Philip and Bryce before a rally

There came a knock on the door from the other room in the suite. ‘Enter,’ said Bryce with a sigh. He lay stretched out on the bed in an open dressing gown, nothing but underwear beneath. The door opened and Philip stepped inside.
‘Senator,’ he said. ‘You’re not ready.’
‘I don’t want to,’ Bryce pouted. ‘I’m exhausted. I want to stay here, order room service, watch a bad film.’
‘You can’t,’ said Philip. ‘You’ve got a rally to attend. They can’t very well have it without you.’
‘Ugh.’ Bryce grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his own head. He knew he was acting like a petulant child, but didn’t much care at the moment. The irony that this man nearly ten years his junior was the adult in this situation was not lost on him.
Philip found himself smiling. He approached and sat down at the edge of the bed. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘Go to the rally, and when we’re done, we’ll come back here and you can bum around in your dressing gown, order room service, and watch as many bad films as you like. All right?’
Bryce removed the pillow and gave Philip a suspicious, sidelong glance. ‘Promise?’
‘Promise.’
‘Will you join me?’
Philip laughed, but said nothing.
Bryce shook his head. ‘Not sure it’s worth it,’ he said.
Philip rolled his eyes. Then he leaned down, took Bryce’s face in his hands, and kissed him. Bryce was so taken aback he forgot to respond at first. Then he kissed Philip back. It only lasted for a second before Philip pulled back and stood up again. ‘You’re going to go put on your suit,’ he said. ‘Then we’re going to get in the car, drive to the convention centre, and you’re going to convince those people to vote for you. Got it, Senator?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Bryce.
‘Good. When that’s done . . . yes. I’ll join you.’
Bryce gave a half smile. ‘All right, then.’ He got off the bed and walked over to the closet. ‘Navy or pinstripe?’
‘Pinstripe,’ said Philip. ‘And take the teal tie. It goes with your eyes.’
‘Okay.’ Bryce pulled the suit out of the closet. He glanced behind him. ‘Are you going to stand there and watch me change?’
He thought for a moment that he might have broken through the young man’s composure, but Philip remained unfazed and simply smiles his infuriating, enigmatic smile. ‘Do I need to, or can I trust you to do it on your own?’
Bryce barked a laugh. ‘Piss off, Philip. I’ll call you when I’m done.’
‘Yes, Senator.’ Philip turned around and left the room.