Free Beyond Moonlight by Piper Vaughn, M.J. O'Shea

.: Aftermath :.

    Shane jogged offstage, waving, to the roaring of fans after Luck completed their final encore song. The show had been exhilarating, fun, wonderful…and the longest goddamn hour of his life. After that song with Jesse, after their kiss, all he wanted to do was take Jesse in his arms and disappear for days, weeks, as long as it took them to get back to the place they were at when they were kids and nothing was more important than the way they felt about each other.
    Jesse was waiting for him on the side of the stage, smiling like he always used to. Shane couldn’t believe he’d been fooled for even one second.
    “Hey,” he murmured.
    Jesse came up and kissed him, sweaty concert face and all. “Hey, yourself,” he answered in that voice Shane loved, accent nearly gone, all Jesse. The contacts were gone too and those gorgeous gray eyes looked up at him adoringly. Shane knew he looked the same way right back at Jesse. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it.
    “Love you, Jess,” Shane said. Once hadn’t been nearly enough. He wanted to keep saying the words over and over. They’d been waiting to come out for more than eleven years, after all. Jesse smiled and reached up to kiss him again.
    Dre, who’d been brushing by them, stopped short. Nick ran into him, followed by Will. Shane had to hold his hand out to keep them from toppling down.
    “Wait. Love you? What the hell?” Dre choked out. His caramel skin turned ashen. He gaped at Jesse and Shane, clearly looking for a sign that he hadn’t heard what he thought he just heard. “I thought Shane took off and made us look like assholes because you two were fighting and now you’re all lovey? And since when is Kayden’s name Jess? ”
    Shane glanced at Nick. “You didn’t tell him?”
    Nick shrugged. He looked annoyed. “Not my shit to tell.”
    Jesse cleared his throat. “It is me, Dre. Jesse.” He ran his hand down Shane’s arm and twined their fingers together. Dre’s mouth opened and closed, fish-like, for a few seconds before he clamped it shut. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you.”
    “ Jesse  Jesse?”
    Jesse nodded. “Yep.”
    “What the… fuck? ” Dre reached out and grabbed one of the beams that crisscrossed along the wall backstage.
    Shane chuckled “That’s pretty much the reaction I had.”
    “And you knew this all along?” He looked at Shane accusingly.
    Shane shook his head. “No. Definitely not. Not till Chicago, although I’m not sure how I could’ve missed it.” Every time he looked at Jesse, his face felt more familiar, small and delicate, but still the guy he’d fallen for all those years ago.
    “But…” Dre gestured at Shane and Jesse. “Why, how…Jesus. When the hell did  this  happen?”
    Shane smiled. He pulled Jesse’s hand up to his mouth. “A long, long  time ago,” he answered.
    “And an hour ago,” Jesse added.
    Shane couldn’t help laughing. He was so damn happy it didn’t matter if they weren’t making sense. Dre looked pissed and confused. “Listen, it’s a long story, bro. Jess and I will sit down and tell you another night. Right now, I need to eat and get some shut eye.”
    “Whatever. I don’t get you, dude. And you…” Dre looked at Jesse and sighed. Then he pushed past them to the stairs that led to the band’s changing rooms.
    “You think he’ll be okay?” Jesse asked.
    “Yeah, he’ll be fine—and if not? I ruined over ten years of my life for those guys. It’s my turn now.”
    “And mine.” Shane couldn’t help but smile at the possessive look on Jesse’s face.
    “I can’t keep my hands off you,” Shane moaned. He wrapped Jesse in his arms. “So much of me still can’t believe this is happening.”
    “Me neither.” He gave Shane a hesitant smile. “You ready to go?”
    “Definitely.”

    Jesse’s hands shook a little while he waited for Shane to unlock the door to his sleek, modern condo. The place was a little scary. Being alone,