Chapter 1

1

“I still don’t see why I have to go to your dumb company holiday party tomorrow.” A pained sigh accompanied Brandon’s words as he slumped his shoulders with great exaggeration. “I don’t work there. Why should my New Year’s Eve be ruined?”

Cam looked over at his boyfriend with a frown. By most standards, Brandon was a good looking guy. Blond hair, green eyes, peaches and cream complexion accented with a touch of manufactured suntan. These days, however, Cam only noticed his ever-present scowl, the unattractive flare of his nostrils when he complained, the dullness of his eyes when he rolled them in annoyance every time Cam spoke.

“You don’t have to do anything.” Cam tried halfheartedly to keep the irritation out of his voice. “But I’d like it if you came. I don’t want to go alone.”

“You don’t have to go, either,” Brandon grumbled as they trudged along the sidewalk toward their apartment. “You could skip it, if you wanted to. If you cared about me at all, you’d let us go to a fun party this year for a change.”

Cam grit his teeth, but remained silent. He didn’t feel like debating the merits of office politics with Brandon right now, or explaining for the tenth time that he didn’t actually mind spending social time with his coworkers on occasion. He knew it would be a waste of time.

In the three years that he and Brandon had been dating, Brandon had never shown any interest in Cam’s job, except for the paychecks that got cashed every week. He didn’t want to hear about the hours of data entry and spreadsheet wrangling that Cam slodged through in the HR department to pay their bills. The brief moments of amusement with his ever-changing cast of coworkers didn’t do much to offset the boredom. Cam had to admit, it wasn’t a particularly thrilling life. But it was his life, and Cam often wished for a little more support.

Cam shivered and shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets. They were still a good ten minute walk from their apartment, and the wind had picked up considerably. The temperature crept closer and closer to freezing as the sun dipped below the horizon. Cam once again wished he hadn’t buzzed his hair. The knit cap he’d pulled on when they’d first left the house wasn’t thick enough to keep away the chill.

He’d grown tired of Brandon criticizing his lack of styling skills, and had shorn it all off in a fit of defiance last month. It wasn’t the best look for him; he’d inherited his Mexican mother’s rounded features, and he liked the way his dark brown waves framed his face, when he’d worn his hair longer. But Brandon didn’t like long hair, and anything in between shoulder length and a buzzcut was a pain in the ass to maintain, so the buzzcut won out by default.

The obstinate cheer of the neighborhood only soured Cam’s mood further. Their apartment was tucked away at the edge of the gentrified center of the city, filled with gastropubs, art galleries and curated shops, all of which dripped with evergreen garlands and twinkle lights this time of year. Every storefront boasted a chalkboard scrawled with a trite inspirational quote for the upcoming new year. It was only four thirty, but the bistros and bars were already jammed with after-Christmas sale shoppers and college kids on break.

Cam hated the ever-present crush of people on every street, but he appreciated that at least there was, at minimum, one coffee shop per block. He glanced longingly at each one they passed, but Brandon stubbornly kept his eyes focused ahead.

Suddenly, Brandon skidded to a halt. Cam jerked away as Brandon’s elbow jabbed into the side of his arm while he waved enthusiastically at a pair of hulking figures heading toward them. Cam recognized them as two of Brandon’s buddies from the gym. Great. Stilted conversation wasn’t going to brighten Cam’s mood in the slightest.

All of Brandon’s gym buddies were aspiring Instagram fitness influencers, just as Brandon was himself. The group of them spent a lot of time in the gym, filming workouts and videos for their followers. They also spent a good deal of time making messes in Cam’s kitchen as they concocted protein shakes with whatever supplements they’d been paid to hock that particular month.

Brandon spent too much time training and filming to hold down a steady job. He was an ambassador for a couple of brands, and he had sponsored links on all of his social media posts, but he hadn’t hit the big time quite yet. Cam struggled sometimes to make sure all the bills were paid on his salary alone, but he tried hard not to complain. He didn’t want to get in the way of Brandon’s dreams. Besides, once Brandon hit a few more thousand followers, he would reach the next level of sponsorship offers and opportunities. Things would be different.