Tentacle on 34th Street (Tinsel and Tentacles 2.0)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

B ehind the scenes, the Rainbow Reindeer Rally was total chaos. It wasn’t the organizers, from what Alex could see, but some of the other participants were causing problems. Alex got it. It was the first year, and everyone was getting acclimated, but most of the companies and organizations he’d seen so far weren’t new to parades. Most were in the city’s Pride parade every year and had been for some time. Because of the two companies who hadn’t shown yet, PridePack couldn’t pull their float into the line—which set his and his team’s nerves on edge.

The parade staff were quick to answer questions and try to solve issues, but their hands were tied as far as green lighting them to move into position. Maybe it was for the best.

Their Santa was a no-show.

His Cryss, who he’d just briefly chatted with the night before and texted early that morning, was a no-show.

Alex was putting out any small wardrobe issues while calling Cryss’s phone every few minutes. Jonas and Scott were on theirs, searching for someone to replace Cryss. The twinky elves were getting restless, too. They all kept asking when they’d get started or where Cryss was on a regular rotation—and they had right to be irritated. The parade was already fifteen minutes behind the posted start time, and they were still down two floats.

The CEO of PridePack, Trevor Halverson, stood off to the side with their retired CEO, founder, and still owner, Anthony Bigetti and his husband, Michael, ready to take credit for the success or throw Alex under the bus if it all went to hell. Alex didn’t know that for sure, but he sensed it in his heart of hearts from his few conversations with the guy. I guess I’ll wait and see if I was right.

If Cryss wasn’t planning to show up, he’d surely have said something, right? He’d been as flirty as ever, not a word. Alex couldn’t imagine a man buttering him up for almost two months only to ghost him the day they could finally be together.

Maybe he’s met someone else. I should’ve known the time apart would be too much to ask, but it was the only way I could get everything done on my list to be free for the holidays.

Shit… what am I going to do all by myself until New Years? Do I just forget the vacation and go to work?

Or do I spend it looking for another job where I don’t have to work for Trevor anymore?

One of the organizers of the parade stopped by. “Any ETA on Santa?”

“Sorry, no,” Alex murmured. He’d promised the organizers a Santa and somehow, he was giving them a Santa, even if he had to don the red briefs and put his scrawny body on it himself. “Hopefully he gets here soon, or we can find a suitable alternative. We’re working on it.”

Alex tried Cryss’s phone again and got voicemail. Again. He hung up without leaving a message to add to the half dozen he’d already left.

Another parade coordinator stopped by a few minutes later. “The two missing floats have finally arrived and will be pulling into position momentarily. As soon as they are, I’ll come back and let you know where to go to pull in.”

“Great, thanks,” Alex said. It’s now or never. I guess I’m Santa.

Alex crossed the space and stopped between Scott and Jonas. Scott hung up with a shake of his head to Alex. Jonas hung up their call seconds later.

“No dice, Alex. I can’t find anyone else. Should we have one of the elves switch to the red briefs and play Santa?”

“They’re all too young to be Santa,” Alex said. “Although I like that better than my plan.”

“What was your plan?” both Scott and Jonas asked in unison.

“Get on there myself.”

“Yes!” Jonas cried. “Let’s do that.”

“But Alex was in the campaign as the other Mr. Claus,” Scott said to Jonas. “Will that make people think he’s supposed to be Santa’s husband? That would mean we still didn’t have a Santa.”

Alex hadn’t considered that. A loud scream rent the air in distance, followed by roars from the crowd. “Did they start the parade?”

Jonas and Scott both angled for a better view.

“No, it looks like folks are circling someo—” Scott paused. “It’s Cryss! They’re mobbing him! I can see his head above everyone else.”

Alex lifted on his toes. It was Cryss. “We need to go try and save him!”

All three of them raced down the street and stopped inches from the crowd of mostly gay men, it appeared. Luckily, Jonas had grabbed the bullhorn from the parade site.

