“I thought you’d treat me differently if you knew. You wouldn’t relax in my company or want to hang out with me. I don’t know. I was probably overthinking things.” Felix cleared his throat. “Does it change things?”
They both shook their heads, and Remi said, “You’re still the awesome guy who puts up with our shit no matter what we throw at you.”
Felix grinned. “The noise is a bit much, though.”
Remi winced. “Sorry, I’ll tone it down.”
“See,” Felix said, pointing at him. “This is exactly what I meant. You’re changing how you do things because I’m your landlord.”
Remi glared at him. “No. I’m changing things because you said it was too much. Not that the landlord said it was too much. If you had mentioned it before, I would’ve done the same. Same as if Austin had mentioned it. Or Angelique. It’s nothing to do with your new title. Just basic human decency.”
“Oh.” Felix grimaced. “Sorry.”
“Now, do you have time to celebrate with us?” Remi said.
“Unfortunately not, but I am inviting you to my birthday party. It’s on Saturday, though my birthday is actually Sunday, and it’ll be at the castle, so safe for all to come.”
Remi grinned. “Nice. I’ll get to schmooze with all kinds of royalty.”
Felix brushed his chin and narrowed his eyes. “Maybe I need to put a muzzle on you.”
Remi looked around as if to find something to throw at him, but there wasn’t anything. Instead, he pointed a finger. “Not nice.”
Felix grinned. “I’ll see you guys later. I haven’t told Angelique yet, but I will when she gets back. I’d prefer to do it in person rather than over the phone.”
“Okay. We won’t say anything until you tell us otherwise.” Austin shrugged. “It’s a shame she’ll miss the party.”
****
Angelique didn’t miss the party. She flew home specially to celebrate with them, and Felix was floored by the move. He classed them as friends but had thought they would think of him more as an acquaintance, more so after the news he’d sprung on them. But Angelique said the same thing. She wasn’t concerned about his being their landlord because he was a good guy.
“I’m so glad to be here,” Angelique gushed, looking around as if she wasn’t an A-lister herself. She was getting as many people gawking at her as she gawked at. “Happy birthday, Felix.”
“Thanks.”
Felix was throwing back drinks as if they were water. He wanted to get rip-roaringly drunk just because he could and rarely ever did. After warning Brett of his intention, his boyfriend had nodded and agreed it was a good idea.
“How does it feel to be thirty-nine?” Christian asked as he slipped past.
Felix grinned. “I don’t know. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Christian laughed and continued on his way. Jason and Kai were there, along with their other halves, plus all the guards, the royals, and everyone else who mattered. Except for his parents. He’d asked them to come, but they didn’t want to intrude, so instead his mum was cooking his favourite meal for dinner the next day. He and Brett would be going over once Felix’s hangover wasn’t as bad as it would be first thing.
He spotted his boyfriend talking to Dominic and Randall, and he staggered over to him. “Hey,” he murmured, sliding his arm around his waist.
Brett automatically wrapped his arms around him, and Felix nuzzled into his neck. “Hey, to you. You okay?”
“Yep. Just wanted to see you.”
Brett pressed his lips to Felix’s head and then continued his conversation while Felix floated away into his mind. He lost himself in the memories of being with his friends, the fun times with his colleagues, and the love he felt for Brett. He was so lucky. Even with everything that happened to him, he was lucky to have so many people around him who cared about him, and he cared about.
“Are you still with me, sweetheart?” Brett’s warm voice filtered into his brain, and he hummed in contentment. Brett’s chuckle vibrated through his chest, and Felix tightened his hold. “I think it might be time to either stick to water or head home.”
Felix blinked open his eyes with effort, feeling extremely sleepy. “No, I don’t want to go yet. Everyone is here.”
Brett smiled down at him. “Okay, we can stay, but let’s get some water into your stomach.”
“All right.”