Page 56 of Bassist With Benefits
The cloth slid between Jeremy’s legs, covering his genitals with a warm soapy film. He was expecting a come-to-life erotic fantasy, but Alan’s gentle wiping was filled with care and love. It was unexpected, and it left Jeremy with a surprised rush of sentiment in his throat. The pain killers must have been doing a number on him, because his emotions were all over the place. He was so happy that he just wanted to cry.
“Why are you watching me with that look on your face?” Alan asked, glancing up at Jeremy.
“When did you get to be so gentle? So… caring? Who are you?”
Alan chuckled. “I love you, doofus.” He threw the washcloth on the nightstand, dried Jeremy with the towel, changed his dressing gown, and covered him with the sheet. He stared at Jeremy for a few seconds, deep in thought. “All kidding aside, I really love you very much. You were my best friend and now you’re my lover. The bond we have is deep. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We grew up together. We shared everything together. There’s nothing you don’t know about me, Jeremy. There are no surprises. I know you, and you know me.” He traced a finger over the perimeter of Jeremy’s cheek and pushed his fingers through his hair, which he had let loose from the confines of the ponytail. “I love you,” Alan repeated.
A warm ache spread through Jeremy’s heart as Alan placed an incredibly soft and gentle kiss on his lips. He had never felt so loved before.
The door swung open and Felix walked in carrying a large basket of flowers. “I see you’re feeling better. You have more color in your cheeks than you did last night.” He set the basket down on the ledge in front of the window. “You should see the crowd of fans and paparazzi outside. I barely made it into the lobby.”
Jeremy exchanged an uneasy glance with Alan, waiting for Felix to mention the kiss that he surely just witnessed.
Felix took the tray of uneaten hospital food off the rolling table and replaced it with a takeout container he pulled out of the brown paper bag he carried. “I brought you some real food.”
Jeremy’s stomach rumbled again and he flipped open the Styrofoam lid. A 6-inch hero and a side of macaroni salad sat inside. He peeked under the bread and found turkey with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. “Felix, you’re a Godsend.”
“I wanted to make sure you ate.”
The bread was crunchy and the turkey was fresh, not deli-style processed meat. “It’s like Thanksgiving.”
“Slow down before you choke,” Alan said, pouring Jeremy a glass of water.
Jeremy swallowed and took a drink. “Thanks. I’m just really hungry.” He smiled up at Alan, who returned a small chuckle, understanding that Jeremy’s appetite was fueled by their little sexual encounter.
“Just eat your sandwich.”
“Are you two ready to talk about what’s going on between you now?” Felix asked.
Jeremy froze with his mouth open, ready to take another bite out of his hero. He glanced at Alan, and then looked at Felix. “What?”
Felix exhaled. “You might be able to fool everyone else, but you’re not putting one over on me. Don’t you know that by now?”
“You knew?” Alan asked.
“Of course I knew. I watch every move you guys make.”
Butterflies tickled Jeremy’s belly, and he put his sandwich back in the container. “And?”
“And what?” Felix asked.
“Let’s hear it. Don’t sugarcoat it because I’m in the hospital. Say whatever you’ve gotta say.”
“OK.” Felix pulled up a chair, sat down, and fixed the creases in his slacks. “I estimate that you guys got together around Chicago. And let’s review what’s happened since then. At the show in Oklahoma you two had an unprecedented interactive drum-against-bass showdown that blew the audience away. In Albuquerque, you spontaneously ousted Alan off his drum set and took over. You played the bass and the drums at the same time, and blewmeaway. You actually blew my mind. No one has ever shocked me enough to say that before. The rapport that the two of you have been exhibiting has surpassed what Derek and Brandon share on stage. You’ve both been at the top of your game, and everyone can feel it. You’ve ignited the fans in a way that I haven’t seen since Bulletproof first showed up on the heavy metal circuit.”
Jeremy had felt it right away. He hadn’t had this much fun on stage since they first started touring. But he didn’t know that everyone else felt it as well. “So you don’t have a problem with it?”
“As long as you’re playing like that, I’m over the moon.”
Alan let out a nervous laugh. “Cool. I thought we were gonna get reamed.”
“You’re not kids, Alan, although you act like it most of the time. What do I always tell you before every show? Have fun. Enjoy the ride. Once this isn’t fun anymore and becomes just a job, the performance suffers. None of us wants that to happen. You’ve got the world at your feet and your whole lives ahead of you. Why do you think I ride you so hard?”
“Because you don’t want your gravy train derailed?”
Jeremy shot his eyes toward Alan. That was basically the bottom line, but no one would dare say it to Felix’s face.
“Well, yes, that’s true, but I care about you guys. You’ve gotta know that, right?” Felix made pointed eye contact with both Jeremy and Alan, concern and sincerity shadowing his usually hard gaze. “You’re like sons to me. So are Brandon and Derek. Shit, you guys were barely out of high school when we met. I have kids your age.” Felix rested his hand on top of Jeremy’s and gave it a tender squeeze. “You have no idea how scared I was when I saw you get shot. I was standing next to Brandon, too far away to do anything. I felt so fucking helpless.”
