Page 25 of The Star in Room 7

“You were scared, and you didn’t know what she was going to do. You did what you could to keep her calm until the cops arrived. I’m proud of you, Zach.”

I sniff. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“I did the right thing?”

“You did what your instincts told you to. I assume you’ve never been given training on what to do in this sort of situation?”

I shake my head. “There’s training?”

“Yes.”

“I wish I’d been given it. There’s so much I don’t know about how to handle fame and everything that comes with it. Especially the bad stuff.”

Nate comes over to me. He extends his arms, waiting until I give him the slightest nod to pull me into a hug, with my arms clamped at my sides. I don’t fight him. I sink against him, needing him.

I sob into his shoulder. “Every time I think about going home, my thoughts spiral. What if she’s already been released? What if she does it again? What if⁠—?”

“You don’t have to go back there. When you’re ready, I can help you find a new place. And I can assign a CPO to you—no charge—until you’re feeling safer and more confident again.”

“I don’t—” I work my arms free so I can return his embrace, clutching the back of his T-shirt. “I don’t want a bodyguard. I don’t want another stranger in my home or near me. I want… I want… You. You make me feel safe. I just want to feel safe.”

“I know.” He strokes my hair. “And I’m here. I’ll be here for you for as long as you need me to be.”

“Thank you.” I sniff and lift my head, so I can look into his eyes. “While I’m here, will you be my caregiver?”

He uses his thumb to brush the tears from my cheek. “You know I will.”

My chin wobbles. “I’ve never…”

“I know. It’s all right. There’s nothing you need to do. Nothing you’re not already doing. Just trust me. Lean on me. Let me take care of you.”

I nod. “I can do that.” As I say the words, I realize I can. I can drop the tough-guy act around him. I can be me—a guy who caught hold of his dreams, only to have them ripped away in a single night. A guy whose confidence has been shattered. A guy who just needs to be held.

8

NATE

We spend the next few days going for a run in the morning—I introduce Zach to the most secluded jogging spots I know—and hanging out at Halo House the rest of the day. It turns out, he’s pretty good at chess. We’re not always alone. Some of the other residents join us, leading to a very competitive game of Monopoly. I don’t push Zach to do anything, let alone talk. But, gradually, the light returns to his eyes. I leave just before they start cooking dinner, the offer of a goodbye hug always there. Sometimes it’s brief, other times Zach clings to me as he did in the conservatory, his face pressed to my shoulder, his fingers gripping my suit jacket like he never wants to let go.

One morning, I show up in shorts and a T-shirt, rather than running gear.

“I thought we might go to the beach,” I say, when Zach stares at me, confused.

He shakes his head. “I don’t think… I mean, won’t the beach be crowded?”

“I know a place. Trust me?”

He hesitates for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

“Go get changed.” I can’t help but smile when he runs off obediently.

There’s something about him. Something that makes him more special than anyone else I’ve ever been a patron to here at Halo House. Maybe it’s the way he smiles at me, when he thinks I’m not looking, or the way he’s gradually letting his guard down, brick by brick. Some of the guys I’ve been a patron to asked me to call them ‘boy’—or another pet name—and called me ‘Daddy’ right away, others never at all. It wouldn’t surprise me if Zach never does. He’s not in the kink scene, after all. Would he want to be? I’d guide him if he did. Show him how wonderful and empowering it could be.

He returns wearing stone-colored knee-length shorts and a tight-fitting sky-blue T-shirt that hugs his muscles wonderfully. I can’t help but drink in how stunning he looks, although I do force myself to look away far sooner than I want to.

“Let’s go,” I say.