wrong, but better Brad than him. He let the warm water and sponge soothe him as he listened into their conversation.
“What happened, puppy?” Brad stopped. “And make it quick, I have to go in ten.”
Kris’s happy laughter filled the kitchen. Adam knew if anyone saw his goofy smile right now, he’d get shit from his friends. It was funny how he could tell the difference between Kris’s laughs.
“He’s a fame whore, plain and simple,” Kris replied. “Apparently, he called the paps, who started taking pictures of us in front of the restaurant while we’re waiting for our cars by the valet. There was no place to hide and no way to avoid them. I mean, who does that?” he asked incredulously.
“Um,” Brad said. “Why do the paps give a fuck who he is?” He made a face as Adam turned and wiped his hands on a towel. “He’s nobody.”
Kris answered, voice tired with a thread of anger underneath, “Yeah, but I’m the son of the co-founder of Black Powder, who is emerging as a major player in Hollywood. I get that it was a big deal in Dallas, so I guess it’s sort of a big deal here.”
“Yeah, but you’re not a part of the production house or anything that has to do with the entertainment industry. I mean, the only time you were…oh…OH.”
“Yup,” Adam said as he walked over to stand next to Kris. “Apparently he wants what he had back in Dallas. Do I have that right?”
Kris nodded and leaned into Adam’s side, “Pretty much.”
Adam curled his arm around Kris’s shoulder and started to rub his arm. “So, he called the paps to be there when you guys finished dinner.”
“I don’t think I would have gotten it if they were taking pictures of all of us, you know?” Kris said. “My boss, his boss, I mean, they’re kind of big deals, I guess, in the business world. Not that I think anyone other than the LA Times business and society section would give a fuck.”
“Puppy! You cursed!” Brad squealed. He kissed Adam on the cheek, “I like this side of him,” then bent over to kiss Kris’s temple, “With that I’m off. Call if you’d like to join us later.” He grabbed his keys and blew kisses at them before leaving the kitchen.
Adam waited until he heard the door shut before looking down at Kris, “You want a drink or anything else? You didn’t have any ice cream.”
Kris shook his head against Adam’s side, “Thanks for listening. I…I don’t know why I came here.”
“I’m just glad you did.” Adam gave Kris’s arm a final rub before patting it. “Come on, let me get some water and we can veg out in front of the TV for a bit.”
“Sounds good.”
**
Kris took off his suit jacket and placed it on the back of a recliner. He shook his head and tried to hold in a snort.
“What?” Adam asked as he walked into the den. “What’s so funny?”
“You don’t seem like the type to have a recliner,” Kris said pointing to it. “Especially after seeing how your kitchen and living room and the rest of the place is decorated.”
“It was my dad’s,” Adam said chuckling. “His girlfriend threatened to leave him if he kept it in the house. It’s comfy, so I brought it here under the pretense that he could enjoy it whenever he visits. Tatiana mocks me whenever she sees me napping on it. You can try it out if you want.”
“I think I’d pass out if I did, but thanks.” Kris took the bottle of water Adam offered and sat on one corner of the couch. “This your office slash den?”
“Yeah, I do most of my script reading and general work shit in here with Tatiana. Conference calls, emails,” Adam answered sweeping his arm around the room. “Just more, I don’t know…”
“Normal?” Kris answered with a smirk.
Adam picked up a cushion and made a swipe at Kris’s head. Kris laughed and ducked out of the way.
“Ass.”
Kris almost blurted out something completely inappropriate, but instead grabbed the remote. “Are you sure I’m not interrupting anything major? I mean, I know we were supposed to have dinner tonight, but if you made plans to go out with Brad…”
“No,” Adam said sitting down on the other end of the couch. “I was actually going to read over a couple of scripts and maybe go over some song choices.” He glanced over at Kris, “So, no…you’re not interrupting plans.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Kris stared at Adam, eyes roaming over his beautiful face. He knew that not many people got the chance to see him like this, relaxed in loose jeans and a thread-bare t-shirt, bare feet, hair without styling products. He liked it…a lot.
“Uh, you can stream something over NetFlix if you don’t find a show you want to watch,” Adam said, breaking the silence and eye contact.
“Oh, uh, I’ll just catch up on ESPN or something,” Kris glanced at his watch. “I’d be watching SportsCenter right now anyway.”
“Oh my god,” Adam exclaimed, bending over to laugh.
“What?”
“You’re such a straight gay, it’s not even funny.”
“There’s no such thing,” Kris said with a pout.
“Of course not, honey,” Adam said. “Watch your…” he shivered, “sports while I read.”
Kris flipped through the channels until he found ESPN. He took off the cufflinks and tie, and got up to stuff them into his jacket pocket. Rolling his shirt sleeves up and unbuttoning his shirt at the throat, he froze as Adam’s heated gaze rolled over him.
“No need to stop on my account,” Adam choked out, obviously trying to make it a light-hearted statement, but his voice was slightly deeper, breathing harder.
“I…uh…” Kris flushed again, as he tried to say something coherent; he looked up to see Adam’s head down reading the pages in his hands.
As Kris settled back into his corner of the couch, his hand gripped the remote tightly. Unable to focus on the television screen, his body was instead focused on the man just two feet away. Adam’s mere presence, his closeness, his scent was washing over him in giant waves. Time passed-minutes? Hours?-Kris felt himself relax, the stress and anger leaving him, the soft sound of Adam turning pages, his breathing, allowed his body to melt into the seat. Not fighting the sensation, Kris closed his eyes.
A noise, a movement…something woke Kris up with a start. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in an unfamiliar dark room, yet he wasn’t freaked out. Adam’s house his brain finally supplied him. He must have fallen asleep. Bringing up his arm, he tried to check the time, unable to move much. A sturdy arm tightened around his body, and awareness flared as he realized Adam was wrapped around him on the couch.
“Mmmmm…go back to sleep,” Adam’s voice, heavy with sleep, complained from behind him. His breath was warm and tickled the back of Kris’s neck. “Too early.”
Running his hand over Adam’s arm, Kris let his fingers slide down until their hands met. He curled his fingers around Adam’s and brought their intertwined hands up until they rested in the center of his chest. Kris closed his eyes and let sleep take him again.
The next time Kris opened his eyes, his back was cold, exposed to the air. He glanced up and over to the other side of the couch to see bright blue eyes staring down at him, tracing the features of his face. Adam’s hands continued to rub his legs.
“Hey,” Kris whispered.
“Hey yourself, sleepy head,” Adam said softly.
