Page 26 of Half Notes and Highlights
“I know. It’s just that he’s so over the top. The clothes. The hair. The brash way he talks. Everything about him screams, look at me!”
Tyler couldn’t listen to any more bullshit. He felt as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head and steam was going toshoot out his ears. He flung open the door and marched inside. “I’m not brash. I’m friendly. At least I’m not Mr. Grumpy Pants with a chip on his shoulder for no reason. I was nice to you. I complimented you on your hair. That’s a big deal coming from me.”
“Why? Because you have that 1980s Jon Bon Jovi hair? Get with the 21st century.”
Tyler’s jaw fell open. He was a well-known hairstylist and makeup artist, credited for his style and originality. He wasn’t an ‘80s knockoff. “How dare you knock my fashion sense?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Wolf mocked. “Let’s see. What are you wearing right now? Purple swim trunks with pink flamingos on them. I guess that was on Tom Ford’s latest runway show. I must have missed it.”
Tyler didn’t know if he was more shocked that Wolf knew the name Tom Ford or insulted at being criticized for his choice of swim trunks. “I got them at the gift shop. They’re cute.”
“That’s debatable. And what’s with the outfit you wore last night? Leather pants? Really? It was 82 degrees.” Wolf rolled his eyes. “And don’t even get me started on that vest. What are you going to wear tonight? A feather boa?”
Tylerdidhave a feather boa in his suitcase, and hewasgoing to wear it tonight, so now he was infuriated and ready to explode. But he was trying to keep calm. He was trying to be the bigger person. He pressed his lips together in a thin straight line while clenching his teeth so hard he thought they’d snap and blew air out his nostrils like a bull.
“OK. That’s enough,” Ethan intervened. “Wolf, you’re—”
“Oh, no.” Tyler cut him off with a hand in the air. “I can stick up for myself.” Then he addressed Wolf with calm assertiveness. “You’re one to talk about fashion. You look like an Eddie Van Halen wannabe, only with half the charisma and half the talent. You’re just a hater. And I don’t have time for your bullshit. Iknow I’m edgy. I’m not another sheep in the herd. I stand out. Maybe my style isn’t the norm, but it’s my style. You wish you could pull it off half as good as I can. And by the way,” Tyler flipped his hair over his shoulder. “Jon Bon Jovi was a knockout—still is by the way—and had awesome fucking hair.”
Wolf stood there, seemingly in shock, with no reply. His jaw was open, and his brows were high on his forehead, while Tyler folded his arms across his chest and tapped his foot on the carpet waiting for the guy to respond.
“Alright. You both said enough,” Ethan interrupted. “Wolf, I think you need to go.”
“Fine.” Wolf turned and walked out without looking back.
Ethan put his hands on Tyler’s shoulders and let out a deep breath. His eyes were wide, and he looked ashen. “I’m so sorry. I have no idea what got into him. He was totally out of line. He had no right to speak to you that way. He’s never argumentative like that. I’m going to have a serious talk with him. But I’m really proud of you for standing up for yourself.”
Tyler smiled and shook his head. “No worries. I’m over it. I’m not getting frown lines on my forehead because of him. Now, kiss me before you miss the lingering taste in my mouth of the best macchiato I’ve ever had.
Ethan displayed a wide smile before he planted a deep probing kiss on Tyler’s mouth. “Mmm. Yummy,” he said, nuzzling Tyler’s lips and then wrapped Tyler in a hug.
Over Ethan’s shoulder, Tyler was surprised to see Wolf standing in the open doorway watching them. Still hugging Ethan, Tyler narrowed his eyes at Wolf and mouthed a silent, “Fuck you,” before kissing Ethan again and flipping Wolf the finger.
Wolf kept his distance for the remainder of Tyler’s visit. It upset and bothered Ethan that his best friend was being so childish and rude, but he made sure to keep his emotions in check until after Tyler left.
As soon as he kissed his lover goodbye and jumped on the tour bus to join his bandmates, everything hit him all at once, and he was boiling mad. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Ethan asked Wolf. “You were so fucking rude and out of line. Why the fuck did you say all that shit to Tyler this morning? What did he do to you?”
Wolf kept his eyes lowered, clearly embarrassed. “I just don’t like him. He rubs me the wrong way.”
“You don’t even know him. You didn’t say more than a few words to him before you took off in the green room yesterday and avoided him for the rest of the night. Then you show up this morning with some stupid pretense about delivering a hard copy of the day’s itinerary and drop all that bullshit.”
“It wasn’t a pretense,” Wolf shot back. “I gave hard copies to everyone.” He looked at the guys sitting on the couch a few feet away. “Tell him.”
Marshall and Harris both agreed, but Harris added, “It was a little strange, bruh. We never get hard copies.”
Ethan had no idea what Wolf was up to or why he would single Tyler out like that, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t letting his friend get away with treating Tyler with so much disrespect. “Tyler deserves an apology.”
Wolf leaned back, his brows raised sky high. “He said shit to me too. Do I need to remind you that he said I had no talent? That was fucked up.”
“He did not.” Ethan didn’t remember everything because he’d been so shocked, but he didn’t think Tyler told Wolf he had no talent.
“He did. Your boy isn’t innocent. Actually, he’s kind of a bitch.”
“That’s a fucked-up thing to say.”
“It’s how I feel. I said what I had to say to his face, not behind his back. If he couldn’t handle it, that’s on him.” Then Wolf calmly walked into the sleeping area and shut the sliding door behind him, ending their conversation.
Frustrated, Ethan blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat on the couch next to Harris and Marshall. “Do you fucking believe him?”
