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  "Luke, man. There you are." The voice shattered the silence, the bones in Jay's neck grinding together as he jumped. "Oh, good. You found Jay ."

  5

  L uke rubbed his temples, glaring at Kurt as he strode over. The heat of the little artist's skin was still imprinted into his hands .

  "How much wine have you had?" he hissed as Kurt wrapped himself like an octopus around Jay .

  "Relax." Kurt set the delicate omega back on his feet and grinned at him. "Sorry about him. Remember me ?"

  "Hi, Kurt," Jay said, his voice flat. "How's your mother ?"

  "Still trying to set me up with nice girls in hopes of grandchildren," he said cheerfully. "You remember Luke, of course. I figured he'd want to catch up with you, so I dragged him out of his hermit hole ."

  "Kurt," Luke said, trying to push away the headache that was making the skin around his left eye twitch. "I don't think we've met ."

  Kurt snorted. "Sure you guys have." He frowned when they both stared at him blankly. "Summer of senior year?" He poked Luke in the chest. "You stayed at the Danvilles’ for part of the summer because your dad was stuck in the Caribbean on some couples retreat ."

  The blood drained out of Jay's face right before Luke choked on air, the memory of big blue eyes hitting him hard. Bent at the waist, he coughed and tried to shove Kurt off of him as the bigger man pounded his back .

  "Luke?" Jay said distantly. He was staring at something off to the side, and as Luke got his breathing under control, he followed his gaze to the soothing blue beach painting. It was a punch to the gut, seeing the sandal and the water now .

  "The lake house," he said quietly, and Jay flinched. "Sorry ."

  Shaking his head, Jay pulled on a strained smile, refusing to meet their eyes as he offered his hand. "It's Collins now, Jay Collins. I'm glad you could make it ."

  His hand was ice cold in Luke's grip, and he resisted the urge to warm it up. "I knew you'd be a great artist one day," he said, trying to fill the silence .

  Jay didn't even glance at him, turning to scan the crowd. "I should greet the rest of the guests. I hope you guys enjoy the show. If you need anything, let one of the staff know." He backed away as he spoke .

  Stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching after him, Luke nodded. "Good luck," he said. His eyes tracked the petite form through the crowd. Now that he was looking for it, he could see the familiar freckles across the nose, the reddish cast to the eyebrows that hinted at the hair hidden under dark dye. He barely remembered those few days of summer at the lake anymore, but he still berated himself for not recognizing Jay. As a freshman, he'd hung around the Sigma Alpha Omega house most of Luke's junior year .

  Kurt was watching him, one eyebrow raised, and Luke turned away pointedly. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, trying to preempt his frat brother's insatiable curiosity .

  "How about we head out?" Kurt asked, slinging an arm over his shoulder .

  Luke glanced at him, surprised by his tact and the sympathy in his eyes. "You just want to get me alone to interrogate me," he grumbled, but couldn't help the grateful smile that stretched his lips .

  "Am I so predictable?" Setting his empty glass down on the tray of a passing waitress, Kurt steered them through the crowd. "I'm going to have to come up with some new tricks ."

  "Please don't." Luke shivered as they stepped into the cool night air, his eyes drawn back to the light of the gallery. "I think you owe me a couple drinks. Real ones," he said before he could overthink it .

  Kurt frowned at him in concern but nodded. "You're never too old to get smashed with friends," he said, his voice cheerful even though he was watching Luke a little too closely .

  "I'll even let you drag out all my secrets as long as you make sure I'm drunk enough not to remember," Luke said, relief making the joke come out shaky .

  "Can I get that in writing?" Kurt patted him on the back as they separated to get into the car. "I know just the place ."

  * * *

  "I hate you," Luke mumbled, his head pounding .

  "You gave me a free pass, man," Kurt said, his voice over the awful phone connection slicing into Luke's brain until he wanted to dig out his ears just to make it stop .

