Next bit of the July Patreon story! To read the conclusion, you’ll need to sign up, I’m afraid. And I’ll warn you, this particular story is likely to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so you may need to wait for August’s story to find out what really happens next…
*****
“So.” Surinder glanced up at Jonathan, then down again. It was too hard, looking him in the eyes.
“So.”
Jonathan didn’t seem like he was going to be helpful here. Surinder was going to have to take the lead… “Joe explained – “
Words slipped out of Jonathan’s mouth, drenched in embarrassment: “Do we have to talk about it?”
Surinder laughed. Then reached out, greatly daring, and slipped his hand into Jonathan’s. A hand that was damp, and sweaty, and delicious – a jolt shot through Surinder, jumping from hand to chest to groin. It was a good thing the lighting was so dim. Jonathan’s fingers interlaced with his, tugging him a little closer, and the musicians had started up again.
A slow dance this time, no need for anything fancy. Surinder let his hips slide forward, fitting into the space of Jonathan’s, as if they’d been designed that way. No way to mistake their mutual interest now – everything was clear, finally. Jonathan tilted his head down, and Surinder lifted up on his toes, just a little, enough to brush lips against lips. Gods.
A trio of Feyrians circled down to dance around them, opalescent shimmers coruscating across their bodies. Probably everyone at the dance was watching them kiss now, but Surinder didn’t care, not anymore. If Jonathan would just keep kissing him, the whole planet could watch.
The voice that cut through the music made no sense. It was only later that Surinder was able to parse the words at all.
“Jonathan, you’re under arrest for the attempted murder of a Quernan diplomat…” The cop continued with his rote speech, as he pulled Jonathan away, but all Surinder registered was the cold – cold where Jonathan’s lips had been, where their fingers had intertwined, where their hips had locked together. He took a step after them, in protest, but then Nami was there, her arms around him, holding him back.
“Wait, Surinder. You have to let them go. We’ll figure out what’s going on, just hold on. I’ll call my mother…”
The musicians gave up on playing as the crowd’s voices swelled – the dance dissolved into noise, then silence.
*****