“Queers!” Jonas yelled. “Get off our Santa so he can get on his float! Off, off, off! I’m looking at you, Rainbow Hair. Hands off!”

The sea of bodies parted, and Cryss rushed closer, shaking his head. “Sorry I’m late. I forgot my phone at home, and I underestimated the traffic and?—”

Alex lifted his hands to stop Cryss. “We can talk about it later. Let’s get you dressed and on the float and then you can tell me what happened.”

The four of them ran back to the float, and Alex ushered Cryss into the small pop-up changing room the models had used to change. Jonas rushed over with the briefs they’d picked out—similar to the ones in the ad but slightly larger to ensure there were no wardrobe malfunctions while Cryss was on the float.

A few minutes later, all was right with the world. Their Santa had arrived—once Scott handed him the black leather boots and the hat.

Cryss sat on the float’s wheel cover, dusted one sock off, and then pulled on the first boot. He eyed Alex. “Again, I’m sorry. I guess we left too late. Traffic was a nightmare. I couldn’t call to let you know. I couldn’t remember your entire number and called two wrong ones using Qylar’s phone.”

“Is Qylar here?”

“We circled forever, looking for a parking spot. He let me off a few blocks away and as far as I know, he’s still out there searching. As I raced over, I kept getting stopped by people, asking to take their pictures with me—or just grab assing.” Cryss sighed and began on boot two. “Apparently your campaign has made me quite popular.”

“I told you last week it has been picking up major momentum. Our social media spots have been shared more than any other post in our company’s history.”

“I guess I didn’t realize what that meant. I didn’t know I’d be ambushed walking down the street. Not sure I like it,” Cryss snapped. He lowered his booted foot. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be cranky with you. It’s not your fault.”

“Well, in some ways it is. I’m the one flashing you all over television, magazines, and social media,” Alex murmured.

Cryss grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him closer. “You’ve got five and a half weeks to make it up to me.”

Alex smiled down into Cryss’s face.

“Oh good. I thought our Santa had arrived,” Trevor said behind Alex.

Alex jumped away, pissed he might’ve been caught having an inappropriate relationship with one of the models. Trevor gave him a look that hinted he’d seen, but he was too busy introducing himself to Cryss. Cryss looked over his shoulder for Alex as Trevor led him over to introduce him to Anthony and Michael.

“What was that about you having five and a half weeks to make it up to Cryss?” Jonas said in as low a tone as they could with all the racket around them. “Is that why you’re taking six weeks off?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alex replied, trying to keep a stiff upper lip.

“You really suck at lying,” Jonas said. “Ethan was right.”

Alex’s head whipped to Jonas. “You and Ethan chat? Does this happen often?”

“We talk every once in a while. He called to check that you’d taken time off for Christmas and asked if I knew if you’d booked a plane ticket to North Carolina yet.”

Alex cringed. He hadn’t bought the plane ticket because he still hadn’t decided what to do. He didn’t want to go and deal with his mother’s accusations for not coming home sooner and anything else she wanted to nag him about.

“Your brother is a sweetheart,” Jonas said.

Alex sighed. “That’s all I need. The two of you conspiring against me.”

Jonas grinned. “More like… conspiring for you. I didn’t tell him you hadn’t booked a ticket at that point.”

“And how would you know that?”

“I have my ways,” Jonas murmured.

A parade attendant stopped in. “PridePack is ready to move into place. Where’s your driver?”

“I’ll take you over,” Jonas told the man. They eyed Alex. “Can you go pry your boyfriend out of Trevor’s claws?”

Alex almost argued that Cryss wasn’t his boyfriend but sensed there was no use. He marched over to Cryss and peeked his head into the cluster. Narrowing his eyes a bit, he met Trevor’s leering gaze. “We need Santa on the float. We’re about to move into position.” He turned to Anthony and Michael. “It’s so wonderful to see you both.”

An alarm sounded the start of the parade a couple of blocks away, punctuating Alex’s comment.