“What time is it?” Kris asked, shifting his body a little. He smiled inwardly as Adam’s arm tensed and squeezed his calf and ankle.
“Around four.”
“I…I should get going. I have to go to work.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of them moved. The sudden shriek and horn of a car alarm finally shook them out of their trance. Kris sat up and scooted over, leaning close to Adam’s face; brushing a soft kiss on his lips, he said, “I should go.”
Adam nodded slowly, eyes still closed. Kris wriggled his legs out of Adam’s grasp and carefully got off the couch. Adam sat up and rubbed his hands over his face and hair. Smiling as he grabbed his jacket, Kris went back to the couch and cupped Adam’s face.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Come over tomorrow night,” Adam said as he pulled Kris to stand in between his legs. “I leave Sunday morning for New York, but I want to see you before I leave.”
Kris leaned down to kiss his cheek, “Are you going to cook?”
Adam laughed, “No promises.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday then.”
**
“I hope the entire lot of them get fired,” Adam groused as he paced the floor. “Seriously, how do you fuck up something like this?”
Tatiana was typing furiously on two different laptops, and talking on the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. Adam bit down on his bottom lip afraid the poor girl was going to get a massive crick in her neck. She was nodding, apparently wrapping up her conversation.
With a flurry of keystrokes, she hit a button on one computer, turned to the other and whapped the keyboard on that one with relish, and then released the phone trapped between her head and collar. It fell to her side as she absentmindedly petted it.
“Okay, so there’s really nothing we can do to change the appointments,” she said checking her notepad. “The two people who were handling this, um, anyway you’re on the red-eye out tonight. Changes to your hotel and car have been made, no problem there. Unfortunately, trying to cancel the sit-down interviews with 20/20 and Time didn’t happen in time. And, Christi wasn’t able to reschedule her meeting tonight, so she’ll be on the early morning flight out tomorrow as planned and will meet you tomorrow afternoon at the hotel before you head to the premiere.”
“The premiere? Premiere for what?”
Ignoring him, Tatiana continued, “The main schedule for the junket hasn’t changed, that starts Monday morning in a suite one floor down from where you’ll be. Hair and make-up people will be there, the wardrobe rack will be in the room for you to change. All the TV outlets will be bringing their own camera crews. For GMA and Today, you’ll be going to the studios for a live segment. That’s Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but you have Letterman Wednesday afternoon.” She grabbed her laptop and typed in something. Adam turned as he heard the printer activate. “Let’s see, a bunch of print magazines, you’re schedule…damn, well, we’ll have lunch and dinner catered for you.”
“Um,” Tatiana went on saying. “It looks like you’ll have a couple of 15 minute breaks to run up to your room if you want those two days. Then, Thursday is split between the People and Entertainment Weekly photo shoots start in the morning, and Nury will be there with you. That’ll be all day and probably go through the night, expect an 18-hour day.” She checked her phone and scrolled through it quickly, “Let’s see, Friday and Saturday you’re free until noon, then the car will get you and Nury for the interviews and photo shoots for Film & Video and FilmMaker with Anoop. He’s flying in on the red-eye Thursday and will meet you at the photo studio where everything will take place. Then…”
“Stop!”
Tatiana looked up, face frazzled, “What?”
Adam rolled his eyes, “This is completely asinine.”
“I know, boss, but there’s nothing that can be done.” Tatiana slumped back into the couch. “But, at least you like New York, right? And after the crazy week, you’ll be done until the movie’s premiere in a few weeks.”
“What happens if I don’t show up?”
“Well,” she said carefully, “I’m pretty sure the words conniption and heart attack would be involved.”
“This is so fucked up. People can’t communicate properly, and the fact that even Christi didn’t know? Seriously fucked up,” Adam vented.
“Well, from what I see,” Tatiana said scrolling through her phone again, “Neil’s on a rampage, along with Christi.” She laughed as she typed something back, “And Black Powder’s new PR agency is totally freaking out. Apparently Jeremy got the agency’s general manager involved, and…” she made a face. “Ouch.”
“Who are you talking to? Where are you getting this information?” Adam said curious.
“Two new folks, and wow, I think they’re going to be fired.” She paused. “Aww, poor things.”
“You feel bad for them? This would’ve been a nightmare if Christi didn’t get involved.”
“It’s just, it seems like that the two people who were assigned to this, they’re new, boss. Try not to be pissed.” She paused. “They can’t all be fabulous and amazing at their jobs like me,” she said with a smile.
Adam laughed and Tatiana giggled.
“Not my problem, I need to go pack now,” he sighed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, “You’re amazing.”
“I know,” she said sticking out her tongue.
“Fuck, I have to rethink what to wear, call Kris. I wonder if Brad…”
“Wait, what?”
Adam stopped at the door, “What, what?”
“Call Kris?” Tatiana gasped. “Kris Allen? You guys finally rescheduled? Oh, that sucks.”
“Yes and yes,” Adam beamed. “But, this time I have to cancel on him. And, yeah, it sucks.”
“On the plus side, you have time to try out a few more recipes.”
Adam laughed, “Hush, you know it was good.”
“Eh.”
“You’re still alive,” he said as he walked out of the room. “I call that a win.”
**
Part 9, then almost done ...over here...
Rating: NC-17
Links to other parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
**
Kris’s breathing got choppy when he saw John head down the aisle with Adam right behind him. Adam’s bright blue eyes were taking in the restaurant as he chatted with John, and Kris was pleasantly surprised that he hadn’t had his sunglasses on. Despite everything that happened, he missed him on an innate level that he didn’t realize until he saw Adam again. He had gotten the glimpse of the real Adam, and liked it. It just sucked that he didn’t get the chance to see more.
He had to admit, he enjoyed seeing Adam uneasy and uncomfortable in this environment. They were on his turf, a non-celebrity, non-Hollywood environment. Kris was pretty sure John had told his staff to play it cool, and the location of the booth pretty much ensured they had their privacy. None of the tabloids or gossips columns would know about this meeting, it would be as if it never happened.
It felt good to tease Adam into getting the cheeseburger, as it led the way from the uneasy and stilted conversation to the easy banter as they had their meal. When Anna came by asking if they wanted dessert, Kris again joked and taunted Adam, okay kind of bullied him, into getting the fried donuts to share.
“You’re killing me. You do realize this, right?” Adam groaned as the bowl of giant fried donut holes covered in sugar and cinnamon was placed in between them.
Kris speared a donut with his fork and dropped it onto his plate, carefully drizzling melted chocolate over it. “You know you want some.” He then poured some of the raspberry syrup in a random pattern alongside the excess chocolate.