  "Please, be quiet." His stomach twisted as he settled back on the bed. The shrill ring of the phone had almost made him cry, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and feel nothing for a week .

  "I left you some painkillers on your bedside table, and a glass of that stuff you take for your ulcers, just in case." In the background, someone laid on a horn, and Luke flinched. "I'm flying out first thing tomorrow, but I thought we could go to dinner tonight. I have reservations at Chateau l'Estelle ."

  "I'm dead," Luke said, stretching his arm out blindly until he stuck his finger in the thick, chalky ulcer medication. "I'll probably still be dead later." He'd be lying if he said that the thought of dining at the exclusive five-star restaurant didn't tempt him, though .

  "Liar," Kurt said. "Take the meds, sweetheart, and I'll be by at seven. Wear something pretty for me ."

  "How has your mother not figured out yet that you're gay?" His stomach grumbled, and Luke admitted to himself that short of actually being dead, he'd let Kurt drag him out to dinner. "No drinks," he said firmly, " and you're paying ."

  "My mother subsists on a strict diet of denial and Valium. I've got to go ."

  The silence of the line going dead was so heavenly that Luke drifted off a bit until the phone beeped a low battery warning at him. Feeling slightly less likely to puke if he sat up, Luke managed to get his phone plugged in and take some painkillers without spilling more than half of the glass on his sheets. He couldn't get his shaking hands to set it upright on the nightstand, so he dropped it over the side of the bed. He'd clean up the puddle later .

  By the time the sun slanted through the blinds on his bedroom window, waking him up for the third time that day, he had only one goal. Still in his boxers, with his hair standing on end, he shuffled out of bed, cursing as his foot sank into the wet spot on the carpet. He left it there, collapsing on the couch in the living room and turning on the TV .

  A dozen episodes of reality TV later, a firm banging on his front door woke him from a light doze. Kurt's cursing and cajoling in Spanish drifted through the condo, and he dragged himself to his feet so that he wouldn't end up with a noise complaint from the neighbors .

  "You said seven." He squinted at his watch accusingly .

  Kurt looked him up and down, unimpressed with his appearance. "I said to be ready at seven. You haven't even showered, and I'm not taking you to the Chateau smelling like last night's vodka ."

  Luke was resigned enough to let him hurry them back upstairs, but he drew the line when Kurt tried to undress him. "I think I can handle it from here." Kurt remained skeptical but left him in the bathroom to clean up .

  The hot water felt incredible, and he stayed in the shower longer than necessary. Drying off, he had to admit that besides the dark circles under his eyes, he looked completely recovered .

  In his bedroom, one of his nicer suits was laid out on the bed. He rolled his eyes at Kurt's obsessive tendencies and purposely chose a less formal, but more expensive, pair of gray slacks to wear instead. Kurt gave him a sour look when he reached the living room but didn't comment, shoving a mug of coffee into his hands .

  "I've missed this," Luke said, savoring a sip of the strong, black Cuban coffee. "I can never make it quite the same ."

  "You only love me for my coffee." Kurt trie
d to look offended, but couldn't be bothered to look away from his phone. "Your fund is up 12% this quarter," he said with a satisfied smile .

  Clapping him on the back, Luke wandered toward the kitchen. "Remind me to increase your Christmas bonus," he teased. The kitchen was his favorite part of the condo, done up in professional grade appliances with plenty of storage. He dug around in his pantry for the chocolate chip cookies he'd baked last weekend when he couldn't sleep .

  "Don't spoil your dinner," Kurt called. "Do you have any peanut butter ones ?"

  Luke rolled his eyes, grabbing another container and handing it over as he pointedly stuffed two cookies into his mouth. Kurt tucked the box under one arm, still tapping away on his phone .

  "We should get going. Traffic is a beast ."

  "Traffic is always a beast," Luke said with his mouth full. Kurt grimaced in disgust, brushing crumbs off his jacket. Luke reached out to take the cookies back and ended up with a swat for his troubles .