“Of course, of course,” Trevor said, placing his palm on Cryss’s bare chest, the leering grin matching the leering eyes.

Cryss wrapped his hand around Trevor’s wrist and peeled the hand off his chest. “I’m not a piece of meat.”

Trevor’s smile shattered, a look of utter mortification on his face. Alex fought hard not to smile or laugh.

Cryss eyed Anthony and Michael. “And just so you’re aware, I never once saw Trevor at the shoot. He didn’t handpick me, either. The agency sent me over last minute to cover for the model who pulled out.” He turned to eye Alex. “Who’s idea was this? The campaign?”

Alex looked between Trevor and Cryss. “Umm … mine.” He paused a moment, not really sure what he was stepping into. “Well, it was more a group effort. I brought the initial idea to my team, and they sprinkled some glitter on it and made it better, as they usually do. Why?”

Cryss glared at Anthony. “Any leader who takes credit for things they never did while diminishing the light of those who did is no leader I could ever respect.”

Oh, fuck… he’s going to get me fired. Yet, at the same time, having Cryss stand up for him was also rather sweet. Another battle I never asked him to wage.

“I’m the one who told Alex to choose a muscular, handsome Santa,” Trevor spat. “So, I’m the one who made it possible for you to get this gig, you insolent fucking asshole.” He shook his head. “You’re fired. Get the fuck out of here!”

“Ahh, Trevor, we’re minutes away from our float going out and you’re talking about firing the star of our most successful Christmas campaign, to date. Do you really want to do that?” Alex interceded, grabbing Cryss’s wrist in one hand. “It would be a mistake.”

“I have to agree with Alex,” Anthony said. “Come to think of it—Trevor, why don’t you leave? You’re fired.”

Alex couldn’t hold back his gasp.

“You can’t just fire me,” Trevor roared.

“I own the company, and this isn’t the first complaint I’ve heard about your short tenure there,” Anthony said. “I can absolutely fire you.”

“Plus no man should have to ask you twice to stop touching them,” Michael added. “Anthony and I both witnessed you sexually harassing an employee just now. Our models aren’t pieces of meat for you to grope.”

“Fuck all of you,” Trevor roared. He spun and shoved himself through the throng of people preparing for the parade.

“I am so sorry for the way Trevor’s treated you, Cryss. We hold PridePack employees to a higher standard.” Anthony said. “I hope I can convince you to stay? We need our Santa.”

Cryss met Alex’s stare. “I can’t let Alex down.” He focused on Anthony. “I’m here.”

“Wonderful,” Anthony said before he shook his head. “I should’ve let Hal take over. I don’t know why I didn’t. I feared he didn’t have the experience, but he wouldn’t have made the decisions I’ve heard Trevor’s made.” He smiled at Michael. “I hope you can forgive me, but I’ll have to return for a while until I get it all sorted, my love.”

“Not that my opinion matters much, but I think Hal would still make a good choice,” Alex said. “No, he’d make that an excellent choice.”

“Of course your opinion matters.” Anthony smiled. “And I think so, too.” Anthony took Alex’s hand in his wrinkled one. “I’ve missed seeing you, Alex. I loved the creative energy you brought to our meetings. One perk of having to come back is I can catch up with you on this viral campaign of yours. We can sit down in early December and see what your plans for next year are.” He looked past Alex at Cryss. “Perhaps we can convince this gentleman to join us again in the future.”

“Well, I’m actually taking the month of December off,” Alex said. He eyed Cryss a moment before turning back to Anthony. “But if you need me to come in for a few days, I can.”

“A vacation?” Anthony cried, smiling broadly. “No, no… I’ve begged you to take some time off for years. No way am I letting you cancel your plans.” He leaned in closer. “Are you going away somewhere fun with that Matt fellow of yours?”

Cryss growled lowly, so low Alex wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.

