Chapter Thirteen

After what seemed like ages, our tour dates were finally released. Alongside those, came our sets. The very first one, to no one’s surprise, included a song performed by Kayla and me.

We rehearsed for weeks. It was meant to be an intimate setting. The lighting would be dimmed to set the mood. Kayla and I were placed in the center of the stage. We would be sitting on stools with our bodies angled to each other to make it seem like we were singing to one another.

The first thing that Kayla did was tell the label that we were not going to do the song that they wanted us to do. I had to admire her for her guts. She was brave. I knew that I would not have been able to stand up to the label like that.

“Why exactly not?” B, our publicity agent, asked us.

“We have a different song planned. It’s a song that the fans have not heard. We want to do it.”

Our agents had raised their eyebrows, Kayla’s mom had quietly smirked in the background, and Simon had clapped his hands. It was not up for negotiation. Kayla wanted to sing her song and that was what she was going to do.

The first time that we rehearsed the song, the label went wild. We were asked to record a demo and send it through to them. It was the sound of me playing the harmonica that had really done it. They had thought that it was a recording or something at first. Once they knew it was me, they had a whole different angle with which to work.

***

The night approached a lot quicker than I wanted it to. I had never been so nervous to perform. Then again, since we had formed the band, we had never gone so long without playing a gig together. Even if it was nothing but a cover song in a shitty club, the band always performed on a regular basis.

That night, however, my hands were shaking. The venue was completely sold out. We could hear the deafening sound of the crowd from backstage. I peeked around the edge of the door and instantly regretted it. There were more people than we had ever performed for. Apparently our popularity had increased. I had no idea how, given the fact that I felt like we had been AWOL for ages.

I took a moment to text Thomas once again. We had not seen each other since Jake had walked in on us. I missed him. I had tried to call and text him but to no avail. I had sent him tickets in the hopes that he might turn up. I was unsure if he would. There was no response by the time we were introduced.

Kayla was at my side in moments. It was like she knew that I needed her. She had become incredibly tuned in to my feelings. She slipped her hand into mine, steadying it as it shook.

“Hey,” she said. “It will be okay.”

I had no response so I nodded like I believed her. We walked out onto the stage, hand in hand. There was a harmonica sticking out of my back pocket and Kayla was carrying her cute miniature acoustic guitar.

The crowd cheered even louder as we walked forwards. We took our seats at the front of the stage and got comfortable, adjusting the microphones to the correct heights.

“Hello!” Kayla called into the microphone. “Wow, there are a lot of you. We are super nervous. Isn’t this exciting though?”

The audience screamed their agreement. They were definitely excited. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I scanned the crowd, trying to steady my shaking hands. I was looking for his face. It was not even intentional.

I had been about to give up when I spotted him. I turned to meet Kayla’s gaze. My eyes were wide. She gave me a look of understanding and looked into the crowd. Kayla was the one who had arranged the tickets for our loved ones. She knew exactly where to look. Thomas was standing there, looking up at both of us.

I did not know if Kayla could tell but I could. He was sad. I was uncertain as to why he was even there. It seemed that he was feeling the same way because when I looked back at him, making eye contact, he shook his head. He turned to leave.

“Wait,” I said into the microphone. Kayla stared at me. “Tonight, Kayla and I are going to perform a really special song. I wrote it about someone who means a great deal more to me than I ever thought anyone could. I even learned how to play the harmonica for it.”

I reached into my back pocket and pulled the harmonica out. Thomas had paused. He was facing us again. It still looked like he was getting ready to leave. The crowd started to shout one word over and over again, turning it into a chant.

I swore inwardly as I began to decipher the word. Kayles.

“No,” Kayla suddenly said. I looked at her. She glanced from me to Thomas and back again. “Actually, the thing is… Myles and I are best friends. I love him to bits.”

I covered my microphone, whispering to her. “What are you doing?”

“But that is all we are. We are just friends. I’m gay.”

There was a moment where the chanting continued. Kayla repeated her last sentence and it stopped. There was silence. It seemed like the longest silence, dominating everything. I could tell that Kayla was nervous. I reached out and grasped her hand in mine. I met Thomas’ eyes and he was smiling. He was one of the first to scream.

Everyone started cheering then. The crowd was chanting Kayla’s name over and over again. I glanced back at the blue-haired beauty beside me and her eyes were swimming. She blinked back tears and swiped under her eyes with her fingertips.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I love you!”

I laughed into the microphone. “I second that notion. It might be time to play that song for you guys. This song is to my very special person who means the world to me.”

***

After the concert, I was shaking. It was a mixture of the adrenaline of the performance and the nerves of the events of the evening. Thomas had stayed for the whole thing. I frequently met his eyes. He cheered as loudly, if not louder, than all the rest of my fans.

