Stay A Little Longer

by Jess Bryant

  “Thanks, Sheila.” He said instead when he managed to find his voice. “I’m gonna head that way and see what I can do.”

  “I’ll let the Sheriff know reinforcements are on their way.”

  Reinforcements? Lance almost laughed. He wasn’t going home as a cop. He was going home as a man, desperate to protect the man the loved from more pain or hurt.

  “Thank you, Deputy Nichols.” Sheila’s voice was softer and he almost missed that she was even talking to him, “It’s a nice thing you’re doing, going to help that boy. Nobody should have to defend who they are to the world like that. We all just love who we love, ya know.”

  Lance grit his teeth to fight a flash of tears. Yeah, he knew. He loved Trent. Loved him. Heart and soul. Couldn’t believe that it had happened so fast but it was true. He loved Trent Thorne and damn it he needed to be with him. Right now.

  It took ten minutes. Ten long and awful thought-filled minutes for Lance to get home. To find the situation that Sheila had warned him about. Only it was a lot worse than he’d been picturing and what he’d been picturing had been pretty damn bad.

  There weren’t a handful of reporters littering the lawn. There were dozens, maybe even tens of dozens. So many that he couldn’t see anything but the massive crowd of people gathered between his trailer and the one where Trent was trapped. There were vans parked up and down the small street that was generally all but abandoned. News vans, he registered with annoyance. Cameras everywhere. He couldn’t even pull into his parking spot. The other officers on the scene had tried to shut the street down but it was clear from their haphazard parking that they’d gotten there too late. The damage was already done. The trailer park overrun with nosy assholes.

  Lance pulled slowly through the scene until he reached a spot on the street he thought it might be safe to park. He jumped out of the cruiser and scowled at the people that turned to look at him. He must have made an intimidating figure because several of the women in tight little suits and too much makeup took a step back.

  Good. But not good enough. He glared at them.

  “This is private property. You need to back off.”

  “We have a right to be here.” One brave cameraman sniffed and Lance couldn’t help himself, he got right up in his face and snarled.

  “You don’t have any fucking right to be here. None.”

  “Trent Thorne is a public figure and…”

  “He’s a person!” Lance growled, “Not a thing for you to exploit for your own Goddamn amusement. And this property? The grass you’re standing on? It belongs to me so get the fuck off it. Now.”

  His anger was building and he didn’t even try to fight it. Not this time. This was about Trent. For Trent. These people wanted a piece of him but they couldn’t have it. Trent was his.

  “Wait… your property?” A slim blonde stepped closer with a questioning gaze, “You’re the owner of the trailer? Did you know Trent Thorne was staying here? Are you two friends? How did he…”

  “Get that fucking microphone out of my face.” He smacked it away when she held it out, “I’m not telling you a good goddamned thing except that you need to get off my property. Now. Before I…”

  “Nichols!”

  Lance jerked at the harsh, warning sound of his last name. His head spun around and he found Shane stalking towards him. His face was grim. His shoulders set with anger. But his eyes were full of concern. For Lemon? For Trent? Maybe even for him? He couldn’t be sure and this certainly wasn’t the time to ask just what Shane had managed to put together or what his fiancé had told him.

  “Yes, sir?” He tilted his chin up when that sharp green gaze met his.

  “Stop threatening people. Now.” Shane hissed under his breath, “You’ll only draw more attention.” His boss and friend took him by the upper arm and steered him back a few steps into an open space, “And I don’t think you want any of this attention right now.”

  Lance blinked. So, Shane knew. Great. Just great. It wouldn’t be long until everyone knew and he felt that old sliver of fear and panic slide down his spine. Everyone. His family and friends and the entire world because there were cameras all over his front yard. He blinked again and shook his head trying to think it through, think straight.

  He was still trying when the crowd gasped. Just like them, he and Shane both turned to see what was happening. Shane cursed under his breath but Lance couldn’t get enough air into his lungs to do even that.