“Matt and I broke up some time ago. Soon after your retirement, in fact.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Anthony murmured. “He seemed like a nice young man. Oh, well. Such is life. Have you found yourself a new boyfriend yet?”

“No,” Alex murmured.

“Yes,” Cryss said, tugging Alex to his side possessively.

“Oh, my,” Anthony replied.

Alex cringed. “I don’t normally have personal relationships with employees,” Alex said to Anthony. “I swear. It just happened.”

“Don’t worry. All I was going to say is you’ve got good taste. It also explains why he was being so protective of you.” Anthony flicked a thumb toward Michael. “How do you think I met this one as much as I worked? He was one of PridePack’s first models.”

Michael curtsied with a grin.

“Oh,” Alex said.

Jonas ran over. “I have to ruin this reunion of yours, but the float is on the move and about to turn the corner without our Santa on it.”

Cryss spun and raced for the float, trailed by Jonas.

“If you’re still here after the parade, we’ll talk,” Alex said to Anthony.

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you in January,” Anthony called as Alex backed away. “Enjoy your holiday.”

Alex spun and ran as fast as he could to catch up. He sighed with relief when Cryss climbed aboard as it turned onto the Howard Street route. Cryss adjusted his hat, slapped on a broad smile, and waved to the crowd—which roared with delight when they saw Santa. Alex slowed down as he approached and fell into step beside Jonas, marching at the side of the float.

The crowd was much too loud to tell Jonas the news without yelling it and possibly being overheard. He needed to tell someone. He fished out his phone and typed a quick text to Jonas.

Sorry that took so long but Anthony just fired Trevor. Don’t repeat that. I’m sure they’ll draft a notice for employees for after Thanksgiving, but I had to tell you since I won’t be there to celebrate with everyone

He nudged Jonas, pointing at his phone.

Jonas dug theirs out, read the message, and turned to Alex with wide eyes and open mouth. Then they shook their fist in the air triumphantly before typing a reply.

Ding-dong the witch is dead. I wonder who they’ll get to replace him? It should’ve been Hal.

Alex read that and grinned. He didn’t want to start gossip, especially if Anthony changed his mind about Hal.

All I know is Anthony will return temporarily until it’s sorted. I did mention that Hal would make an excellent choice

Jonas offered their palm for a high five. Alex slapped it and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He eyed Cryss, who soon peeked his way. He fought a smile and turned back to the route, waving to the huge crowd that had showed up to the first parade. They’d hired Mickey to shoot photos of the event. He circled the float, snapping shot after shot of the float, the crowd, and even snuck one of Jonas before leaning in to steal a kiss.

Alex lifted a brow at Jonas.

Their face turned pink before shrugging. They fished out their phone and typed something before Alex felt his phone vibrate.

He’s not an employee, but an independent contractor. I already checked with HR and it’s cool.

Not to get too nosy, but I thought you were a lesbian?

Sometimes it’s about the right person, not their gender. He’s sweet and kind.

I’m happy for you. When were you going to tell me?

Once you owned up to dating Cryss.

Alex eyed Jonas, who lifted their own brow at him. Instead of answering, Alex shoved his phone into his pocket. Cryss was an employee until the end of the parade—but the longer he thought about it, he realized that technically, models were also considered independent contractors, not employees. Shit. I’m an idiot .

It likely wouldn’t have changed much. He still would’ve asked for time to get work sorted first, but he wouldn’t have been quite so strict with the rules, perhaps. Who knew? What was done was done and at the end of the parade, he was Cryss’s.

He was Cryss’s.

It finally caught up with him what Cryss had said to Anthony. Alex had been so concerned with Anthony’s reaction to him having an intimate relationship with a model that the fact Cryss had basically called them boyfriends had become an afterthought. They hadn’t even had a first date yet! They were not boyfriends. Yet.

No matter how much he told himself that, he couldn’t force the smile off his face. Alex couldn’t wait for the parade to be over so he could determine if their holiday fling would have any staying power. Something told him it would.

