Lux immediately regretted speaking the truth. He wished the words were solid in form, that he were able to reach out and pull them back, stuffing them deep down into the box he'd buried that truth in. However... he couldn't. He had to deal with whatever came next and seeing as how no one knew he'd never been in a relationship, he had no clue what to expect. Rhys stared at him, his eyes softly unfocused after each slow blink. His eyes narrowed just as slow, his head tilting subtly to the left as he studied Lux. Lux wanted him to say something. Anything was better than the way Rhys looked at him—with eyes filled with a tenderness, an unspoken eagerness that made him feel warm.

Lux cleared his throat, softly encouraging Rhys. "Say something."

"I don't know what to say."

Lux's shoulders rounded and he tucked his chin to his chest, pulling his knees up to wrap his arms around his shins. "Oh."

"I don't mean it in a bad way. I just—there are actually so many thoughts running through my mind right now and I'm not entirely sure which ones are appropriate to say and completely and wholly inappropriate for me to say to the author I'm editing for because we actually have a working relationship and it's not like I met you on the street or something although I wish—,"

Rhys' rambling was making Lux's head spin. He held up a hand, gently interrupting, "Rhys. You don't have to explain yourself. It's fine."

"No, but I do," Rhys insisted, his voice growing louder with urgency. "I don't understand how you've never been in a relationship because you're so—," he hesitated, his words faltering, "you–you're so attractive. And I don't just mean that physically, because yeah that too, but your personality. Your intellect. Your drive and ambition. All of that is so attractive."

Heat bloomed in Lux's cheeks, the warmth spreading into his chest. Lux scoffed, doing his best to push aside the feelings that were beginning to bloom, before he replied to Rhys. "No one has ever told me my personality, of all things, was attractive."

"Mm," Rhys hummed softly. "I think that's because people don't bother to look for other reasons why."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't imagine you've been like this your entire life. So, I looked for other reasons why. Why would you be so guarded? So closed off? So quick to lash out and push people away?"

Lux blanched under the questions, his heart stuttering in his chest a bit. He didn't realize he came off as being guarded, closed off, and quick to lash out. "And what reasons did you come up with?"

Rhys chuckled. "Honestly? None that made sense. Not before tonight. But I get it more so now. When we come out we run the risk of having so much taken away from us. I didn't know all that was taken from you before tonight and it makes sense to me now. Why let people in, why let people get close if they're just going to take that away once you come out? Makes sense to me y'know? But then again, I could be wrong."

He...actually wasn't. But Lux hadn't really given much thought about the reasons why. He only knew he didn't feel comfortable and wasn't okay with letting people in. Kerin was the only person he let in and that was honestly because he refused to not be a part of Lux's life. No matter how hard Lux pushed him away, he came in close.

"I don't know if it's only what happened between you and your family or if you've lost more people, but—,"

"I've lost more people," Lux interrupted. "Best friends. You know the type of friends that you plan your entire life with? I had two of them. We grew up together and we told each other everything. So, I thought I could come out to them, and it would be okay. I thought they would accept me because we've always been so accepting of one another. We weren't just friends, we were sisters. But when I told my sisters they actually had a brother? They told me I was mentally ill, I was going to hell, I was confused, I just needed to have sex with a man and I'd understand that I'm not one... which, like, there's so much to unpack in that stupid ass line of thinking, but yeah." Lux sighed heavily.

Rhys sounded so gentle, so caring. "I knew there were other reasons why. We don't always share the why with people, and that's okay. But yeah...that's why I find it hard to believe you've never been in a relationship," Rhys finished, bringing the conversation back to the original question.

Lux lifted his head, the curve of his mouth subtle, but the smile in his eyes bright. "Thank you...for looking for the other reasons why."

***

Light tapped at his eyelids, coaxing Lux awake. He groaned loudly, pressing his fingers into his temples and doing his best to massage away the pounding headache. He slowly sat up, using the leg of the coffee table as an anchor of sorts to keep himself steady. Lux placed an arm on the table, allowing his head to drop forward with a dull thump. This movement jostled the table, which led to Rhys popping up, frantically stating,

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"For the love of god, shh," Lux grumbled. "It's too early to be so loud."

