“You’re in D.C.? Were you even going to ring your mother?” she huffs.
“Of course,” I lie. I had no intention of letting them know I was in the city. “I only just got in.” That part is actually true.
“Alright then. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late, Mitchell.”
Before I can answer, the line clicks off. Damn, she’s angrier than I thought. I guess I can’t blame her for being thrown off when her supposedly straight son starts appearing in gossip magazines as the gay lover of a rock star.
I rejoin the group as they pass out keys and make their way to the elevators. “Sorry,” I tell Gavin when I catch up.
All I get is silence in return. The other guys are in the elevator with us, as well as security, so I wait to speak again until we’re in our suite.
“Are you mad?” I ask as soon as the door shuts behind us.
Gavin brushes past me, headed for the bedroom.
“Hey! Don’t shut me out. What’s going on?” I grab his arm and he spins around, wrenching out of my grasp.
“You know, Mitch. If there’s something you don’t want me to know, you don’t have to slink away to do it,” he snaps.
“What?” I pull back, shocked. “I’m not slinking away. That was my mom.” Gavin’s eyebrows go up under the shaggy blonde fringe that I love to run my hands through.
“Your mom? You finally spoke to her?”
“Yeah.” I duck my head, embarrassed.
He knows I’ve been avoiding her calls the last few weeks. And I’m sure he’s figured out that I’m hesitant to tell my parents I’m gay. Gavin slides his arms around my waist, much less frigid than a minute ago. “How did she react to you telling her?”
Those shimmering blue eyes lock onto mine, filled with understanding. Now I feel like a giant shit for not coming clean to my parents. How can I deny being with someone so considerate and giving? Yet the thought still crossed my mind, which makes me feel worse.
“We didn’t discuss it,” I admit.
Gavin stares at me, his face a mask of disbelief. “What? Why not?” He shrugs out of my arms.
I close the gap between us, pulling him back against me. “They live here. I told her I’d come by for dinner.” I brush my lips across his cheek, inhaling the scent of coconut and Gavin.
“Oh. You’re going to dinner with your parents.” His voice is weird. Gavin steps away, dropping onto the sofa.
“Yeah,” I sit next to him and drag my hands down my face. “It seemed like it required a face-to-face discussion.”
And I still don’t know if I have the balls to tell them the truth.
“Probably,” he agrees, his posture stiff, leaning away from me. Gavin’s body language is obviously screaming something. I just don’t know what.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, putting a hand on his knee.
Gavin gives me a chaste kiss and stands up. “Nothing. Have fun at dinner. I’m going to lie down for a while.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He nods and leaves the room, shutting the bedroom door.
What the hell just happened?
* * *
After letting Ross know I won’t be around tonight for the scheduled appearance, I head down to the hotel bar. If I’m not working, then there’s no reason I can’t have a drink. And hell, if there were ever a time to drink, it would be now.
The bartender sets a Jack and Coke down in front of me. “Thanks.” I slide money across the bar, taking the drink to an out of the way table.