  Trent was standing on the top step of the trailer. He’d come outside to face the mob. He looked tired, Lance realized and his heart ached. He wanted to pull him into his arms and tell him that everything was going to be okay but he just stood there, his feet glued to the ground, as those mesmerizing blue eyes searched through the crowd and then found his.

  He stopped breathing. Trent studied his face for a long moment as if he was looking for something but Lance didn’t know what. He stood stock still, wanting more than anything to rush towards the man he loved, but he couldn’t force his body to move. Couldn’t even blink. Couldn’t take his eyes off Trent as the other man’s eyes traced over him, as if memorizing, before pulling away to look over the crowd again.

  The loss of his gaze felt like a dagger straight through the chest and he knew. He knew exactly what Trent was about to do. He was going to sacrifice himself to save Lance. To help Lance keep his secret. He wasn’t going to out him. He was going to protect him, just like he’d promised.

  Lance’s heart thumped hard in his chest because this man was… amazing. So strong and confident, he stood there in front of a hundred cameras with his head high and his jaw set. So protective and selfless that he hadn’t given a single thought to reaching for Lance when he saw him in the crowd.

  He didn’t know why Trent had chosen this moment to come outside, to face the crowd. Had he seen him? Or was it just a coincidence that he’d shown up at this moment? He lived in Fate, Texas. He didn’t believe in coincidences. Not anymore. Not since the night he fell into his bed and found the man of his dreams sleeping there like some kind of fairytale come to life.

  And God, he really must be in love because he was waxing poetic about fairytales now. Who was he? Where had the old Lance Nichols gone? The man that was content to lie to everyone he’d ever met so long as it meant he got to keep the status quo. Who was this new man that said screw the status quo?

  He knew the answer. He was Trent’s man. That’s who he was. Strong enough to stand by his side. Brave enough to trust him to have his back. He could do this. For Trent and for himself.

  If ever there was a time to come clean… it was now.

  He’d only thought he had so much to lose before by coming out. His family wouldn’t disown him. He’d never thought they would. They’d be shocked and they might be disappointed but he’d make it right with them in a way Trent had never been able to with his own. Shane knew so his job wasn’t at risk if he said it out loud. The only thing he had to lose, really lose, was Trent.

  “Shh!” Hisses went through the crowd when Trent raised his hand for silence.

  “If you’ll all please be quiet, I’d like to say a few words. I believe that’s why you’re here.” Trent’s voice rang out over the now silent crowd, strong and smooth with just a hint of a Texas accent that made Lance want to smile.

  It was coming back. The longer he stayed in Texas, the more his accent would come back. And he needed to stay, Lance decided.

  “You’re here today because there have been some allegations made about my sexuality.” Trent looked over the crowd but carefully avoided looking directly at Lance and damn, that stung, even if he knew why the man did it. “Well, I guess there’s no more hiding it and no use lying about it. The rumors are true. I’m gay.”

  The crowd whispered amongst itself but since there were so many people it was like a dull roar. Lance flinched at the scene. He didn’t like it. Didn’t like that Trent felt the need to tell these people anything about himself, especially not something so p
ersonal. They didn’t deserve that kind of honesty from him not after the way they’d been dissecting him on the tv and radio the past few days.

  Trent stood there, stoically, calmly, and waited for the crowd to hush again. Lance stared at him, wiling him to look his way again, but he didn’t. Trent purposefully looked everywhere but at him and it shouldn’t have hurt so much. Lance knew why he did it. He was trying not to draw attention to Lance and it was the sweetest, most misplaced gesture ever.

  “I’d like…” Trent started to speak again and then cleared his throat, “I’d like to apologize to my fans for misleading them all these years. I’d like to be able to say that wasn’t my intention but it was. I hid my sexuality because I was scared. Scared that country music wouldn’t be able to accept me for who I am and at the time, I wanted my music more than I wanted to be honest.”

