That's When We Uncover [Jensen Ackles + Misha Collins | Cockles | mxm]

Chapter Thirty

I spend New Years partying with some other Cali actors from the Hollywood neighbourhood in L.A. and Malibu.

Soon enough, the simple walk from my car up to a club will feel like a condemned man's walk down the last mile. Not that I'm not assaulted with camera flashes and insistent reporters on the daily - my fame already turns a simple grocery run into an autograph session - but the blooming scandal will compound everything exponentially. For now, though, I have Dani on my arm and things are still normal, even if we do spend the entire evening apart.

I know of most of the celebs here, though I personally know very few. But that doesn't stop me from striking up conversation with Arrow and Teen Wolf actor Colton Haynes.

Jared, Misha and I appeared alongside Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, John Barrowman, Colton and other big names at the CW upfronts in 2014, which is when I met him.

I've wanted to talk to Colton in person since he came out to the world as gay. And I'm glad I'm finally getting the chance, because I also get to meet his secret celebrity florist boyfriend Jeff Leatham, who, if things go as planned, won't be a secret for long.

Jeff tells me when Colton takes a bathroom break that he's thinking about popping the question in a few months, if all goes well. I try not to gush too obviously, but I honestly think their story is incredibly inspiring and I'm honoured to be one of the select few people on earth who know about their relationship right now. Although I hope to soon be one of millions.

The reason I find it so touching is because couples like them are so rare. Hollywood romances are ninety-nine percent pro-mances: staged, fake, pure off-screen acting. The marriages are more about profile than love, set up by publicity agents and sometimes trapping stars in relationships where divorce would automatically end their career. But Colton went through hell for being open about his sexuality, and his profile, like Jeff's, will take a severe blow if they get engaged. They both know it, and it doesn't matter to them. And there's nothing more genuine than that.

When the headlines about those two emerge in a few months, I'll be watching to gauge the world's reaction to the unveiling of their secret romance. And I'll probably be thinking about Misha and I, about what we could be if not for a million little inconveniences.

I see him again, the Mishaesque stranger from the last heated evening I was here.

I spot him throwing back a shot at the bar under the barrage of strobing, multicoloured lights, and curiosity propels me forward until I'm within his line of sight. Despite the darkness and the myriad of hues splashing across his face, I recognize those eyes, widening at the sight of me.

My boldness wanes a bit. This isn't my style. But it's not like I'm soliciting sex or anything. I just want to know...

"What's your name?" My voice fights to carry over the thundering beat of the music.