He lifted his gaze to Cryss’s, the hunger he’d fought all day coming to the surface. There were thousands of people in the crowd. The volume of their roars rose to dizzying heights as soon as they saw Santa. There was a tiny ounce of smug satisfaction that Alex would be the one in Santa’s bed that night.

Hopefully.

The more he watched the faces of the men screaming for Cryss’s attention, he worried he might not be man enough to keep Santa in his bed long.

As they turned onto Folsom Street and neared the end of the parade, Alex’s nerves started getting the better of him. He was about to spend the next few weeks alone with Cryss. What if he and Cryss didn’t have the same chemistry in bed as they had outside it? Deep down, he didn’t think it would be a problem, but the voice in the back of his head kept whispering that he wasn’t in the same league with a man like that.

Hopefully Cryss wouldn’t get bored of him in a matter of days and send him back home. If he was honest, that was part of the reason why he hadn’t made plans for Christmas in North Carolina. If Cryss ended things early, there would be no need for a discussion about him missing a few days in between.

Lost in thought, Alex was shoved to the ground by a parade goer racing up to the float and jumping aboard to hug Cryss. Cryss pushed them away and leapt down, helping Alex to his feet. He stopped there in the middle of the parade route, with hundreds of screaming people immediately around them, and caressed the side of Alex’s face.

“You okay?” Cryss mouthed.

Alex nodded.

Cryss smiled softly before leaning in to gently kiss Alex’s lips.

“Wait a minute! That’s Santa’s Mr. Claus!” someone screamed from the edge of the crowd.

“Get back up there,” Alex screamed at Cryss as loud as he could over the screams elevating again. “You’re almost done.”

Cryss shook his head before hoisting Alex onto his shoulder and returning to the float. He planted Alex at his side before waving to the crowd.

“Wave to our adoring crowd, Mr. Claus,” Cryss yelled near his ear.

Alex gazed around, the twink models all smiling at them as they absently waved to the crowd. He realized the guy who knocked him over was nowhere to be seen, thankfully. Alex cringed inside when he saw folks pointing their way. Well, likely Cryss’s way , not his. Reluctantly, he waved after Cryss lifted his hand into the air.

Fortunately, they were near the end of the parade, so he didn’t have to do it long. The floats pulled onto one of the side roads off Folsom and the festivities were over—thank heavens. Cryss urged Alex to the side, and they both jumped down and Jonas meandered over.

“Your vacation has officially begun,” Jonas said to Alex.

“We need to wrap this up before I can go.”

“Nope. Scott and I will manage. Go home and enjoy the next few weeks,” Jonas said.

Alex hedged. He’d busted ass to make sure there wasn’t anything major for anyone to do and didn’t like leaving when the job wasn’t done. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Scott said as he coasted by, handing over a bag with Cryss’s clothes. “You are outta here. Go. Enjoy.”

Alex sighed. Cryss was busy unlacing his boots when Alex looked down to gauge whether he should leave or not. He turned to Jonas. “Make sure Mickey sends those images over as soon as possible so you have them for Monday morning. If you want, you can send them to me, and I’ll go through and pull a few I think are good to use on social media with sample dialogue for the posts.”

“I have no problem sending them to you, but we can handle the rest, Alex,” Jonas said. “Don’t you trust us?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Then go and let us do our jobs,” Scott said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Alex chuckled. “Two against one isn’t fair.”

Cryss handed Scott the boots. “Make that three against one. I’m taking you home.”

“Oh, before you go,” Scott said. “Is it true about Trevor? Did he really get shitcanned?”

Alex eyed Jonas, whose mouth dropped open.

“I didn’t say a word!” Jonas yelled.

“So it’s true?” Scott asked, looking much too pleased.

“Where did you hear it?” Alex asked Scott.

“One of the organizers noticed Trevor’s badge and asked him a question as he was stomping past,” Scott replied. “He roared and said he no longer worked for those motherfuckers —his words, not mine—and kept on stomping, ripping his badge off. As mad as he was, I assumed he’d been fired, not quit.”

