The beat dropped. The lights exploded. And Roman Todd Devy, for the first time all night, smiled. The afterparty was a blur of faces and champagne, of congratulations and flashing cameras. Roman played the gracious host, shaking hands, kissing cheeks, accepting the weight of a dream realized. But all the while, his gaze kept flicking to the exit.
“I’m not gonna be sick,” Roman lied, wiping a clammy palm on his leather pants.
Roman took the champagne flute from Devy’s hand, set it aside, and turned him. He cupped Devy’s face, his thumbs tracing the sharp line of his jaw. The makeup was smudged, the energy gone, leaving just the man underneath. Tired. Real. His.
“Five minutes,” a stagehand mouthed.