“Killing. Me.” Adam said stubbornly, not touching anything around him.
Cutting into the fried pastry, Kris held up the fork, careful to not let the dark pink and brown liquid drip off. He put the donut near Adam’s mouth, turning the fork so that the raspberry and chocolate stuck.
“Say ahhh.”
Adam narrowed his eyes, but eventually opened his mouth as Kris pushed the donut in carefully...at first…then twisted the fork around. He pulled the fork back and cracked up, not sorry for the mess he made around Adam’s mouth.
“Not funny, Allen,” Adam groused while he wiped the excess sugar and sticky goo.
“It kind of is,” Kris said in between laughing and breathing. “The look on your face, man.” Kris bent over and cackled out a laugh.
“You need to learn how to feed people.”
“Oh, no,” Kris shook his head. “You need to learn how to feed yourself,” he said stabbing then eating the rest of the donut on his plate. “How could you not want to try this?” he muffled with his mouth full.
Adam scrunched his face, “That’s disgusting.”
“What? This?” Kris asked as he stuck out his tongue.
“You’re seriously 12 aren’t you?”
Kris shook his head, “16, actually. Just got my license and a cool car.”
Adam shook his head. “I’m going to the restroom to clean up.”
“Don’t throw up! That was some good fried shit there.”
Adam threw up his middle finger as he walked away.
John laughed as he approached the table, “Things going well then?”
Kris pushed his plate away, “Yeah, I guess.”
“Didn’t know you were all fancy-schmancy with the Hollywood friends there,” John replied as he stacked the used plates.
Shrugging, Kris played with his napkin, “Long story.”
John nodded, “Well, you know if you need to get away from the hubbub where to come for a good meal and discretion.”
Kris smiled at his friend, “Means a lot John, thanks.” He pulled out his credit card, “Let me take care of this before he gets back.”
“Drinks and dessert on the house,” John said taking the card. “Good to see you smiling again, Kris.” He handed the empty plates to the busboy waiting behind him discretely. “I’ll get this all set before he comes out.”
Kris nodded and thought back over the last year. It had been a crazy year, a year since Adam burst into his life. For John to say it was good to see him smile…did that mean his unhappiness and discontent showed that much to others? He thought he had it contained and hidden. The last time people around him commented at his happiness was…damn.
“You okay?” Adam asked sliding back into the booth. “You were in some serious deep thought there.”
“I’m fine, just…random thoughts,” Kris answered. He smiled and took the check from Anna.
“Oh, hey, let me get that,” Adam said reaching over.
“It’s done slow-poke. Don’t pretend you didn’t go to the bathroom to get out of paying,” Kris joked signing the receipts and slipping his credit card back into his wallet.
“Hey now,” Adam protested.
“My treat,” Kris said.
“Well, thank you.”
“Um, you parked downstairs?” Kris asked getting up.
Nodding, Adam slid back out, “Level three. You?”
“Same.”
**
As they got off the escalator at level three, Adam headed towards the left exit door, Kris following him.
“Where are you parked?”
“Right there,” Kris said, pointing to a sleek gray BMW 3-series sedan. “But apparently some ass doesn’t know about personal car space.”
“Wow,” Adam whistled. “Got yourself a new ride.”
“Yeah,” Kris laughed as they walked towards it. “Figured it was time to get rid of the Ford.” Kris looked around, “Where are you parked?”
“Uh…funny thing,” Adam chuckled and he pulled out his keys. The sound of the alarm beeped, coming from the black Jaguar XK convertible next to Kris’s car. “I guess I’m the ass.”
Kris held in a laugh and tried to hold his blush at bay, “Wow, um. Sorry.” He approached the car, “Nice.”
Adam shrugged as they stood side-by-side, facing each other in the small space between the two cars, taking support from the metal behind them. Their bodies mirrored each other, far apart, but close enough that they could touch in an instant. They stood, silent, looking at each other, Adam taking the time to study the face that was so familiar, yet so new. Kris shifted, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans
“Adam…” Kris started to say. “Kris…” Adam spoke at the same time.
Adam dropped his keys onto the seat and pushed himself off the car, straightening his body, closing the distance to run his knuckles over the softness of Kris’s cheek. It was a touch he missed; didn’t know how bad until the pressure had built up to the point where he had to touch him. Adam watched as Kris’s eyes fluttered closed and his body leaned in. He turned his hand to cup Kris’s face and ran his thumb over the fullness of Kris’s bottom lip. Dragging the lips down slowly, carefully, then tracing the outline of his mouth, Adam leaned down and touched their foreheads together.
“Kris,” he whispered.
Kris grabbed at his wrist and held on tight, not trying to move it as Adam expected. The contact broke something in him, his free hand shot out over Kris’s shoulder so he could brace himself…anchor himself…with the door of the car, the metal and glass from the car allowing him to maintain his emotions, his composure. If more of him touched Kris right now, he wouldn’t be able to stop, regardless of the cameras in the parking garage or people milling about.
Their foreheads touching, Adam breathed in Kris’s breaths. He closed his eyes and admitted out loud what he wanted to say for months. “I miss you,” Adam said softly. “I’ve missed you…a lot.”
Kris’s grip got tighter and with a final squeeze, his fingers slid off Adam’s wrist, but not before his fingers slid lengthwise across his forearm, causing a flurry of goose bumps in their wake.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Kris murmured. He raised his head and looked at Adam, large brown eyes staring into him.
Adam slowly pulled away, trying to take in the texture and feel of Kris as much as possible. “If I asked, would you come to my place this week? After work? For dinner?”
Kris smiled shyly, “Are you cooking?”
A laugh bubbled out of Adam’s throat as he stepped back, “I am, actually.” He held up a hand, “But, I’ll have a back-up plan, so don’t worry.”
“Then, I’d be happy to.”
**
“Did you get the list I emailed you?” Cale asked as he leaned over to steal a French fry from the cardboard plate next to Kris’s half-eaten burger. At Kris’s nod, he continued, “So, any of the places catch your eye?”
“I don’t know if I can decide just based on pictures and floor plans,” he said taking a drink. He took a napkin to his mouth, “I was getting confused as to which one I liked and didn’t like.”
“Figured as much.” Cale pulled out a folder from his messenger back, “Here, I think this might help. I marked the buildings I’m familiar with and took my own pictures for you. The ones with the blue tabs are the ones I think you’ll like, and the ones with the red tabs are the ones I know you’ll like and are available for immediate move-in.”