“And your first instinct was to blame me,” Jonas snapped at Alex, crossing their arms over their chest.

“Sorry. You’re the only one I’ve told,” Alex said.

“I’ll forgive you this time,” Jonas muttered. “Only because you just gave us all one of the best Christmas presents ever.”

“I didn’t cause it. Actually, Cryss did,” Alex said, pointing over his shoulder. He noticed then that Cryss was fully dressed again—not that that seemed to stop the stares from those milling about or leaving the parade.

“No, Trevor did it to himself. He didn’t understand no, and he tried to take credit for your work. I only made sure Anthony knew the man was an idiot.”

“Cryss,” Jonas said. “I like you more and more the more I get to know you.”

Cryss chuckled. He wrapped a protective arm around Alex. “I like anyone who makes sure my boyfriend doesn’t overwork himself.”

Alex’s face flamed as both Jonas and Scott turned to give him the eye. “On that note, it’s time to go.”

“Oh, now you leave?” Jonas cried.

Alex backed away, tugging Cryss along with him. “See you in January!” He spun to stalk down the sidewalk. They didn’t make it far, though. A trio dressed as glittery, sexy reindeer stopped them a few feet from the floats.

“If you don’t mind us asking—are you two really a thing?” the blue reindeer asked.

The green one scoffed. “You saw those commercials. There’s no way they’re not a couple.” They turned to Alex. “Tell them I’m right.”

Alex froze, unsure what to say.

Cryss wrapped his arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Of course we’re a couple.” He pressed a kiss to Alex’s cheek. “Mr. and Mr. Claus.”

“You’re married!?” the purple reindeer asked.

“No, no,” Alex said, suddenly realizing the purple guy might be filming them. “We’re not married.”

“Not from my lack of trying,” Cryss murmured, adding a sniff for good measure. “I’ve been asking him to make me an honest man for years.”

“Stop it,” Alex muttered, trying not to laugh. He eyed the trio. “We are seeing one another. Nothing more than that.”

“Hot,” the blue reindeer said. “Can we get a picture?”

Alex eyed Cryss, who said, “Why not? At least you asked.”

“I can take it for you,” Alex said, holding his hand out for a phone.

“No, we want you in it. Those commercials with the two of you are epic,” green reindeer said before snagging a stranger walking past. “Can you take our photo, please?”

The stranger was all too happy to, which started a little mini photo shoot with others asking for pictures, too. Alex felt weird with perfect strangers wanting his photograph, giving him a taste of what Cryss was going through. When he heard Cryss sigh a few minutes later, Alex stepped in to be the bad guy. “Folks, it’s been a long day and Santa needs to get back to the North Pole, so we’re going to have to let him go.”

“He wants to get Santa’s North Pole inside of him, I bet,” someone near the back of the crowd murmured.

“Why not? I would,” someone else yelled as they crowd dispersed. “You see the size of his dick?”

Before they could leave, Alex noticed Qylar marching in their direction. “I missed the entire parade looking for a spot. This is unfair. I require a redo.” He focused on Alex. “Is there another Christmas parade he can play Santa in?”

“Afraid not,” Alex replied. “I’m fresh out of parades.”

Qylar pouted. “Do you at least have photos I can laugh at?”

“I will later,” Alex said. When he saw Cryss’s lifted brow, he shifted course. “Or not.”

“Well, the truck’s not too far from here,” Qylar said. “Follow me.”

“Do we need to stop by your place to pick up your luggage?” Cryss asked Alex as they walked down the sidewalk.

“I thought this started tomorrow?”

“No. After the parade.”

Alex cringed. “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t really packed.” When Cryss’s brow rose, he quickly added. “Though, I did pull a few items out to get started. It’s not like I can’t run home and pick up a few things if I need it here and there.”

