“You’re stunning,” he blurted out. Now I was the one rendered speechless.
What the fuck just happened? And why was he glaring at me? Duh dumbass, you put your foot in your mouth yet again. I was stunned, unable to comprehend the words Ely had just said to me. This was by far a first. To the best of my knowledge I’d never misgendered anyone before. But he was…wow. Gorgeous didn’t even cover it. Long, platinum blond hair my fingers were aching with need to be buried in. Was he wearing make-up? OMG, full, thick lashes making those gorgeous sapphire eyes stand out even more. Androgynous? Was that the right term to use? No, that’s not right. Fuck, I wanted to be PC and I was already fucking up with this guy. So petite, so femme. I’d never been into anyone like him, yet I couldn’t look away. He probably thought I was some sort of creeper now. How do I? What do I? I had one chance to fix this without making matters any worse.
Mentally, I shook myself.
“Sorry.”
That’s all you could come up with Rhone?
“Yes, you’ve already said that a couple of times, yet you’ve still not told me what it is you needed my help with,” Ely said, crossing his arms defiantly across his chest.
“Hey,” someone shouted. I turned to see who they were yelling at and found them staring directly at me. “You’re that guy from that one band.”
“Um, hey,” I replied, awkwardly waving. “Yeah, I’m Rhone from Embrace the Fear,” I said, realizing I probably shouldn’t have considering I’d ditched our security detail to head out front and scope out the scene. But I felt his glare before I saw him. Sure enough, when I turned, Sikes was shooting daggers at me. Gulp, fuck. So much for not pissing off the guards. I knew I was about to get my ass handed to me. I was still more or less an unknown on the music front so it shouldn’t have been that big of a deal except we’d already been told by management not to go anywhere without them. Touring with Social and Maiden has brought us some notoriety though. But unlike those guys I could still walk around venues and check out the other bands during our down time. Or so I thought. When I turned back to face Ely, hoping to make things right, he was gone.
Well, double Fuck.
I’ve never confirmed my sexuality, nor had I ever felt the need to identify one way or another. I liked who I liked, and I slept with who I wanted to. As long as a willing partner and I were both consenting adults it didn’t matter to me what they had between their legs, only that we had a good time. I was never one to care what others thought, it was none of their damn business who was in my bed.
“Let’s go,” Sikes demanded. Feeling chastised and defeated, I conformed.
I’ve always loved these outdoor venues and the pre-concert music they played. That shit got your heart thumping from the pent-up excitement of seeing your favorites play live. AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock” was currently playing over the sound system. That song and Korn’s “Blind” were the two that always got my blood pumping while waiting for bands to hit the stage. The adrenaline coursed through your veins. Your heart raced like mad as you rush the mosh pit wanting to get as close to the stage and those you idolized as you could. Hoping to catch a guitar pick or a drumstick thrown out into the crowd. Hell, even their sweat soaked shirts they would take off and toss out were like gold. You grabbed it, breathing in their scent and swore right then and there that you would never wash it again.
Those were the days.
And now to be the one they wanted to get these trinkets and autographs from was just so un-fucking believable.
So surreal.
I like to think my dad is watching me from wherever he is, proud as fuck.
“Rhone, where’d you disappear to?” Seltzer asked.
“Don’t. Do it. Again,” Sikes warned me. I nodded, he turned and walked away, leaving me with my bandmates in one of the catering tents.
“I went up front to check things out, was thinking of buying a couple of shirts. But then—” I stopped, recounting my run in with Ely.
“Dude, what’s wrong?” Seltzer asked. “Are you stroking out?”
“You ever wish you could turn back time and have a do-over?”
“Yeah, like every fucking day of my life. What did you do?” Chase asked, walking up beside us.
“So, I met this dude. Who I thought was a girl? But he was a guy. And I was like, whoa. Which made him mad. Then I tried to fix it. Then some dude said hey and when I turned back around, Ely was gone,” I rattled off sounding like a total freaking jackass.
“Okay, who the hell is Ely? You need to slow down and start from the beginning,” Seltzer told me, so I did.
“Any chance you’re talking about that dude over there?” At once our heads turned, following the line of David’s finger.
“Yesss,” I hissed, drawing out the s’s. My legs moved forward, and I could hear the guys laughter behind me.
“Um, excuse me?” I said, tapping Ely on the shoulder.
“Not you again,” Ely shook his head, angrily stirring the dish in front of him.
I shifted gears, hoping a compliment wouldn’t get me kicked in the balls. “That smells great.” It really did look and smell good, I wasn’t bullshitting him. Some sort of pasta and chicken dish. My stomach grumbled, reminding me it has been some time since I last ate.
“Thank you,” Ely replied, still not making eye contact with me.
“Can we start over again? Please?” I asked him.
Ely put his hand on his hip, and I just knew this was over before it had even had a chance to start. “I’m not here to be checked off on a Rockstar’s do to list.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation not only do I not have any kind of list, but I’m not quite a Rockstar yet either,” I replied, honestly.
“You wouldn’t be back here if you weren’t,” he replied.
“Our band is really new—” I began, but he cut me off.
“Look, I’m not a girl so why don’t you just trot on off and head over to the groupie section,” Ely said, turning his back on me which was beyond frustrating.
“I know you’re not a girl, I’m sorry I misgendered you. I just wanted to talk to you and properly introduce myself,” I tried again.
“I’m a gay man who likes girly things. How well will that go over in your little rocker world?”
Man, this guy was giving me nothing but attitude. This ship was sinking fast.
“Dude I’m fucking bi!” I yelled, far too loudly.
“That’s our boy, shy as ever.” I heard Seltzer’s voice. Of course, everyone had shut up just in time for my overly dramatic outing announcement.
“Fuck,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “I’m out.”
“Wait,” Ely said. “I’m sorry. It’s just a sensitive subject for me. What’s your name?”
“Rhone. Rhone Horne,” I turned, extending my hand in a hopeful truce.
Reluctantly Ely eyed it before adding his, and for the first time he actually smiled. An adorable, sideways smile I’ll never forget. Every inch of my body woke as I absorbed the touch of his skin on mine. “Ely Pearcy.”
“So, Ely, what do you do for fun when you’re not feeding starving Rockstars?” I asked him.