He met me backstage. I did not hesitate. I raced to him and pressed my lips to his. Thomas wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. I knew that my band could see, my tour manager could see, the publicity agent could see. There was a chance that people would take pictures of us. I did not care.

I did not stay to see the reactions of those around us. All I wanted was to be with him. I would face the music at a later stage. When I broke away from him, I took his hand and started running. I headed to the car that was waiting to take us home and by home, I mean the hotel suite.

I opened the back door to check if there was anyone in the car. There was no one. It was me and Thomas.

“The coast is clear,” I said shyly.

Thomas did not waste a second. He moved closer to me, my back to the car door. “That is good news.”

“I had a really good time tonight.” I said.

“I did, too.”

It was like gravity. Like the very first night, I was drawn to him like a magnet. I had shut the passenger door and Thomas had moved closer to me. I was between him and the car. There was a warm feeling in my chest as he stepped even closer. He was taller than I was and when I looked up, he was already leaning in.

I tilted my head back as he brushed his lips over mine. It was soft, fleeting, and I wanted more. I moved my hand to the back of his head and pulled him closer. He kissed me harder this time, hungrily. Thomas’ hands were beside my shoulders on the roof of the car and I wished that he were touching me instead.

My fingers curled in his thick, brown hair, appreciating the length of it once again, and my opposite hand found his waist. At the contact, he let out a groan against my mouth and his body moved closer. His waist was pressed to mine. My tongue was in his mouth and I moaned as I realized there was a bulge pressing against me. I had made him hard.

Before I lost the courage, I slid my hand underneath his shirt, feeling the warm skin. His body was lean and toned and his muscles rippled with my touch. I felt his skin turn to gooseflesh and he broke away from my mouth, only to trail feathery kisses down my jawline and to my neck. My heart raced as I felt his tongue flick out against my skin. My cock was straining against the front of my jeans and I moved my hands to unbutton them, aching for relief.

“Get in the car.” Thomas suddenly said. He sounded breathless.

Rather than walk around to the other side of the car, I opened the back door and climbed into the back seat. Thomas climbed in next and I was thankful that the back seat was so wide. His lips returned to my neck, kissing me once again, but this time his hands explored. They felt like they were everywhere, first over my shirt and then under it. He was warm. I gasped as one of his hands found my length, my hips bucking upward to him.

Thomas pressed his mouth to mine, biting my lower lip and gently tugging it between his teeth as his hand moved up and down my shaft. I was in heaven, my breaths short and quick. Before long, he broke away from my mouth and removed his hands. I let out a low moan of frustration but I was quickly sighing in pleasure. Thomas had lowered himself and I felt his breath against the head of my cock. I looked down to see him watching me and realized that he had brown eyes.

He was tentative at first, sticking the tip of his tongue out and swirling it around the tip. My cock bounced in reaction and he gave a small smile before taking the head into his mouth. I threw my head back, moaning as his lips closed around me like a seal. He began bobbing his head up and down slowly, taking more and more of my length into his mouth each time and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of his tongue flicking up and down the underside.

Looking down at him, I noticed that he had taken his erection out. His hand was moving up and down his length at a rapid pace as he sucked me off. I could not help feeling a little envious and made a vow that next time I would return the favor. He was moaning around my cock as he jerked himself off and I could feel the vibrations of it.

I knew I was not going to last long. My hands made their way to Thomas’ head. I had just wanted to curl my fingers in his hair but he took it as encouragement to go faster, to take me in further. He was making a noise in the back of his throat each time I touched it and the feeling had my hips moving upward of their own accord.

“Thomas,” I whispered. “I’m gonna cum…”

At this, Thomas began used his other hand to cup my balls. He gently rolled them between his fingers while continuing to suck. His tongue flicked out on the underside of my shaft when he’d taken me deep into his mouth again and I could not hold back. Thomas did not stop as I began to spurt into his mouth. In fact, he had shut his eyes and was moaning even more. I watched, entranced, my eyes flicking from his face to the hand on his cock as he swallowed my cum. The third spurt into his mouth was when Thomas reached his own orgasm. I groaned at the sight of it as I emptied the rest of my load into Thomas’ mouth, breathing heavily.

When he finally pulled back, he licked his lips. I felt the warmth in my cheeks as I looked at him. I pulled him up to me and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. I moved my hand between us and gripped his length, wanting to touch it. I cupped his balls and massaged them gently as he sighed over me. I knew he’d be sensitive so I did not continue for much longer.

Thomas moved back up beside me, resting his head on my shoulder, and I wrapped an arm around him.

“That was amazing,” I whispered.

“Hey,” he whispered. “There’s that word again.”

This time I was not embarrassed. I grinned and moved closer to him. I nuzzled my nose against his neck, confident when I spoke again. “You love it.”

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too, Thomas.”