  "I didn't say I was going to eat them now," Kurt said. "These are for my flight." He herded Luke out the door and into the elevator .

  "They make cookies in Miami, you know." Luke licked a smear of chocolate off his finger, checking his reflection in the elevator door .

  "Not like yours," Kurt said as he pressed a messy kiss to Luke's cheek. "You're the best, baby ."

  Luke shoved him off, knocking their shoulders together as they headed for Kurt's car .

  Chateau l'Estelle was in a neighborhood that looked vaguely familiar to Luke. It was full of trendy boutiques and high-end shopping experiences, so he assumed that he had been in the area for a gallery show with Liam. Perhaps it was just him, but the glow of the lights in the windows looked tacky, like fake gold earrings .

  There was nothing so pedestrian as a check-in counter, and as they walked in, the maitre d' directed them to the glittering bar off to one side. Luke couldn't even bring himself to look at the racks of expensive bottles stacked on glass shelves behind the counter. He ignored Kurt's muffled snicker and scanned the room .

  Tucked off to one side, the bar was dim and intimate with little tables arranged seemingly at random. Along the wall, comfortable couches arrayed in the sort of seating areas you'd expect to see in a hotel lobby were packed with people. For all that there was a steady flow of conversations, the room was surprisingly quiet. Too quiet .

  Over the heads of dozens of people, Luke heard a familiar laugh. His blood froze in his veins, and he tried to convince himself that he was hearing things. After Liam had left, he spent weeks seeing his face in the streets and hearing his voice in every murmur of background noise. It was just his imagination .

  Wandering toward the French doors that opened onto the terrace, Luke scanned the tables to reassure himself. The crowd shifted, and he stumbled to a halt. Sitting with a group of men and women that Luke recognized from countless late-night artistic conferences and pep talks, Liam looked amazing. His hair had grown, and there were new lines around his eyes, but he was smiling, soft and sweet, as he gestured with the glass in one hand .

  Luke traced the curve of his lip, his breath catching at the light in those vibrant hazel eyes. For a moment, he was transported back in time. He took a step forward, his hand itching to brush the flyaway hair out of Liam's face and press a kiss to the bunch of freckles next to his left eye .

  A strong hand caught him by the elbow, steering him toward the terrace. "You really don't want to go there, man," Kurt said gently .

  Reality landed with crushing force across Luke's shoulders, hunching him under its weight. He nodded, allowing Kurt to lead him into the fresh air. He couldn't help stealing one last glance as they walked away, and as he committed to memory the shadow of Liam's lashes against his fair skin, their eyes met .

  Panicking, Luke ducked behind Kurt. Cursing under his breath, he scanned the small patio for an escape route .

  "Go grab the car," Kurt said, pressing his keys into Luke's hand. "I'll let them know we're leaving ."

  Luke gripped the keys so tightly that he was sure he'd have an imprint in his palm all the way home. "Thank you," he whispered. Turning away from the restaurant, he lifted one foot to hop over the knee-high decorative fence that separated him from freedom .

  "Luke?"

  It was so tempting just to keep going. He allowed himself a moment of petty anger, imagining the way Liam's face would crumble. In the end, he couldn't do it .

  "Liam." He turned around slowly, bracing himself for the impact of looking down into his ex-boyfriend's eyes. "I didn't know you were back in town ."

  "I'm not. Not exactly." He smiled sheepishly, the generous curve of his lip crinkling in a way that always made Luke want to kiss him. "There's a big charity show next weekend, and I donated a couple of pictures." He glanced at Kurt but kept his focus on Luke. It had always been that way when they were together. Liam had a way of focusing that made Luke feel like the center of the world. "How are you? You look great. I was worried ."

  Kurt rolled his eyes, his normally easy-going expression set in hard lines. "You worried so much, you walked out without a word ."

  Luke could understand why Kurt felt the need to take sides, but he didn't need help fighting his battles .