Kris grabbed the folder and flipped through the pages. Absentmindedly, he pushed his plate of fries toward the middle of the table as Cale reached over again.
“These are all on the Westside?”
“Kris.” Cale made it a statement. He waited until Kris looked up from the folder. “You gave me a list of what you were looking for, and I’m not a moron. I’ve known you for what, almost 15 years? I think I know what you like.”
“Yeah, sorry, man,” Kris apologized. “I’m just getting antsy to move out, you know? I love my parents, but…”
“It’s hard to bring a hot Hollywood actor boy over and get hot and heavy on the couch when your mom might walk in on you?”
Kris choked on his soda and dropped the folder onto the seat next to him. Grabbing a handful of napkins from the dispenser, he barely held on before spewing the soda out through his nose and mouth. He glared at Cale, who was doubled-over from laughter, face red from trying to breathe, napkins at his eyes from the tears.
“I hate you so fucking much, you don’t even know.”
Dumping the used napkins onto the plate of fries out of spite, Kris coughed and took a few more napkins out to clean up the mess in from of him.
Cale breathed out, in between laughs, “That was…” inhale, “the best reaction…” exhale, “ever.” A not so subtle wipe at his eyes and then he blew his nose. “I…thank you, dude. I haven’t laughed like that in…” more breathing, “that was awesome.”
“Hate. You.”
“When are you seeing Adam again anyway?”
At Kris’s glare, Cale stated, “Well, you had lunch the other day. I figured you aren’t moping anymore and all of a sudden you want me to help you find a place…stat…I brilliantly deduced that things went well.”
Kris gathered up the dirty plates and napkins back onto the tray they had placed on the window sill. Then he picked up the folder of apartments again.
“Aww, come on,” Cale pleaded. “You know you wanna tell me.”
“Nothing to tell.”
“Uh-huh.” Cale yanked the folder from Kris’s hands. “You know I never bug you about shit like this, but I really want to know this time.”
“Give that back.”
“Spill.”
“Since when did you start acting like my best girl friend?”
“Tell me, and I’ll give you the folder back. I’ll even fill out the application for you so the paperwork will get done faster.”
Kris narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Cale knew he hated filling out forms and looking for a new place…the bastard. “You’ve never wanted details before. Why is this different? Why do you want to know so bad?”
Cale shrugged, “Honestly? Because he actually makes you happy. Like, genuinely, light-on-your-feet happy, and I’ve never seen that before.”
“Zach made me happy.”
“No,” Cale snorted. “The putz made you think you were happy with him. He didn’t actually make you happy. Big difference.”
Kris’s alarm went off signaling an appointment. “Shit. Can we do this later?”
“Come over to my place for pizza,” Cale agreed. “One of the units I think you’ll like is in my building anyway. I’ll get the manager to open it up for you. You can take a look.”
“Fine, fine,” Kris said standing up.
“Later.”
He looked down at Cale expectantly.
“What?”
“Can I have the folder?”
“Look at it all you want over pizza while I watch the game.”
Kris rolled his eyes as he pulled his sunglasses out, “Never knew you were such an ass.”
“You love me anyway.”
**
“Uh, hey Adam, I’m sorry to do this, but my boss needs me at this dinner tomorrow night, and I can’t find a way to get out of it. I called as soon as I found out so you don’t go to too much trouble. Can I take a rain-check? Um, call me when you get the chance. I’m uh…shit, got run into a meeting. I’ll talk to you later?
Adam made a face as he put the phone down. He looked at the bags of groceries sitting on his counter. If Kris didn’t sound completely annoyed and upset at cancelling, Adam would have been more upset.
“You okay boss?” Tatiana asked as she grabbed a bag.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Kris canceled.”
“Oh.” Tatiana looked up from pulling vegetables from the bag. “Did he say why?”
“Dinner with his boss. Sounded like it was last-minute,” Adam said as he sat on a stool. “What am I going to do with all this?”
Tatiana giggled, “Well, the way I see it, you can still cook.”
She laughed at Adam’s glare, “Come on, Adam. You’ve never really cooked before, so why don’t you cook and see how it tastes? That way when you guys reschedule…” Tatiana paused. “Um, you are going to reschedule, right?” Adam nodded. “Okay, so I’ll be your guinea pig.”
Adam shook his head, “Seriously Tati?”
She grabbed the second bag and started to pull items from it, “You know I’ll tell you if it sucks. No need to give him food poisoning and ruin a romantic evening. Practice with me, then you’ll be good to go for whenever.”
He watched her put away all the food in small stacks around the stove. Maybe it would be easier just to go out, but he didn’t want to risk having another night out so that it could be splashed all over the gossip pages. Not until he knew if anything was going to come out of this, and not until he was sure Kris was okay with it. Until then, he’d keep a low profile.
Adam stood up and pushed the stool back under the counter, “You know? You’re right.”
Tatiana opened her mouth, but he interrupted, “Shush you.”
She giggled again, “Fine. I’ll finish up my work while you cook. Then, we’ll have an amazing meal while I put DeVito’s on speed dial.”
“Brat.”
**
Kris tugged at his tie as he tried not to think about the meal he could be having with Adam instead of his boss and whoever it was that it was mandatory for him to attend. He grabbed his jacket and switched off the lights in his office.
“Hey Joyce,” he said as she was leaving her office.
“Hi Kris,” she said looking him over. “I take it you’re heading out to The Belmont with Robert?”
“Yeah,” he answered, hitching his bag over his shoulder. “You know what this is about? How come you’re not going?”
Joyce laughed, “I’m not going because it’s a ‘strategic’ thing,” raising her fingers to make air quotes. “And that’s all I know.” She paused, “Random spot for a business dinner, it’s mostly known for the bar, and it’s a sort of hipster night spot.”
Kris scowled, “Great.”
“Aw, come on,” she said patting him on the back. “At least The Belmost has good food and ambience, though I’m pretty sure you don’t need a tie for it.”
“Apparently I’m supposed to look professional.”
“Well, you do look a couple years older with a tie, Mr. Director and not like you’re in college.”
“You’re of no help.”
She bumped into him, “You’ll be fine. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, good night.”
He stood in the lobby and watched as she got into the elevator. Taking in a deep breath, he leaned against the reception desk and waited for his boss.
“You ready Kris?” Robert’s voice boomed down the hallway ahead of the man.
Kris pasted a smile on his face, “Yup.”
“So, I figure we take separate cars so we can just head home after dinner and don’t have to head back this way.”
