Page 66 of Half Notes and Highlights
Ethan grabbed an extra pair of jeans and a T-shirt and followed Tyler to his trailer. He had no idea what Tyler had in mind, but he didn’t care as long as they could walk around freely like they did yesterday. It was actually kinda cool, despite the long lines and lack of shade and seating area.
“What’s the plan?” Ethan asked, tossing the extra clothes on the salon chair.
“Well, first,” Tyler waved his hand in front of Ethan’s face like he was holding a magic wand.
“I love when you do that.” Ethan smiled. “You look like you’re about to throw some fairy dust on me and turn me into a unicorn or something.”
Tyler’s eyes danced as he stroked his chin in thought. “I think I’m all out of fairy dust.” He rifled through his makeup supplies on the counter and held up a jar of something. “I have iridescent highlighter. Do you think that’ll work?” He didn’t wait for an answer and quickly unscrewed the lid, dipped a brush into the loose powder and dabbed it on Ethan’s cheeks and waited. He leaned over and gave Ethan a quick peck and waited again. “Nope. Still a man. No unicorn. Not even one of those half man, half horse Sagittarius things.” He pointed the brush at Ethan. “Now,thatwould be hot.”
Ethan grinned. “I like to think I am half horse.” He glanced down at his crotch. “At least the good half.”
“Sweetie, Sagittarius got nothin’ on you.” Tyler placed a tiny kiss on the tip of Ethan’s nose. “Now let’s get transformed so we can go have fun at the festival.”
Ethan received the same makeover as yesterday, and then Tyler transformed himself into someone no one would ever recognize. He stuffed his long hair into a skull cap, which seemed an impossible feat in itself, and wore a short blond wig and fashioned himself with a mustache to match. The extra set of clothing Ethan brought was for Tyler. They were oversized and baggy, and without the belt, the pants would have easily fallen down to his ankles. The T-shirt hit him mid-thigh and could have been worn like a dress. It was the total opposite of Tyler’s usual attire, which was skintight with a strip of flesh always showing across his waist.
Ethan stared at him in disbelief. “You look so butch.”
Tyler toughened his jaw and jutted his chin at Ethan. “S’up?”
It was oddly exciting, and Ethan grabbed Tyler by his adorable ass cheeks and tugged him against his body and kissedhim. They both had faux facial hair, and it rubbed together to create a delicious friction and texture against Ethan’s cheeks and lips.
“Careful,” Tyler warned. “Or I’ll end up wearing your goatee and you’ll be wearing my moustache.”
Ethan chuckled. “OK. Let’s grab some food and then we can rearrange each other’s facial hair.”
They headed out of the RV, with security trailing behind them, and slipped into the crowd without notice. Vendors were set up selling various items, and a table with handmade jewelry caught Ethan’s attention, so he stopped to browse. A tray filled with guitar picks on long chains intrigued him. He saw one from a band playing tomorrow night and picked it up.
“That’s real,” the girl behind the table said. “All the guitar picks are real. I had a jar full of picks from bands I’ve seen over the last couple of years, so I made them into jewelry.”
Ethan pulled the brim of his baseball cap a little lower. “I guess I have to buy it then.” He paid the girl and then slipped the necklace over Tyler’s head. “A little something to remember this trip.”
Tyler fingered the guitar pick, then threw his arms around Ethan’s neck and kissed him. “I love it. Thank you.”
They walked through the festival and Tyler stopped to point out a food stand. “I want that. The footlong hot dog with the works.”
The thing was bigger than he was, and Tyler needed two hands in order to hold it as he stuffed one end in his mouth and took a giant bite.
Ethan let out a hearty laugh. There were so many one-liners on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say any of them.
“You look like you’re enjoying that way too much,” a guy standing next to them joked.
Tyler gave the stranger a playful smile and a waggle of his eyebrows. “Iamenjoying it. Very much. You should try it. You might like it.”
“Ihavetried it. Many times. And Ihaveenjoyed it. Very much.” The man turned to Ethan, obviously realizing they were a couple. “I’m just kidding. No hard feelings. I’m a married man.”
“None taken,” Ethan replied. Tyler’s overfriendly and sometimes flirtatious remarks were just part of his fun-loving personality. There was no need for jealousy.
“It’s hot out today,” the man commented, then looked around. “They have more shade and tables than yesterday.”
That voice. It was familiar, but Ethan couldn’t place it. He was sure he knew it, though, so he coaxed the guy to talk more. “Is this your first time at Rocktoberfest?”
“Nah.” The guy waved his hand like he’d been here a dozen times. “I’ve been to a few shows.” He motioned to the guitar pick around Tyler’s neck. “Cool band.”
And then it clicked. This was Tommy Blade from Immortal Angel, only it didn’t look anything like him because the guy was also wearing a wig and sunglasses. Without his signature long blond hair, and his husband and wife who were usually always at his side, Tommy Blade integrated seamlessly into the crowd.
Ethan put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder and leaned in close. “It’s me,” he whispered and pulled his sunglasses down so Tommy could see his eyes. “Ethan from Wolf Pack.”
Tommy scrutinized Ethan’s face, then recognition hit and a series of hearty laughs left his mouth. “I can’t believe we had the same idea! How funny is that?”