  Lance’s heart swelled for the man standing in front of a shitty old trailer, speaking his truth. He was so strong. So brave. Standing all alone at the front of this massive crowd, telling these people, telling the world, that he was gay and apologizing. Not for who he was but for what he’d done, for all the lies he’d told. Lance respected the hell out of him for it.

  “I didn’t get a choice about coming out.” Trent continued, “And I regret that it happened the way it did. I wish I’d been strong enough to do it myself but I wasn’t. All I can do is apologize for misleading my fans and ask you not to judge me too harshly. It’s a cruel world, particularly for people that don’t fit the standard of what you, the media, say normal is supposed to be. If you all haven’t proven that just by being here today, I don’t know what does.”

  There were a few grumbles about being called out from the crowd but nobody denied that it was true. If the original report had been that Trent was straight and in a relationship, there might have been a rush of entertainment headlines but nothing on this scale. They wouldn’t have tracked him down to middle of nowhere Texas just to see if it was true. They were treating it differently, treating Trent differently, because he was gay.

  “The truth is out there now. I’m gay. I won’t try to lie about that or take it back. I’m gay.” Trent met several cameras face to face, “If someone out there has a problem with that, I’d say that’s more of an issue with them than it is with me. If my fans can’t support me now, then I’m sorry but you’re not the kind of fans I want. I want people to know me, the real me, and still support me but if this means my career is over, at least I won’t have to deal with you people on my lawn anymore right?”

  That earned Trent a smile and some chuckles from his captivated audience. He was so damn charming. Lance was sure he would lose a few fans. Hate was still hate and it was far too prevalent in the world. But he would bet that most of Trent’s fans would stick by him and give him a chance.

  “Okay. I think that’s enough for today.” Trent rubbed a hand over his hair, “I’m spending some time with friends here in Fate and they’d appreciate it if you’d all go back to wherever you came from so they can live their lives in peace.”

  “Trent!” Someone shouted, “Trent, wait, will you take a few questions?”

  He sighed heavily and shrugged his big shoulders, “A couple, but then y’all leave. You hear me?”

  “Trent! Trent!” The shouting started up, handing going up as well, as the reporters vied to be the ones he chose to ask whatever their all-important question was. “Trent! Over here! Over here!”

  “This is gonna get crazy.” Shane huffed next to him. “I gotta go set the perimeter. You okay back here?”

  “What?” He pulled his gaze off Trent momentarily but it found its way right back, “Yeah. Fine.”

  “Okay. We’ll get rid of these people as quick as we can and then you can have the rest of the day to… uh… work things out with him.”

  Lance felt his cheeks flush at the acknowledgement, “Thanks.”

  Shane didn’t say anything, just nodded and moved away, through the crowd. Lance didn’t watch him go. He was too busy staring at Trent, trying to figure out what he was going to say next. So far he’d handled the crowd with ease, his charm on full display even if his smiles didn’t quite meet his eyes. But he looked tense now that he’d agreed to answer questions. Almost as if he’d rehearsed the other parts but hadn’t been prepared for this.

  “Trent! Trent!” One blonde woman pushed her way forward and shouted louder than the rest, “Why did you come to Fate?”

  “Uh… I just wanted some time alone and Lemon invited me to visit.”

  “Trent, did you…” Another reporter started to ask but the blonde woman simply spoke over the man.

  “So you didn’t come to Fate for a man?”

  Trent’s brows furrowed slightly and he shook his head, “No. When I came to Fate, I only knew Lemon. Like I said, I just needed to get away for a little while and…”

  “But you’ve been seeing someone since coming to Fate? Haven’t you?” This time the pushy blonde spoke over even Trent and Lance felt the air catch in his lungs.

  The blonde. That suit. It was the woman he’d threatened. The one that had been so curious about him saying this was his property. Damn it.

