Page 88 of Reverb
Well, in for a pound, too.
When the opening notes of Erasure’s “Chains of Love” started, David jumped right in, singing loud and strong. He also ignored anything out beyond the end of the stage, because fuck if he was going to stare out at that crowd, those cameras, or Twisted Wishes. He’d stumble over notes and probably off the stage, too.
Now he understood why Dom had a rock persona. It was one thing to sing while tipsy with friends at the local queer bar, another to sing atthisclub in front of strangers, a famous rock band, and the woman he was falling for.
When he got toward the end of the song, he did look out over the crowd and found Mish. Joy suffused her face, though she wasn’t grinning. Her expression was profound and full of love.
He was so fucking glad the song ended, because he wasn’t going to get another note out of his throat after seeing Mish like that. He walked off the stage to clapping and cheering, and worked his way through a crowd of smiles and photos. Mish held out her hand and he gave his to her.
Mish pulled him into her arms. “That was fantastic,” she said into his ear. “Zav was right about your voice.”
“Still ain’t like yours, rock queen.” He pulled back from the embrace. “I think I need the rest of my beer.”
She chuckled but let go, and David downed the rest of his brew in a few swallows. Someone else was up on the stage now and that singer drew attention away from their corner of the bar. Thank god.
“Mish’s right.” Ray’s tone was serious and professional. “You’ve got pipes and excellent control. Youcouldsing.”
David considered that. His voice had changed a lot—vocal cords thickening—but he’d kept singing. Even joining a queer choir early on. Plus Ray wasn’t the type to lie, especially not about music. “Maybe. I don’t have the passion you guys have. Singing’s fun, you know, but I wouldn’t want to do it for a living.”
Ray laughed, then coughed. He took a swig of his drink. “Fucking dry air.”
“Does take passion to do what we do.” Mish nursed her beer. “Lots of downs to go with all those ups.”
“I’m not cut out for that. Or for the spotlight.” David spotted another cell phone pointed their direction. “Though I’m getting used to that.”
“The spotlight is a blessing and a curse,” Domino said. “Everyone has their way of dealing.” He was sober for a moment, then grinned. “Mine’s being me.” He grabbed Adrian’s hand. “Dance with me? I want to show you off some more.”
Adrian laughed. “Dancing’s fine, baby. But who’s showing who off?” He let Domino take his hand and pull him away from the bar.
David watched them go. “I don’t know if I can do that.” The words slipped out before he thought about what they meant.
“Date a rock star?” Mish’s words were soft.
“No.” Except that sounded wrong, too. His heart leapt into his throat. “Adrian makes it look easy.” He met her gaze. “I’m herewithyou, but this is new to me.” Wasn’t what he should be doing, not as a professional. But damn, his heart and soul wanted this. “I’m just saying, I need to figure it out.”
She seemed to take those words in and turn them over in her head. “I get that. I don’t want to be a burden.”
Those words weren’t just for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ray shift. “You’re not.” David took her hands. “You most certainly are not.” Through their entwined fingers, Mish trembled, the tension evident. “Wanna go show up those guys on the dance floor? We do make a pretty good pair.”
Mish’s grip softened. “Yeah, we do.” She paused. “I’m glad you’re here.”
By the bar, Ray shifted again, leaning into Zavier and whispering something.
“Me, too,” David said.
Mish led them back to the dance floor, and they ended up spinning and sliding and dancing circles around the other couples. By the time the night was over, David’s legs ached and his face hurt from smiling.
When the band flopped back into the limo, Mish pulled him close. “Thank you. I needed to get out for a while. Not think.”
“It was my pleasure,” David murmured.
Mish kicked Ray in the shin—not hard—but enough to make him start. “Hey!”
“Don’t think I don’t know you planned this, kiddo. You and your coconspirators.”
“Me?” Ray grinned. “No idea what you could mean.”
The whole limo dissolved into laughter that turned into murmurs of conversation until they returned to the tour buses.