“Oh, sure, that sounds good.”
Robert turned to him, “Thanks for doing this. For some reason Robin insisted you be there so she could finally meet you.”
“Who’s Robin?”
“Robin?” Robert said punching the elevator call button. “She’s the head of Promise to Foster, they help smaller non-profits with grants, fundraising, promotions and all that. Amazing stuff, so as we’re growing, we can rely on them as we need it. She was at our gala the other night and was impressed with what you did and what you’ve been doing since you’ve been on board.”
“Um, that’s good, right?” Kris asked, still confused.
“It’s great. I’ve known Robin for a while, and she’s good people,” Robert replied as they headed to the parking garage. “Okay, see you at the restaurant.”
“Yup, sounds good,” Kris said as he waited in the elevator. He waited for the doors to open on the next level, as he tried to figure out what about tonight was bugging him. The feeling niggled at him until he pulled up to the valet.
And, there it was…
Zach.
“Kris, there you are,” Zach said with a giant smile.
“Hey, Zach,” Kris said slowly. He took the valet ticket and tucked into his wallet. “How are you?”
“Great…doing great.” Zach grabbed his elbow, “Come on, Robin and Robert are inside already and our table is ready.”
“Didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“Robin insisted when she found out we knew each other,” Zach replied. “She was seriously impressed with your little event the other night. Went on and on about it. Of course, I knew it would be amazing, especially considering what you had to work with. Major coup getting your father to include the film screening and the premiere tickets.”
“Like I said, it was offered, I’d be dumb to pass on it,” Kris stated blandly.
“Yes, yes, naturally,” Zach prattled. “Here we go,” he stopped at the table. “Robin, meet Kris Allen,” he turned to Kris, “Kris, my amazing boss Robin Varina.”
Kris shook her hand and sat between Zach and Robert, across from Robin. “Nice to meet you. Sorry we didn’t get to meet the other night.”
“Pleasure to meet you, too, Kris,” she smiled. “Did you want something to drink?”
“Just water for me right now,” Kris answered.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this already from Zach and Robert, but your event was impressive. I’ve been to a ton of events from local organizations, but wow,” she said.
“Thank you for attending and the kind words,” Kris replied. “I wish I wasn’t running around like a crazy person, I would have made time for you.”
“Not a problem, I know how insane these things can be,” Robin sympathized. “And considering it was as big as it was? Most remarkable considering what Robert’s done in the past.”
Robert laughed, “Hey now. I finally have a team that makes me look good.” He nudged Kris with his shoulder, “Robin here helped me get some key donations and two giant grants that helped allowed me to hire you and Joyce.”
“That’s great,” Kris nodded. “Joyce is amazing.”
“My whole team is amazing,” Robert beamed. “It’s finally coming together.” He held up his wine glass, “To us,” he said.
“To us,” they all cheered.
They ate and drank and talked, but Kris was too busy trying to tamp down the weird feeling at the pit of his stomach. It didn’t happen often, but every time he felt like this, it turned his life upside-down…not in a good way.
**
“Well, as long as you didn’t have to call 911 and Tatiana didn’t keel over in pain, I think you should consider your foray into cooking as a success,” Brad said digging through the refrigerator.
“Shut up, it was fine,” Adam retorted as he finished wiping down the counter. “She actually said…and I quote…it was yummy.”
“Did she finish the meal or hide the evidence into a napkin and throw it away?”
“Funny, only not. And, yes, she finished her meal,” Adam replied and stuck his tongue out. He tossed the dishrag to the side of the sink and started to wash his hands. “I know I have to make a few minor adjustments with the spices, but overall, it was…uh, good.”
“Mmm-hmmm,” Brad said taking a spoon from the drawer. He scooped up a bite of ice cream and twirled around the kitchen. “If you say so.”
“Don’t you have something to do or someplace to be?”
“Not until 10, so I’m hanging out here since my place doesn’t have ice cream.”
“What if I wasn’t home or had company over?”
“Please,” Brad waved his spoon. “I have a set of keys, so I still would have come over and raided your fridge. Plus, since when do you have people over who aren’t me, Tommy or Tatiana? You’re, like, a hermit. If the tabloids knew what kind of boring life you actually have, I think their balls would shrivel up and die a mind-numbingly, dull death.”
“I don’t feel like I need to live my life in public,” Adam scowled. “I need to keep some semblance of privacy.”
“Uh-huh, except when you need the rags to think you’re not into a cute little puppy that likes wearing plaid, but cleans up nice because you want to protect him.” Brad took another bite and spoke with his mouth full, “Really sweet of you, by the way. Oh, and how’s that going anyway? You were grinning like a fool after you came back from your disappearance with Nury at the fundraiser thingie. You get a quickie from a random in the bathroom? I don’t think you’d do anything with a breeder, because I mean, I know it’s been a while sweets, but…”
“Oh fuck off, Brad.”
“What?” Brad squeaked. “You avoided puppy most of the night, you disappear for like half an hour and when you come back to the table, you have a giant smile on your face. Then, you’re chatting with what could have been your in-laws like nothing happened…” he stopped and turned on Adam. “You motherfucker.”
“What?”
“You’re seeing him again aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” Adam repeated and avoided Brad’s eyes.
“You goddamn motherfucking jackhole!” Brad screeched. “You saw him! Why didn’t you tell me?” He slammed the ice cream carton onto the counter. “When? Details, sweets! Details!”
“It’s not like that.”
“Not like what?”
Adam walked to the other end of the kitchen and blew out a breath. Pulling out a chair, he sat on it with one leg under the other and looped his free foot around the leg of the chair, “We met for lunch on Sunday.”
“And?”
“And nothing. I invited him to dinner tonight, but he called and canceled yesterday because he got stuck with a work thing. We’ve been playing phone-tag trying to reschedule.”
“Aren’t you going to New York next week?”
“Yes.”
“So, when are you supposed to meet up?”
Adam shrugged, “Dunno. Maybe this weekend…before I leave on Sunday. Besides, my New York trip is only a couple of days, I’ll be back a week from today, so we can still meet.”
“But you won’t be able to cook.”
“I’ll order pizza. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
The security phone buzzed, making Adam raise an eyebrow. “Brad, did you invite people over again?”
Brad closed the lid on the ice cream carton and was headed back to the refrigerator, “Not my doing, sweets.”
“Weird,” Adam mumbled as he got up to answer. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
“Hey Vince, what is it?” Adam listened, then said, “Oh, yeah, of course, let him through.”