  “Um…” Trent’s eyes found him in the crowd again and Lance swallowed hard at the knot of emotion in his throat when Lance looked away quickly and shook his head, “Not that it’s any of your business but no. I’m not dating anyone. I only came to Fate to hide out and since you’ve all found me, I won’t be staying much longer. I’ll be heading back to Nashville soon.”

  Lance felt the words like silver in his veins. Not dating anyone. Not staying much longer. He felt a panic attack coming on and forced himself to breathe through it. Trent was leaving. He hadn’t said a word about Lance or about what had happened, about how they felt about each other. He’d protected him by lying again, something he’d said he didn’t want to do. He’d let Lance keep his secret… as a parting gift.

  A gift he didn’t want. A secret he didn’t want to keep. Not if it meant losing the man he loved.

  “Would you stay?” He spoke, his voice scratchy with emotion, so much so that only a few heads turned to look at him until he cleared his throat and tried again, “Trent, would you stay? If you had a reason to? If someone gave you a reason to stay?”

  Every head in the crowd turned to face him now but he didn’t care. Couldn’t care. Because he only had eyes for the blue-eyed boy on the steps of that trailer, the one that was staring at him with shock sure, but also with hope. It was that look, the love and acceptance it held, that had him taking a step forward to pose his real question in front of God and everybody.

  “If I told you I loved you, would you stay a little longer?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Trent nearly fell off the step he was standing on. He blinked and then blinked again. He wasn’t dreaming. This wasn’t a fantasy. Lance was really walking towards him. The sea of reporters was parting to make room for him, to let him closer, and for once in their godforsaken lives they were quiet as church mice as they watched the scene unfold. It was real. It wasn’t a fantasy but it was the fantasy.

  At least it would have been if he’d ever given it even a moment of consideration.

  Lance standing up in front of all these cameras and asking him to stay. Lance outing himself. Claiming Trent. Being here, with him, in this situation instead of running away or hiding.

  He’d seen Lance arrive. He hadn’t been waiting for him but he’d known that eventually he would show up here. He’d asked Lemon to tell Shane not to call him in if possible but clearly it had gotten out of hand and they’d needed reinforcements. God knew there were probably a hundred people on the lawn at this point so he wasn’t surprised Lance had come. But he’d told Lemon that it couldn’t wait a moment longer, that he had to go out there and say something before Lance made some sort of scene that he couldn’t take back.

  They’d spent a while thinking about what he should say and what he shouldn’t. He thought they’d covered e
verything nicely. Made the media feel like shit for tracking him down like this. Check. Pointed out that he hadn’t come out by choice but now that he was he wouldn’t back down. Check. Reminding them his personal life wasn’t any of their business? Check. But then the questions had started and that blonde woman seemed to know more than she should.

  So he did what he did best. He lied. He’d lied to them. Again. Told them that he wasn’t dating anyone. Which, he supposed wasn’t technically a lie since he and Lance had never been on a real date. And wasn’t that just the saddest realization in the world? They’d never gone out together. Anywhere. And now, facing the end, their short amount of time spent sequestered in Lance’s trailer didn’t feel like nearly enough.

  He’d wanted more and then, as if out of a dream, he’d heard Lance’s voice above all the others. Lance’s rough, tough voice drawing the attention of all those reporters to him. Trent hadn’t known whether to cut him off and keep him from saying whatever it was he’d wanted to say or rush towards him and drag him into his arms. In the end, he hadn’t had time for either.

  Lance had spoken. Firmly. Clearly. And now he was walking towards Trent with purpose if not a little bit of hesitation.

  “Oh my God.” Lemon whisper hissed from behind him.

  He ignored her because what was there to say? He was struck speechless. His heart was in his throat, making it impossible to talk. Lance had just done the unbelievable. He’d outed himself. Not just to Trent or to their friends or even to his small hometown. He’d outed himself to the world by asking him to stay and Trent loved him so damn much for being brave that he felt tears well in his eyes and shook his head, trying to shake them away.