"What time is it?" Rhys yawned.

Lux lifted his head, blinking groggily over at Rhys. Sleep lines were etched into his cheek, a few of them imprints from the jewelry in his hair. Despite literally just waking up, his eyes were alert, a sleepy smile warming them to a deep honey. "How are you so awake right now?"

"I drank water."

Lux had a brief memory of Rhys trying to get him to drink water. Lukewarm Perrier. He shook his head, pushing aside the awful offense, and immediately felt regret. The room spun, his stomach pitching and rolling with it. He brought his hands up to his face, groaning from behind his palms. "I feel like shit."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rhys pushed himself to his feet, stretching out his limbs as he stood. Lux looked absolutely miserable curled over the coffee table, his wild hair blanketing the sides of his face and obscuring him completely.

Lux grunted an answer, fearful of what would happen if he actually spoke.

"Alright, I'll be right back!"

Lux raised his head, mouth opening to ask Rhys where he was going, but immediately lurched to his feet, rushing towards the restroom. He hugged the porcelain until Rhys returned, embarrassment thankfully nowhere to be found when he's helped to his feet by his editor.

"Which room is yours?"

Lux pointed to the second door on the left and allowed Rhys to support him as they shuffled to the bedroom. He made the mistake of getting into the bed too quickly. Lux pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, willing the room to still while bemoaning his life choices. "Why did I drink so much last night?"

Rhys went back to the living room, returning with a few bags. "The power is back on, so I put a few bottles of water and Gatorade in the fridge for you. I also picked up some beignets and hibiscus tea. When you feel better, everything is in the kitchen on the island for you."

Lux huffed a soft breath, embarrassment finally catching up with him as he realized the lengths Rhys went to ensure he would be okay. "I'm sorry about..." he trailed off, gesturing down the length of his body and back up.

Rhys waved him off with a gentle grin. "It's fine. This would be no different than if we went out drinking after work."

"Except," Lux disagreed, "I would be doing all of this on my own because I would be home alone."

"True. But the roads are clear and you need to rest, so I'm going to get out of your hair. If you need anything else, I'm only a text away." Rhys waved over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

It didn't take Lux long to fall asleep. He never slept well when he was inebriated and so his body, on top of being achy due to sleeping on the floor, was drained of energy and needed the rest. He was teetering precariously on the edge of fully falling asleep and being woefully awake when his brain reminded him of why he continued to drink. His eyes popped open, wide as saucers.

"So, I know you've never been in a relationship but what about dating?"

"Only the one," Lux answered slowly, his words slightly slurring together.

"Okay, last question. If you had to plan the perfect first date, what would it be?"

This was an easy question to answer for Lux. He had given thought to what a perfect first date would be like. "I love live music. And dancing. Going to the French Quarter to do both would be amazing."

"I lied," Rhys laughed nervously. "I have one more question."

"Hmm?"

"Would–and it wouldn't be a big deal or anything because technically I haven't really had the chance to explore the French Quarter so it would also be you showing me around–you maybe want to go listen to live music and go dancing...with me?"

Rhys looked so nervous it was endearing. He held his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes held the same tender eagerness they did earlier, but this time he struggled to hold Lux's gaze. He was so... "Cute," Lux exhaled slowly.

"Huh?"

Realizing he spoke audibly, Lux played the fool. "What?"

Rhys scratched at his head, giggling softly. "Nothing. It's way past my bedtime if I'm hearing things. But...would you?"

There was a small part of Lux that told him he needed to wait until the morning to make a decision. But, the part of him that grew bolder with the consumption of alcohol, the part of him that had long since admitted Rhys was attractive, also whispered to him that Rhys was kind. That part of him had already sown seeds and had diligently been watering them and now, in this moment, the first bud began to unfurl, strong and hopeful.

"Yeah," Lux answered Rhys, his voice barely above a whisper. "I–I'd like that a lot."