Jeff and Liam had fallen into a rhythm that felt remarkably like marriage, even without the ring or paperwork. They shared meals, argued over silly things like which side of the bed was whose, and ended most nights tangled together in breathless passion. Mornings often found Liam waking up to Jeff's arm draped possessively across his waist, while evenings ended with quiet conversations about everything and nothing. The east wing of Arthur's estate had become their private sanctuary — safe, warm, and undeniably theirs.
One lazy Saturday afternoon, Jeff decided it was time.
"I want you to meet my real friends," Jeff said, kissing Liam's shoulder as they lounged on the couch. "Not the industry people. The ones who knew me before all this fame shit."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I'm not exactly… social."
"You'll like them. I promise."
That evening, they drove to a quiet upscale restaurant downtown — private room, no paparazzi. Jeff's friends were already waiting.
There were four of them: Marcus, a tall, loud comedian who wrote scripts on the side; Riley, Marcus's partner and a sharp-witted producer; Zara, a fashion stylist with a contagious laugh; and Diego, a calm, tattooed musician who rarely spoke but noticed everything.
"Finally!" Marcus boomed as they entered. "The mysterious boyfriend emerges from the shadows."
Jeff grinned, pulling Liam closer. "Everyone, this is Liam. Liam, meet the chaos crew."
Liam shook hands, surprised by how warm and genuine they felt. Within minutes, Marcus had him laughing with ridiculous stories about Jeff's early acting days — the time Jeff got stuck in a villain costume for six hours because the zipper broke. Riley roasted Jeff's terrible cooking attempts, while Diego quietly slid Liam a glass of whiskey with a knowing nod.
Zara leaned in with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "So, Liam… you're quite the mysterious one. I've been searching the internet for months trying to find anything on you. No socials, no old photos, nothing. You some kind of ghost or secret agent?"
The table laughed, but Liam tensed instantly. His shoulders stiffened, jaw tightening. Old instincts flared — the mafia heir who had spent years staying off radars, erasing traces, protecting secrets. The casual tease hit too close to home.
Jeff noticed immediately. His easy smile vanished, replaced by a deadly, ice-cold glare directed straight at Zara. The room temperature seemed to drop.
"Zara," Jeff said, voice low and warning. "Drop it."
Zara blinked, realizing she'd crossed a line. "Sorry, I was just teasing—"
"It's fine," Liam muttered, forcing a small smile. But the tension lingered in his posture.
The rest of the dinner stayed light, but the earlier ease had cracked. Marcus tried cracking more jokes, and Diego steered the conversation to music, but Liam remained quieter than before.
When they finally said their goodbyes and got into the car, Jeff reached over and squeezed Liam's thigh.
"I'm sorry about that," he said softly.
Liam shrugged. "It's okay."
"No, it's not." Jeff's voice was heavy with regret. "I should've warned them. You don't like attention like that."
The entire drive home, Jeff kept glancing over, apologizing in different ways — soft touches, gentle kisses at red lights, promises to never put him in that position again.
Back at the estate, Jeff didn't let it go. The moment they stepped inside their wing, he pulled Liam into his arms and spent the rest of the night making it up to him.
"I'm sorry, baby," Jeff whispered between kisses, backing Liam toward the bedroom. "I hate that it made you tense." Kiss. "You're safe with me." Kiss. "Always."
He kissed Liam slowly at first, then deeper, more desperately, until both their lips were swollen and red. They didn't make it to the bed right away — Jeff pressed him against the wall in the hallway, hands roaming under Liam's shirt, murmuring apologies and love against his skin. By the time they reached the bedroom, clothes were already half-gone.
Later, as they lay tangled and sweaty under the sheets, Jeff propped himself on one elbow, tracing Liam's kiss-bruised lips with his thumb.
"Two weeks from now, there's this big award show," Jeff said softly. "I'm nominated for Best Villain again. I want you there with me."
Liam exhaled slowly, still catching his breath. "I'll think about it."
Jeff didn't accept that easily. He leaned down and captured Liam's mouth again, kissing him until they were both breathless and dizzy. "Please?" Another deep kiss. "I want to show you off." Kiss. "Properly this time."
Liam laughed softly against his lips, pushing at Jeff's chest half-heartedly. "You're impossible."
"But you love me."
"Yeah… I do."
Jeff grinned triumphantly and rolled them over so he was on top again, resuming his mission of swollen-lipped persuasion. The night stretched on with lazy kisses, whispered conversations, and the kind of comfortable intimacy that came from truly belonging to someone.
Outside their wing, the estate was quiet. Lin's soft coos could occasionally be heard from the main house where Abbey had insisted on "auntie night." Arthur and Ben were likely lost in their own world. For the first time in a long while, everything felt almost normal.
Almost.
Because in the back of Liam's mind, Zara's innocent tease still lingered. Being invisible had kept him alive for years. Stepping into the spotlight with Jeff — even for one night — meant risking that invisibility forever.
But looking at Jeff's hopeful, love-filled eyes as he kissed him again, Liam already knew what his answer would be.