Brad crossed his arms and leaned against the sink, “Who’s here?”
“Kris.”
**
As the flashes went off, strangers with baseball caps and zoom lenses shouted out Zach’s name. Kris gripped Zach’s wrist hard, so hard he heard Zach squeal. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked under his breath.
Zach maintained his smile, though his eyes bore signs of pain, “I’m getting some press for us. It’s no big deal.”
“There’s no reason for paparazzi to be here taking pictures of me…of us together,” Kris muttered between his teeth. “We’re not famous or in the entertainment industry.”
“Please, you’re Neil Allen’s son,” Zach said wrenching his wrist away.
“I have nothing to do with the production house.”
“Nothing wrong with getting your own press. Think about what it’ll do for your profile, your job.”
“Which would be fine if I was at an event or a conference for work. My profile is fine, I don’t need to be in front of cameras all the time,” Kris gritted his teeth. He straightened up, “But apparently you do. You called them and told them you’d be here with me.”
“You never had a problem with getting your picture in the papers when we were in Dallas,” Zach said.
“It was for work!” Kris ground out. “And, I wasn’t society fodder until you had our lives and relationship plastered in the gossip columns every chance you got,” he sneered. “Is that was this is about? You need to be validated by being famous? You need to see your face and name all over the place?”
Zach hissed, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the work you do recognized! If they happen to want to know about me and want my opinions of random things at the same time, there’s nothing I can do. If it opens more doors, then what’s the big deal?”
Kris chuckled ruefully, “Wow.” He paused to rake his fingers through his hair. “Wow, I think I finally get it,” he said. “After all this time.”
Zach pulled his shirt-sleeve down, “Get what. What are you talking about?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Kris saw his car pull up, “Nothing, Zach. Just…have a good night.”
Leaving Zach by the valet stand, Kris drove away. He pounded the steering wheel when he stopped at the light. He finally understood what Cale was trying to tell him. What his parents were too nice to bring up in all the time he and Zach were dating. Yeah, Kris was good and pissed, but to revved up to go home. Times like this he wished he had gotten his own place sooner or at least stayed at his previous apartment, so he could slam the door shut, blast some music and block everything out.
He found himself driving deep into Beverly Hills where the roads got wider, the streets a tad bit less congested and the homes and lawns bigger. Kris glanced at the clock on his dashboard as he pulled up to the driveway he didn’t remember driving to…a little after nine. Lights were on in the house, as well a familiar red Mini in the driveway.
Fuck it, he thought.
Kris had a moment of panic when the security guard called up. What if Adam wasn’t home and Brad was house-sitting again? What if Adam didn’t want to see him after he canceled dinner? He was showing up unannounced, and Hollywood people didn’t do that, did they? They had their people contact other people to make arrangements. People didn’t just show up, right?
“Go on up, Mr. Allen,” the guard said, pushing the button that allowed the gates to open.
Kris sighed a breath of relief. It didn’t matter if it was just Brad at the house. At least he’d have someone to vent his frustrations to, whether Brad deserved it or not. He pulled up next to Brad’s car, for some reason parking next to it instead of behind it. Not wanting to think about it, Kris stepped out and headed to the front door.
As he turned from checking to see if he locked his car, the door opened and cast a tall shadow onto the pathway. Kris looked up to see Adam leaning against the doorjamb, hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked calling out to him.
Kris nodded, unsure of what to say without crumbling at his feet. As he neared the entryway, Adam’s brows creased, but Kris smiled shyly.
“You sure you’re alright?” Adam asked again quietly.
“Yeah, just…” Kris stepped inside and stopped as Adam closed the door behind them. Kris involuntarily shivered as the memory of his back against the door.
He moved inside and away from it. “Found myself driving around, and I ended up here,” he said. Somehow, it felt right. Despite his initial trepidation in coming to Adam’s house, it felt like home.
Adam smiled, “I’m glad. Come on.” He placed a warm hand on Kris’s lower back to lead him toward the kitchen. Kris closed his eyes at the feeling.
“Puppy!” Brad squealed as he half-ran down the hallway. He bounced into Kris’s space and enveloped him in a giant hug, almost wrangling him down to the floor. “What are you doing here?” Brad stretched his arm out to eye Kris from head to toe, “Don’t you just clean up all nice and pretty? You should do it more. I mean, the tux the other night was fabulous, but this is fabulous, too.”
“Oh, and Brad’s here, by the way,” Adam stately flatly.
“Shush, you,” Brad pouted at Adam. “Puppy loves me,” he said wrapping an arm around Kris’s shoulder. “Come on, we have ice cream, and you look like you can use it.”
Kris’s eyes widened in panic and turned to Adam for help, pleading with his eyes as Brad led him into the kitchen.
“Sorry, Kris,” Adam laughed. “We have ice cream.” He followed them in.
**
“So, puppy,” Brad said scooping ice cream into two bowls. “Tell us what’s wrong.”
“Uh, you’re not going to have any?” Kris asked as he eyed the bowls carefully.
Brad stuck the spoon in his mouth as he shut the lid and put the container away. Dropping the spoon into the sink with a loud clatter, “Nope, already had some before you got here. Plus,” he checked his watch, “I need to scoot in about 20 minutes, which should be plenty of time for you to share your story.”
“I don’t have a story,” Kris said, picking up a small spoon.
Adam watched Kris’s hands from across the counter as he played with the spoon and scratched it over the top of the frozen lump with one hand, his head resting heavily in the palm of his other.
“Well, something’s annoyed you because you have that look on your face,” Adam finally said.
Kris looked up from making lines in the ice cream sitting innocuously in the bowl. “I have a look?”
“Yeah,” Adam answered softly. He took a bite of his ice cream and looked down to study his bowl.
Brad cleared his throat, “Puppy…are you going to share or not?”
“Why exactly do you call me puppy?” Kris asked Brad.
“Because I know it annoys you,” Brad shrugged. “Plus, you kind of reminded me of a really cute one when we first met. Your big brown eyes, messed up hair like you just…”
“Brad…” Adam said in warning.
Kris flushed the slightest pink, which made Adam want to kiss Brad for implementing. It was a look he missed on Kris, a look that made him irresistible.
“Come on, puppy,” Brad cajoled. “You know you want to tell us and get it off your finely, muscled chest.”
“Brad!” Adam shouted. He glanced over at Kris, who was now blushing furiously and finding his ice cream incredibly fascinating.
