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“You have never even been in a closet. You told your parents you were going to marry Baryshnikov when you were seven, and they were nice enough not to point out your bad taste. You went to a high school for the arts. You don’t have any idea.”

“You don’t either! It’s not like you have any kind of experience. Just because you had friends who had it harder than me, doesn’t mean you know better than me. You’re straight. You can imagine all you want, but that doesn’t mean you get it.” Sean stood. He’d have to hear the same thing from Alana in the morning, but it would have been nice to enjoy the afterglow of his impromptu date for a few hours. He let the door to his room slam, and for once Travis had the sense not to continue the argument though the door.

“R
EALLY
?” A
LANA
said, rolling her eyes at him before turning back to the barre. She let her leg slide down the barre until she was in a full side split. “You realize that their rehearsal is after ours, and Travis is going to make sure that by the time Jaime gets here and sees you, you’ll be covered in sweat. All your effort to figure out which pants make your ass look the best without looking like you’re trying will be wasted.”

Sean considered pointing out that Jaime probably wouldn’t even see him until after he’d had a chance to shower and change, but then she’d just laugh at how much more ridiculous his efforts were, and she wasn’t wrong. Instead, he started his own warm-up without answering.

“We’re not going to talk you out of this, are we?” Alana asked after a minute of silence.

“I like him.” It might sound like he was thirteen again, but it had been at least a year since a guy had made Sean feel that stupid giddy jump in his chest with each laugh.

“Well then, I guess I might as well admit that if he does get a chance to see you in it, he might not mind the smell with how that tank top is pretty much just painted on. How will you even get that off later? Are you hoping he can just rip it right off your body?”

“More information than I ever needed,” Travis deadpanned as he walked through the door and went straight to the stereo to set up the music. Somehow they’d managed to pass each other in the apartment and the studio without really acknowledging each other for the past two days.

“Oh shit.” Alana looked from him to Travis and back. “We’re both going to die today because you’re mad at him, and you think you have to kill us both equally. I have not done anything. I discouraged this from the beginning. I told you about it right away!”

“You both get sloppy on the last set of grands jetés en tournant. They’re at the end, and you’re tired. Obviously we need to build up your endurance so that stops happening.”

You owe me. You owe me so much
, Alana mouthed as they finished their warm-up with a series of grands battements en cloche.

Two hours later, Sean was wishing he hadn’t decided on a tank top so tight that he couldn’t pull it away from his chest to fan the sweat and cool himself off. His water bottle was almost empty enough to not make a mess if he gave up and just dumped the rest over his head. Travis glanced at his watch, but instead of calling the rehearsal finished, he waved them back to their starting position.

“One more time. Do it full-on and you’re done. Otherwise I’m sure the interns won’t mind you running into their rehearsal. They can watch while they finish warming up.”

Later, he was going to point out that they were already running over, and Travis knew that. He opened the door and waved Michael and Lupe into the room so they could see how much they would suffer if Travis decided to continue his wrath with them. It wasn’t until they’d finished the full dance that he had a chance to glance at the door and catch a glimpse of Jaime watching through the window. He was rewarded with a small smile before Jaime ducked his head down to the side and disappeared from view.

Alana took a long drink from her own bottle of water and looked to make sure Lupe and Michael were smart enough to give Travis their full attention before leaning close enough to whisper. “Fine. He’s adorable. But you still owe me a spa day if rehearsal is like this next week.”

Sean nodded as he tried to towel off some of the sweat. He’d been hoping to get a shower before texting Jaime to see if he wanted to kill time together—which was probably exactly why Travis had made sure he was late and sweaty and exhausted. He wasn’t even sure he could sit through dinner anywhere. He could maybe manage to stretch to cool down, take a hot shower, and stumble to the subway.

As it was, Jaime was nowhere in sight when he stepped into the hallway. Maybe he’d read the exhaustion off Sean and decided to cut out. They hadn’t actually made solid plans. He headed toward the dressing room before Alana could catch up and notice his disappointment.

He was digging in his bag when he noticed the light blinking on his phone and went to check his texts.

Meet me outside where I parked last time?

Sean didn’t bother to hide his smile. Travis had made them run late enough that the dressing room was deserted.

Yeah. I just need a shower. 15 minutes?

Jaime’s reply came only seconds later.

Sure. Tease. Why don’t I live in the city where I can take you home to shower with me?

Sean let his phone fall back into his bag before hurrying through his shower. It was tempting to linger as the hot water ran over his muscles, but they were going to lose time already and if Travis thought about it, he might actually end rehearsal on time. By the time he’d dried off and forced himself into the tight jeans that had seemed like a good idea when he’d tossed them in his bag, it was only an hour and a half before Lupe’s rehearsal would be finished.

Outside, Jaime was leaning against his car, fiddling with his phone. Sean had only a few seconds to admire the way the setting sun gleamed off his skin before Jaime noticed him approaching and looked up.

“Hey.” Jaime smiled and started to reach for him, then halted. “Are we safe here?”

Sean almost explained that they were in the safest part of Chelsea before he realized Jaime was asking if someone might see them and tell Lupe.

“Yeah. No one else would park here. Everyone else would be going toward the subway.”

“Good.” Jaime’s smile reappeared, and he reached again for Sean’s arm to pull him in. “Because I still can’t believe you withheld on the first date. Do you have a rule? Because that’s very outdated.”

He didn’t give Sean a chance to answer before he pressed their lips together in a slow kiss Sean couldn’t help prolonging as Jaime’s hand came up to tangle in the short hair at the base of his neck. When he pulled back, Sean let himself stay pressed against Jaime. He let his lips brush against Jaime’s neck before giving in to the rubbery weight of his tired limbs and letting Jaime support more of his weight.