  Liam flushed, biting his lip and picking at the hem of his shirt. He looked back at his table, all the artists watching with avid interest. They were a gossipy bunch, and Luke knew that anything that happened here would be all over town in minutes .

  "Can you check our reservation?" Luke asked with a not-so-subtle nudge. Kurt grumbled but left. Luke turned and gazed down the street, his heart aching too much to look at Liam any longer. "I'm good," he said eventually, discarding the first four responses that came to mind in favor of being polite .

  Stepping closer so that their shoulders brushed, Liam sighed. "I'm glad." The breeze from inside the building carried wafts of his cologne, unchanged over their time apart, and Luke found himself breathing deep. "I've really missed you," the omega added, ducking his head. "It was hard to sleep when I first got to Taos ."

  "You could have stayed," Luke said, instantly regretting it .

  "We both know I couldn't." Liam smiled sadly, his eyes soft. "I needed to get out of my rut ."

  Luke gritted his teeth, swallowing down the angry words that wanted to spill into the air. "How's the desert ?"

  "Great. It's hot and sandy, and I've finished more paintings than the rest of my career combined ."

  Luke stared at him, shamed by the glow that suffused him when he talked about his art. He wanted to be angry about the implied insult to their relationship, but he knew from experience that Liam didn't mean it cruelly. Casting about for something to say, he seized on Kurt's return with desperate enthusiasm. "You remember Kurt, of course ."

  "It's good to see you again," Liam said. He extended his hand but didn't look surprised when Kurt completely ignored him .

  "Our table's almost ready," Kurt said. He opened his mouth to continue, but his attention was grabbed by something across the street. "I'll be back in a second." He hopped over the rail and headed for a coffee shop down the block .

  Utterly confused, Luke stared after him. "My life is out of control," he said, exchanging an amused glance with Liam .

  "It usually is when Kurt is around." His eyes ran over Luke's face like a caress. "You really do look fantastic," he said, resting his hand lightly on Luke's arm. In the chill of the night air, his fingers were cool, eagerly absorbing the heat from Luke's skin .

  "Looks like I have perfect timing," Kurt said, climbing back over the rail. He wasn't alone, a slender figure tucked up behind him. "Look who
I found, running late as always ."

  Liam sprang back, tucking his hand away in his pocket. Luke resisted the urge to grab it back. Turning to greet Kurt's guest, he was surprised to find Jay looking around with a shell-shocked expression .

  Before he could say a word, Kurt elbowed him in the ribs. "Liam," he said, suspiciously cheerful, "I don't believe you've met Jay Collins." He manhandled Jay until the omega was tucked neatly between the two alphas, somehow making it seem as though it was all Luke's doing .

  Jay flashed Luke a despairing glance, looking as though he wanted to sink into the floor. Well aware of how Kurt could upset even the best laid plans, Luke patted him on the shoulder in commiseration .

  Liam had backed off a few more steps, his eyebrow raised. "Nice to meet you," he said tentatively. "Are you a friend of Kurt's ?"

  "If only," Kurt said with a hand pressed against his chest. "Jay has never had eyes for anyone but Luke ."

  Luke groaned under his breath. There had been many times in his life where he had regretted Kurt's attempts to 'fix' a situation, but this was probably the worst. He stepped forward to attempt damage control, but Jay beat him to it, extending his hand .

  "He's been the only alpha for me since I was seventeen," he said dryly. It was so unconvincing that Luke burst out laughing. Jay stomped on his foot, frowning deeply. "It's not that funny ."

  "It's a good thing you aren't a performance artist." Clutching at the stitch in his side, Luke ruffled the omega's dark hair .

  Jay chuckled. "I suppose it wasn't my best show ."

  Liam watched them through narrowed eyes, but before Luke could explain, the hostess appeared to lead them to their table. With Kurt clinging to them both like a barnacle, he didn't have time to linger .

  "It was good to see you," he said, surprised to find that he meant it. He tried not to read anything into the fact that Liam was still watching as they disappeared around the corner .