“What?” Brad turned to Adam. “Tell me you haven’t had the urge to feel him up after you hug him just to make sure you weren’t imagining it? Just putting your arm around his shoulder and you can just…”
“Stop, okay? Just…please?” Kris finally choked out. “Uh, so yeah, I’m in a bad mood. I had dinner with my boss, and my ex was there.”
Brad grinned unrepentantly at Adam, “See? He just needed a little motivation to talk.”
“This ex of yours,” Brad said as he sat next to Kris. Adam resisted the urge to reach out and choke the nosey bastard, instead stabbing his ice cream and putting a giant spoonful into his mouth.
“It’s that tan, douche-y looking guy, right?” Brad continued. “The surfer blondie? With the teeth, yeah?” Brad motioned to his own exaggerated smile.
Kris laughed like he couldn’t help it and nodded. He looked to Adam who had to bite his lip to keep from laughing with them. It was Kris’s ex, he wouldn’t do or say anything to disparage it, no matter what he thought.
“He is pretty, but he’s kind of a fame-whore, isn’t he?” Brad asked.
“Yeah,” Kris sighed. “I guess I didn’t see or it didn’t want to. Kind of discovered that the hard way tonight.” He dropped the spoon into the bowl, giving up any pretense of eating.
Adam wanted to reach over and pet him, but instead he got up and took Kris’s bowl and his own to the sink. He’d keep busy while letting Brad do the dirty work and talk shit about the ex. It was wrong, but better Brad than him. He let the warm water and sponge soothe him as he listened into their conversation.
“What happened, puppy?” Brad stopped. “And make it quick, I have to go in ten.”
Kris’s happy laughter filled the kitchen. Adam knew if anyone saw his goofy smile right now, he’d get shit from his friends. It was funny how he could tell the difference between Kris’s laughs.
“He’s a fame whore, plain and simple,” Kris replied. “Apparently, he called the paps, who started taking pictures of us in front of the restaurant while we’re waiting for our cars by the valet. There was no place to hide and no way to avoid them. I mean, who does that?” he asked incredulously.
“Um,” Brad said. “Why do the paps give a fuck who he is?” He made a face as Adam turned and wiped his hands on a towel. “He’s nobody.”
Kris answered, voice tired with a thread of anger underneath, “Yeah, but I’m the son of the co-founder of Black Powder, who is emerging as a major player in Hollywood. I get that it was a big deal in Dallas, so I guess it’s sort of a big deal here.”
“Yeah, but you’re not a part of the production house or anything that has to do with the entertainment industry. I mean, the only time you were…oh…OH.”
“Yup,” Adam said as he walked over to stand next to Kris. “Apparently he wants what he had back in Dallas. Do I have that right?”
Kris nodded and leaned into Adam’s side, “Pretty much.”
Adam curled his arm around Kris’s shoulder and started to rub his arm. “So, he called the paps to be there when you guys finished dinner.”
“I don’t think I would have gotten it if they were taking pictures of all of us, you know?” Kris said. “My boss, his boss, I mean, they’re kind of big deals, I guess, in the business world. Not that I think anyone other than the LA Times business and society section would give a fuck.”
“Puppy! You cursed!” Brad squealed. He kissed Adam on the cheek, “I like this side of him,” then bent over to kiss Kris’s temple, “With that I’m off. Call if you’d like to join us later.” He grabbed his keys and blew kisses at them before leaving the kitchen.
Adam waited until he heard the door shut before looking down at Kris, “You want a drink or anything else? You didn’t have any ice cream.”
Kris shook his head against Adam’s side, “Thanks for listening. I…I don’t know why I came here.”
“I’m just glad you did.” Adam gave Kris’s arm a final rub before patting it. “Come on, let me get some water and we can veg out in front of the TV for a bit.”
“Sounds good.”
**
Kris took off his suit jacket and placed it on the back of a recliner. He shook his head and tried to hold in a snort.
“What?” Adam asked as he walked into the den. “What’s so funny?”
“You don’t seem like the type to have a recliner,” Kris said pointing to it. “Especially after seeing how your kitchen and living room and the rest of the place is decorated.”
“It was my dad’s,” Adam said chuckling. “His girlfriend threatened to leave him if he kept it in the house. It’s comfy, so I brought it here under the pretense that he could enjoy it whenever he visits. Tatiana mocks me whenever she sees me napping on it. You can try it out if you want.”
“I think I’d pass out if I did, but thanks.” Kris took the bottle of water Adam offered and sat on one corner of the couch. “This your office slash den?”
“Yeah, I do most of my script reading and general work shit in here with Tatiana. Conference calls, emails,” Adam answered sweeping his arm around the room. “Just more, I don’t know…”
“Normal?” Kris answered with a smirk.
Adam picked up a cushion and made a swipe at Kris’s head. Kris laughed and ducked out of the way.
“Ass.”
Kris almost blurted out something completely inappropriate, but instead grabbed the remote. “Are you sure I’m not interrupting anything major? I mean, I know we were supposed to have dinner tonight, but if you made plans to go out with Brad…”
“No,” Adam said sitting down on the other end of the couch. “I was actually going to read over a couple of scripts and maybe go over some song choices.” He glanced over at Kris, “So, no…you’re not interrupting plans.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Kris stared at Adam, eyes roaming over his beautiful face. He knew that not many people got the chance to see him like this, relaxed in loose jeans and a thread-bare t-shirt, bare feet, hair without styling products. He liked it…a lot.
“Uh, you can stream something over NetFlix if you don’t find a show you want to watch,” Adam said, breaking the silence and eye contact.
“Oh, uh, I’ll just catch up on ESPN or something,” Kris glanced at his watch. “I’d be watching SportsCenter right now anyway.”
“Oh my god,” Adam exclaimed, bending over to laugh.
“What?”
“You’re such a straight gay, it’s not even funny.”
“There’s no such thing,” Kris said with a pout.
“Of course not, honey,” Adam said. “Watch your…” he shivered, “sports while I read.”
Kris flipped through the channels until he found ESPN. He took off the cufflinks and tie, and got up to stuff them into his jacket pocket. Rolling his shirt sleeves up and unbuttoning his shirt at the throat, he froze as Adam’s heated gaze rolled over him.
“No need to stop on my account,” Adam choked out, obviously trying to make it a light-hearted statement, but his voice was slightly deeper, breathing harder.
“I…uh…” Kris flushed again, as he tried to say something coherent; he looked up to see Adam’s head down reading the pages in his hands.