“It’ll be hard for you to run back home from Colorado,” Cryss murmured.

“Colorado? I thought we were staying here?”

“I sent you a message a few nights ago,” Cryss said.

“What message?” Alex said, trying to ignore the rubberneckers trying to get a peep at Cryss walking past them on Folsom.

“Pack warm, we’re going to Aspen.”

Alex blinked. “I swear I never got that.” He reached for his phone and scrolled through their conversations. “It’s not here. Oh, wait.” He muttered under his breath. It was there clear as day. How had he not seen it? Exhaustion, probably. “It was between a few other messages, and I didn’t see it.” He lifted his gaze to Cryss. “How long are we staying?”

“All of December.”

“All?”

“There’s no snow in San Francisco, so we’re going to where the snow is. How can we truly appreciate the holiday without snow?”

A white Christmas? He’d experienced very few of those. It rarely snowed in North Carolina, and it sure didn’t in San Francisco, except for the exceptionally rare moments. “I don’t have that many clothes warm enough for snow. It rarely gets under fifty here. I guess I can bring lots of layers. Maybe pick up a few pieces before we go. When are we leaving?”

“Thanksgiving here at my place. I’d planned to fly out the following day,” Cryss murmured.

Alex let out a slow breath. He had no time to prepare.

“We can leave the day after that, if that helps?”

“Black Friday shopping?” Alex scrubbed his face. “Although, it’s not like I’d find much cold weather attire here. Maybe we should just go, and I can pick a few things up once we’re there.” He eyed Cryss. “I’ll go home and pack up the basics and anything that will work for Aspen. Shoot me your home address and I’ll meet you in a couple of hours.”

Cryss growled under his breath, and Alex cocked his head to the side. The sound was odd, but it confirmed he’d heard it earlier, too. “I’ll remind you that we said, Thanksgiving until New Years. Thanksgiving’s tomorrow. I thought I had time to pack tonight. I’ve been working long hours, Cryss.”

Cryss scoffed. “Fine. But I’ll take you to your apartment and come assist. Qylar will take a Lift home.”

“Qylar will take a Lift home,” Qylar mocked, slapping the keys into Cryss’s hand. “Qylar drove around for two hours looking for a parking spot in this god forsaken city but what does that matter?” He scowled at Cryss. “For that, I’m not telling you where I parked it. Good luck.”

“Good thing I have a button that beeps when I’m close,” Cryss murmured.

“Qylar, take Cryss home. I’ll see you both in a couple of hours.” Alex eyed Cryss. “I don’t need help packing.”

“Oh my god, there’s two of them,” a passerby yelled at their friend as he stopped and ogled Qylar.

Qylar winked. “Hello, gorgeous.”

“Oh my god,” the man said before rushing away with his friend.

“Can we please make a decision and get off the street,” Cryss whispered hotly.

“The decision’s made,” Alex murmured, walking away. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

Cryss hooked his arm through Alex’s and led them down the sidewalk together. “I wish to see your apartment.”

“Why?”

“I’m nosy,” Cryss murmured. He looked over his shoulder. “Come on, Q. Let’s go.”

“Oh, now I get to ride in the truck?” Qylar snapped behind them. “Lucky me. I’m buying my own truck after this. I’m tired of sharing one.”

“We’re almost always together,” Cryss said over his shoulder.

“We won’t be together while you’re in Aspen,” Qylar replied.

“And you can have the truck while I’m gone.”

“What happens when you get back and want to spend all your time with Alex? You’re buying me a truck for Christmas. Period.”

“Fine,” Cryss snapped.

It didn’t go unnoticed that Qylar had mentioned Cryss seeing him once they got back. It felt as if Cryss had just settled into his life and demanded space in his life. What felt odder was how comfortable Alex was with giving it. He felt like he’d known Cryss for eons and their coming together was an eventuality neither of them could ignore.

That should terrify him, but it didn’t.

Cryss had laid claim.

And Alex wanted to be claimed.