NEW YORK IS, AS EVER, bracing. Alex is scheduled hour by hour — and in some cases, minute by minute — for his three days in town. Media; meetings; upfronts for fans; upfronts proper; an after-party that’s still an official party he’s contractually obligated to be at; dinner with Victor, Liam, Natalie, Raphael, and the rest of the people doing the roadshow that someone will surely call the paparazzi about; and then six whole hours to sleep before he has to get up and do it all again. Liam loves it, Victor devours it, and Natalie measures it in obsessing over her gains in social media followers. Alex endures it. He does his best to never look ungrateful, because he isn’t, but he’s pretty sure he’s more offended by the process than anyone else involved.
The first night, when they’ve already