As Kris settled back into his corner of the couch, his hand gripped the remote tightly. Unable to focus on the television screen, his body was instead focused on the man just two feet away. Adam’s mere presence, his closeness, his scent was washing over him in giant waves. Time passed-minutes? Hours?-Kris felt himself relax, the stress and anger leaving him, the soft sound of Adam turning pages, his breathing, allowed his body to melt into the seat. Not fighting the sensation, Kris closed his eyes.
A noise, a movement…something woke Kris up with a start. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in an unfamiliar dark room, yet he wasn’t freaked out. Adam’s house his brain finally supplied him. He must have fallen asleep. Bringing up his arm, he tried to check the time, unable to move much. A sturdy arm tightened around his body, and awareness flared as he realized Adam was wrapped around him on the couch.
“Mmmmm…go back to sleep,” Adam’s voice, heavy with sleep, complained from behind him. His breath was warm and tickled the back of Kris’s neck. “Too early.”
Running his hand over Adam’s arm, Kris let his fingers slide down until their hands met. He curled his fingers around Adam’s and brought their intertwined hands up until they rested in the center of his chest. Kris closed his eyes and let sleep take him again.
The next time Kris opened his eyes, his back was cold, exposed to the air. He glanced up and over to the other side of the couch to see bright blue eyes staring down at him, tracing the features of his face. Adam’s hands continued to rub his legs.
“Hey,” Kris whispered.
“Hey yourself, sleepy head,” Adam said softly.
“What time is it?” Kris asked, shifting his body a little. He smiled inwardly as Adam’s arm tensed and squeezed his calf and ankle.
“Around four.”
“I…I should get going. I have to go to work.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of them moved. The sudden shriek and horn of a car alarm finally shook them out of their trance. Kris sat up and scooted over, leaning close to Adam’s face; brushing a soft kiss on his lips, he said, “I should go.”
Adam nodded slowly, eyes still closed. Kris wriggled his legs out of Adam’s grasp and carefully got off the couch. Adam sat up and rubbed his hands over his face and hair. Smiling as he grabbed his jacket, Kris went back to the couch and cupped Adam’s face.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Come over tomorrow night,” Adam said as he pulled Kris to stand in between his legs. “I leave Sunday morning for New York, but I want to see you before I leave.”
Kris leaned down to kiss his cheek, “Are you going to cook?”
Adam laughed, “No promises.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday then.”
**
“I hope the entire lot of them get fired,” Adam groused as he paced the floor. “Seriously, how do you fuck up something like this?”
Tatiana was typing furiously on two different laptops, and talking on the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. Adam bit down on his bottom lip afraid the poor girl was going to get a massive crick in her neck. She was nodding, apparently wrapping up her conversation.
With a flurry of keystrokes, she hit a button on one computer, turned to the other and whapped the keyboard on that one with relish, and then released the phone trapped between her head and collar. It fell to her side as she absentmindedly petted it.
“Okay, so there’s really nothing we can do to change the appointments,” she said checking her notepad. “The two people who were handling this, um, anyway you’re on the red-eye out tonight. Changes to your hotel and car have been made, no problem there. Unfortunately, trying to cancel the sit-down interviews with 20/20 and Time didn’t happen in time. And, Christi wasn’t able to reschedule her meeting tonight, so she’ll be on the early morning flight out tomorrow as planned and will meet you tomorrow afternoon at the hotel before you head to the premiere.”
“The premiere? Premiere for what?”
Ignoring him, Tatiana continued, “The main schedule for the junket hasn’t changed, that starts Monday morning in a suite one floor down from where you’ll be. Hair and make-up people will be there, the wardrobe rack will be in the room for you to change. All the TV outlets will be bringing their own camera crews. For GMA and Today, you’ll be going to the studios for a live segment. That’s Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but you have Letterman Wednesday afternoon.” She grabbed her laptop and typed in something. Adam turned as he heard the printer activate. “Let’s see, a bunch of print magazines, you’re schedule…damn, well, we’ll have lunch and dinner catered for you.”
“Um,” Tatiana went on saying. “It looks like you’ll have a couple of 15 minute breaks to run up to your room if you want those two days. Then, Thursday is split between the People and Entertainment Weekly photo shoots start in the morning, and Nury will be there with you. That’ll be all day and probably go through the night, expect an 18-hour day.” She checked her phone and scrolled through it quickly, “Let’s see, Friday and Saturday you’re free until noon, then the car will get you and Nury for the interviews and photo shoots for Film & Video and FilmMaker with Anoop. He’s flying in on the red-eye Thursday and will meet you at the photo studio where everything will take place. Then…”
“Stop!”
Tatiana looked up, face frazzled, “What?”
Adam rolled his eyes, “This is completely asinine.”
“I know, boss, but there’s nothing that can be done.” Tatiana slumped back into the couch. “But, at least you like New York, right? And after the crazy week, you’ll be done until the movie’s premiere in a few weeks.”
“What happens if I don’t show up?”
“Well,” she said carefully, “I’m pretty sure the words conniption and heart attack would be involved.”
“This is so fucked up. People can’t communicate properly, and the fact that even Christi didn’t know? Seriously fucked up,” Adam vented.
“Well, from what I see,” Tatiana said scrolling through her phone again, “Neil’s on a rampage, along with Christi.” She laughed as she typed something back, “And Black Powder’s new PR agency is totally freaking out. Apparently Jeremy got the agency’s general manager involved, and…” she made a face. “Ouch.”
“Who are you talking to? Where are you getting this information?” Adam said curious.
“Two new folks, and wow, I think they’re going to be fired.” She paused. “Aww, poor things.”
“You feel bad for them? This would’ve been a nightmare if Christi didn’t get involved.”
“It’s just, it seems like that the two people who were assigned to this, they’re new, boss. Try not to be pissed.” She paused. “They can’t all be fabulous and amazing at their jobs like me,” she said with a smile.
Adam laughed and Tatiana giggled.
“Not my problem, I need to go pack now,” he sighed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, “You’re amazing.”
“I know,” she said sticking out her tongue.
“Fuck, I have to rethink what to wear, call Kris. I wonder if Brad…”
“Wait, what?”
Adam stopped at the door, “What, what?”
“Call Kris?” Tatiana gasped. “Kris Allen? You guys finally rescheduled? Oh, that sucks.”
“Yes and yes,” Adam beamed. “But, this time I have to cancel on him. And, yeah, it sucks.”
“On the plus side, you have time to try out a few more recipes.”
Adam laughed, “Hush, you know it was good.”
“Eh.”
“You’re still alive,” he said as he walked out of the room. “I call that a win.”
**
Part 9, then almost done ...over here...