“You’re completely dead, aren’t you? My chances of talking you into passing the next hour in the backseat of my car are not looking good.”

Sean laughed into his neck.

“Even if I ignore that you think I have the standards of a fifteen-year-old with a curfew, there is no way I can cram myself into that space right now.”

“That is a ridiculous argument after what I just saw you doing in there. You can most definitely bend in any way necessary,” Jaime said, but there wasn’t even a hint of annoyance in his voice. He grazed his fingers over Sean’s arms, and he pressed a kiss to the top of Sean’s head.

“How much did you watch?”

“About three minutes. I have high hopes for your endurance in the future, if that’s what you were doing for two hours.” Jaime’s hand drifted to his waist, where he slipped his fingers under Sean’s shirt to skim over bare skin. “It’s possible I should have considered how hot you’d make me and how you’d be too tired to enjoy it before I made an excuse to come inside and spy on you.”

“It is kind of stalker behavior,” Sean said. He pressed closer and let himself relax in Jaime’s arms.

“Then we’re even for last week.” The smile was clear in Jaime’s voice as his arms settled around Sean’s waist. “You want to stand like this for an hour, or do you live close enough for me to make sure you can get home without falling asleep on the train? I’d drive you, but it’s hell enough getting in and out of the city.”

“About half an hour?” He really hadn’t planned on taking Jaime back to the apartment, but Travis wouldn’t be home until after Jaime had to leave anyway.

“So, just enough time to get you there and come back. Can I bargain my way to a real date on the way?”

“You can try.”

Jaime laughed as they pulled apart and started the walk to the station.

“Are you always this difficult, or are you just taking advantage of your own exhaustion to act like you are?”

Sean shrugged and decided not to answer. The exasperated look that earned him only made it better even if he gave himself away by snuggling against Jaime as soon as they found seats on the train.

He let himself relax and enjoy Jaime’s arm around him as they settled into a comfortable silence. Jaime traced light patterns on his shoulder until they reached his stop.

“You could stay for a few minutes?” Sean said when they reached his door. They only had twenty minutes before Jaime had to go back, but he couldn’t help asking.

“I should be worried about myself that I’m going to agree to that when you can barely stand.” Jaime shook his head, but followed Sean into the apartment and sat next to him on the couch. “Are rehearsals always that rough? Should I be worried about Lupe’s health?”

“Travis is always tough, but he never pushes harder than you can take. He just sometimes pushes right to edge of what I can take.” Sean shrugged. “He’s kind of mad at me, and he’ll be more careful with the kids, anyway.”

“He’s mad at you, so he takes it out on you in rehearsal?” Jaime’s eyes narrowed a bit, and Sean couldn’t help jumping to Travis’s defense.

“He’s worried more than mad. He’s just being overprotective in a really annoying way.”

“How is working you to exhaustion protecting you from anything?” Jaime asked, but Sean must have given something away with his expression, because he pulled away from Sean and sat back before Sean could come up with an excuse. “Wow. I haven’t even really met your best friend, and he hates me already. I think that’s a record for me.”

“He doesn’t hate you.”

“So he doesn’t think I’m good enough for you, or he wants you for himself?” Jaime frowned when Sean couldn’t help chuckling.

“Sorry. It’s just that he’s straight. Very straight. I’m sure. We’ve been roommates since a few months after we got into the company six years ago.”

“So?”

“So, it’s stupid, and I really don’t give a shit what he thinks anyway.” When Jaime gave him a doubtful look, Sean reached over to pull at his arm. “You have ten minutes before you have to leave. Do you want to spend those ten minutes talking about Travis?”

Jaime laughed and let Sean pull him closer.

“No. But I do want to find out when you’ll have more than ten minutes for me.”

“Tomorrow? Or next Sunday. Sundays are pretty much always free until we hit our main season.”

“I’m good with tomorrow. You want to come up to Purchase? I can take the train here, but in Purchase I can promise a roommate whose not going to cockblock.”

“I can make a trip if you’re picking me up from the train. I don’t bother with having a car here.”

“Just give me a time when you figure it out.”

Sean nodded before pulling Jaime toward him again. He might be too old to hook up in the back of a car, but he was never going to be above making out on the couch.

S
EAN
WAS
lying in bed trying to read when the familiar knocks on his door came. He’d heard Travis come home an hour earlier, and had decided he’d rather not ruin another good end to his day and face him.

“I’m taking your silence as a cue that you’re not jerking off and it’s safe to open the door. I’m going to open it now if you don’t warn me not to,” Travis called through the cheap wood before pushing the door open. He didn’t try to enter the room, but he stepped in just enough to lean against the doorframe.

“Have you ever considered that maybe if I wanted to talk to you, I’d actually answer you?”

“No. If you don’t want me to come in, you yell at me to go away.”

“And you still ignore me.” Sean let the book he wasn’t reading fall onto the bed. “So say it. Whatever judgment you want to throw at me, go for it.”

“I’m not judging. I just don’t want to watch you refusing to leave your room and get dressed unless I yell at you like we’re in rehearsal. It’s disturbing. It makes Alana say we have some kind of relationship I’d really like her to stop trying to explain to me.”

“That’s not going to happen again.”

“There’s a pretty high chance.” Travis held up his hands before Sean could argue. “But clearly you’re not planning on listening to me, and I can’t make you. It’s your life. And your stupid humane mousetrap has something in it, and if you don’t take it out, I’m buying fifteen regular ones and covering them with peanut butter—your shitty organic peanut butter.”

Chapter 3