“That’s good to know cause we’re nervous as hell and I’m sure we’ll blurt out some stupid shit that will need to be edited,” I admitted.
“That is a given, my young Padawan,” Diamond said, patting my shoulder.
“Ah, but your day gets better from there,” Easton cut in. “Next you interview with a Vegas rock station and then the cherry on top of your Rockstar sundae is Jose Mangin with Octane. He’s going to interview you live, on the main stage in front of an audience right before the first band comes on.
“Dude, have we entered a parallel universe?” David asked.
“We definitely went zero to sixty without hitting the open road,” I added.
“Deep breaths guys, you’ve got this. Diamond and I will be right there with you,” Easton said. Knowing they would both be there made it a little easier to breathe. Diamond has become a mentor to me. He helped me perfect my rhythm and introduced me to a great back brace to wear while I’m drumming. I’ve often wondered since then if this would’ve been available when my dad was playing if he’d still be here with us. “Also, I took the liberty of upgrading your backdrop. There will now be live footage of you guys playing streaming on the main screen behind you. The side screens throughout will show the recorded footage of you playing when we were in Europe. Here’s the video our producer made.” He queued it up on the TV screen. We were awe struck, watching ourselves for the first time in a non-homemade YouTube, professionally shot and edited video. And it was fucking awesome. “Well guys, what do you think?” Easton asked us, turning it off when it ended.
“I know I speak for all of us when I say this,” Chase said. “Thank you. All of you for signing us, for fuck, everything. The guys in Social and Maiden have been fantastic mentors. You and Sal have gone above and beyond. It’s just so hard to believe we’re here. Playing Rocktoberfest and have a million fucking viewers!”
The four of us jumped up and cheered, well all but David since Mash was currently finishing up his tat but he raised his fist in a show of solidarity. “Alright guys,” Mash said, taking his gloves off. “You know the new ink rules. I’ll be here all weekend if you need anything else.”
“Thanks man, what do we owe you?” We settled our debts with Mash, gifting him with a hefty tip, thanked Easton and Diamond then headed straight for our bus.
“Okay, am I the only one who feels like he’s having an out of body experience?” Seltzer asked as we boarded.
“No, you’re not,” I said, plopping down on the couch. “Never in a million years did I think this would happen to us. I wanted it to, believe me I did. But you can only be told no so many times before you’re ready to throw in the towel.”
“So true man, so true,” Chase said, taking the seat beside me. David was already booting up his switch to check on his Animal Crossing peeps.
“I’m gonna shower and hit the sack. It’s already two am and Ryan will meet us here on the bus at ten for our interview.” Granted, I was still young enough to pull off an all-nighter, but I didn’t want to. Not when the day was as important as tomorrow was. After a quick shower, I hopped into my bunk. Fingers poised to text Ely, but I hated the idea of waking him. Not everyone held the hours we did, and I needed to be mindful of that. God, that gorgeous blond hair of his. I wanted to wrap it around my knuckles, gently tug it, tilt his head to the side and taste his skin. The little noises he made when I kissed him had my balls bunched so tight, I was afraid the slightest graze was gonna fill my pants with come.
And just like that, I was hard again…
On a bus…
Surrounded by my bandmates…
Might be able to pull it off if I shove a shirt or something in my mouth. Maybe the pillow?
Well, these balls weren’t gonna empty themselves so with the noise control plan formed, it was time to move this show along. Pulling the small bottle of conditioner from my travel case in the storage bin in my bunk, I poured a couple drops into my palm and shoved my hand inside my boxers. By the third stroke, I had good coverage spread around. I laughed when I realized my pubes would be so shiny and smooth after this. Fuck yeah, I moaned. Out loud. Shit? I grabbed the t-shirt I’d set out and shoved it in my mouth. The elastic band on my boxers was getting in the way and pissing me off. Making a couple of minor adjustments in the tight space, I was able to get them pulled down enough that I could get a good groove going. Ely’s smile paved the way. The little squeak when I bumped into him. Fuck. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Yeah baby. I bet he’d make the sweetest noises if he was here with me. My hand wrapped around both our cocks as I jacked us off. Trailing kisses along his jawline, taking those beautiful, pink lips in mine. Stroke. Stroke. The tension at the base of my spine, so unbearable. Ely…Stroke. Stroke. Twist and... Fuck yeah. The warm rush of come dotted my skin. Fucking hell, I panted, I needed that.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Fuck me.
“Do you feel better now?” Selzter shouted out.
“Did it help any?” Chase added.
“What the fuck man, this is too small of a space for that shit,” David complained.
“I hate all of you!” I yelled.
“Liar, liar, pantalones en fuego!” Chase sang.
The shirt I’d shoved in my mouth now served an additional purpose, mopping the come off my chest. I tossed it aside, put in my AirPods, cranked up Sirius and drowned out the jackals’ cackles currently filling our bus at my expense. Assholes.
I woke the next morning before the rest of the crew, well, excluding Sikes and Snipe. “Morning,” I grunted to them as I bee lined it straight for the Keurig. I’m sure my skinny ass in nothing but boxers wasn’t high on their list of things to see, but that’s why they get paid the big bucks. Actually, I don’t know what they get paid but I’d imagine it’s a decent wage considering they have to be on all the time. I did however, manage to grab my phone before I emerged. Seemed more necessary than clothes were. I shot Ely a text while my coffee brewed.
Me: Morning
It was a few minutes before he replied, by the time he did I was getting dressed to head over to the food tents.
Ely: Morning to you too
Me: If I were to follow the smell of bacon, would I find you near?
Ely: Mayyybbbeee
Me: I’ll take my chances J
“Sikes, I’m gonna head over to the food tent,” I said, placing my cup in the sink and went to brush my teeth. When I resurfaced, he was standing near the door ready to go.
Entering the main food tent, I immediately scanned the occupants but the blond I sought was nowhere in sight. “Looking for someone?”
“Yes,” I said, turning to face him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too, come on, let me fix you a plate,” Ely said, taking my hand and pulling me toward the buffet. “What do you like?”
“You,” I blurted out, his blush made it more than worth embarrassing myself for.
“Okay, I’ll give you a little bit of everything,” Ely said, grabbing a plate and filling it to the brim.
“Heavy on the bacon please,” I said.
“You got it.”
When he handed it over, I asked, “Can you take a break and sit with me?”