Page 73 of Half Notes and Highlights
“Now you know why I’ll never get mad at glitter.”
“It’s a beautiful night,” Harris stated. “But you know what would make it even better? Smores!”
“We have to have smores,” Tyler agreed. “We can’t have a campfire without smores. It’s against the rules. I hate to ask.” He really did, but it would be the cherry on top to an incredible night. “Do you think you could use your connections to get us the ingredients?”
“You mean like this stuff?” Harris asked, holding up a bag of marshmallows and a box of graham crackers. Next to him, Marshall had skewers and chocolate bars.
“You guys are totally prepared!”
They toasted marshmallows and enjoyed the traditional campfire treats underneath a huge silver moon on their last night in Black Rock City. Early tomorrow afternoon they were leaving. Wolf Pack would go on to Des Moine, and a car would take Tyler back to LA. It was an amazing three days and nights in the desert. So many crazy things happened. But the best thing of all was that the feud with Wolf was over, which meant there would be no more uncertainty. Tyler took Ethan’s hand, kissed it, then smiled at him. This man was all his, and the rivalry was over. Now they could move forward with a future together.
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
Backstage in the green room, with everyone present, Ethan debated on whether or not to let his bandmates know that he planned on making an announcement on stage tonight telling the fans to back off. Since the glitter incident, no one’s thrown anything at Tyler, but people are still posting negative comments online that get ugly, and fans are still demanding that Ethan and Wolf get back together.
Ethan could already hear Ruby’s tirade in his head. After Black Rock City, he was livid and wanted to make a statement on air, but she convinced him to let the label handle it. They made a strong statement but obviously not strong enough, and Ethan was sick of reading the attack on his boyfriend on social media. He wanted it to stop.
“Why so pensive?” Tyler’s sweet voice questioned.
“I’m going to tell the fans to back off tonight during the set,” Ethan confessed, his lips to Tyler’s ear. “No one knows.”
Tyler gave him a wary look. “Is that OK? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
Ethan loved that Tyler’s first concern was always how the label or Ruby were going to react. The guy was totally selfless, had infinite patience, and was more forgiving than anyone in the world. “I don’t care. I’m tired of the bullshit. You’re my boyfriend, and I don’t want fans treating you with disrespect.”
A cute little smile drew up the corners of Tyler’s mouth. “I don’t care what they say. It doesn’t bother me.”
“The world would be a better place if everyone had your attitude.”
Paul popped his head into the room and announced that it was time to head to the stage, and everyone followed.
Ethan wasn’t exactly sure when he planned to tell the crowd about his relationship status, but he knew it wasn’t going to be at the start of the show. He wanted the fans to be amped up with excitement. Otherwise, the announcement could be a major mood killer and derail the show.
Three songs in proved that the crowd was in high spirits. They pumped their fists and screamed like maniacs, and the adrenaline multiplied as the night progressed.
Ethan shouted the lyrics into the mic, and Wolf thumped out a beat next to him. He nudged his friend with his shoulder and smiled through the next line of the song. Wolf retaliated by pointing the head of the bass at Ethan and poking him once in the arm with it. The crowd roared, hoping for more, but that was it. That’s all it’ll ever be from now on, and the fans needed to accept it.
The set flew by, and they were on their last song of the night, so it was now or never.
“It’s been a fucking pleasure, Cleveland! You’ve been awesome!” Ethan yelled into the mic. “I’m Ethan Jones, and I fucking love being here and performing for everyone, but I couldn’t do it without my best friends and bandmates!” He spread his arms to the sides and turned in a semicircle to include the guys. “Let’s hear it for Harris Young on the drums!” Harris kicked his bass while his sticks sailed across his toms. “On guitar, Marshall Davidson.” Marshall strummed a riff while the crowd cheered. “And on the bass, my best bud, Wolf Wheeler!” Wolf plucked a series of notes while the fans screamed.
Ethan waited for the room to quiet down before he spoke into the mic, “I don’t normally talk about my personal life, but I have something to tell you guys. As you know, Wolf and I have had a longstanding close friendship.” Laughter rumbled in the crowd,since they had a lot more than friendship, but that was in the past. A bunch of people cheered and whistled, craving a show of intimacy between Ethan and Wolf, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“I know you’ve seen me spending time with someone else these last few months, and I want to set the record straight.” Ethan slung his arm over Wolf’s shoulder and kissed the side of his head. “I’ll always love this guy.”
“What are you doing?” Wolf whispered, obviously, realizing what Ethan was about to say, but Ethan ignored him and continued.
“But we’re just friends. I have a new man in my life.” Unhappy grunts and sighs of displeasure filled the room, but Ethan kept going as he placed his hand over his heart, and his face lit up with a smile. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. He’s it for me. He’s my forever. So please be nice, stop with the hateful comments, and respect our privacy.”
A rumble of“Noooo!” and some mean comments rose from the crowd, and Ethan began to wonder if this wasn’t the best place to make the announcement.
“Quiet down. That’s enough,” Wolf said into the mic, to Ethan’s surprise. “This is our life, and our business. It has nothing to do with the music. Tyler’s a great guy. So be nice to him.”
The crowd was dead silent.
“If you took a second to get to know him,” Wolf continued. “You’d love him too.”
