Any dark corner would have been nice, and Brad was in the middle of seeking one out when Julian approached him. Just being in the presence of a man who looked like a man (and didn't act like a snotty teenaged girl) was a relief, and Brad would have followed him to a drug den if it meant getting into somewhere private. Of course, the VIP area seemed a little much, but it was pretty cozy and fancy. "Thanks," he said to Julian gratefully. "I'll be okay though." Julian was definitely his favorite person so far. Pouring himself a glass of champagne, and humming in surprise as to how sweet it was, Brad settled in and waited for the show to start. He was going to watch Feather, and maybe one more act, then go home and tell Lloyd on their date that it had been a nice evening. Avoiding details if possible.
But Feather seemed to have other plans. The moment she said 'lovely young man', followed by mention of the boss, Brad's face paled. "Oh my God," he groaned, slumping low in his seat as all eyes turned to him when Feather waved. He offered a small wave back, because what else could he do? If he ran off now, like he kinda wanted to, Lloyd wouldn't forgive him. But did Feather really have to give this entire crowd all the details of his friendship, and his date, with Lloyd?
There was a pause, at Feather's invitation, where Brad's brain was trying to come up with the right response. He could hear too many other voices in his head and it was making concentration almost impossible. "Okay," he said finally, just loud enough for most people to hear him. This was a nightmare. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but pretty bad. If he had been in his underwear, then it would be a nightmare. Right now it was just mortifying. He chugged down the rest of the glass of champagne in his hand. The entire bottle had seemed excessive until now.