Chapter 5 #2
Trey wanted him to smile. To show off those adorable dimples and bright white teeth. To laugh, because Dominic’s laughter was one of the most beautiful melodies he’d ever heard.
Van turned and socked him in the chest with a bottle of Jack. “Dammit, guy, pay attention.”
Trey got out of the way. He told Sasha he was taking five, then made his way to the john.
He locked himself into the only stall and sat on the lid, telling himself to get his shit together.
He’d known Dominic for a day. It wasn’t as if he were losing a ten-year relationship or something. He was losing a hookup. That’s it.
He was losing great sex, yeah, but it was also the only sex he’d ever had. He’d have more sex. Better sex.
Yeah, right.
Hiding in the bathroom wasn’t going to help.
He rubbed his inner left thigh, over the tiny faint scars that were hidden there beneath fabric and a scattering of dark hair.
For the first time in years, his fingers itched for a razor blade.
He craved the sharp sting of parting flesh and the first blossom of bright red blood.
Cutting had never solved anything back then, but it had given him something to focus on when the rest of his life was spiraling out of control. Not even Danielle knew about that.
Only one person did, and she was dead.
The door opened and closed as someone came inside.
Trey flushed even though he hadn’t done anything.
He left the stall, a tiny part of him hoping to see Dominic at one of the urinals.
The guy standing there was definitely not his rear view.
Trey washed up and left in time for XYZ to thank the crowd and say good night.
The band started breaking down their personal equipment.
Danielle and Bobby appeared next to Trey.
He followed them past the bathrooms to a long hallway that led to the green room.
They’d spent a lot of time back there over the last two years, preparing for performances.
The space wasn’t very big, large enough for two sofas, a refrigerator, and an industrial shelf for cases and personal stuff.
“Is this a good idea?” Trey asked.
Bobby huffed. “What? You don’t want to personally congratulate them on a great set?”
“That’s not why you’re back here.”
“They stole Tyson.”
“You can’t steal a person. Ty chose to leave.”
Danielle cleared her throat.
Dominic stood in the doorway clutching the Yamaha case to his chest, dark eyes fixed firmly on Trey. Trey stared right back, because he couldn’t make himself look away. His heart hammered against his ribs, and his fingers itched to reach out and touch—
“Dude, you’re halting progress here,” Tyson said from behind Dominic. He must have given him a light shove, because Dominic stumbled inside, then shifted to the left. Tyson froze one step into the room. “Shit.”
“Will you two move your asses, please?” Lincoln said from the hallway.
Tyson moved to stand next to Dominic, allowing Lincoln and Benji into the room. Time kind of stopped while everyone stared at each other in silence. Trey despised confrontations, and the only thing keeping him rooted to the floor was Dominic’s pleading stare.
“You guys get lost, or what?” Lincoln asked. He stood straight-backed, chin up, like a guy used to confrontations.
“No, we wanted to congratulate you,” Bobby said. “Great job stealing our drummer and our venue. Bravo.” He clapped a few times to be an ass.
“First off, guy, we didn’t steal Tyson. We made him an offer, and he came to us willingly. Second off, this isn’t your venue. You’re one band that plays here once a month. So why don’t you go drummer shopping and leave us alone?”
Trey hadn’t missed the subtle way Tyson looked at Dominic when Lincoln said “we made him an offer.” He didn’t like it, either. Trey wanted to march over there and stake his claim, only Dominic wasn’t his. He never really had been. Their entire brief affair was an illusion, nothing more.
“Gentlemen.” Beatrice’s voice boomed into the room an instant before she entered. “And Dani. Is there a problem?”
“No problem,” Bobby said. “We came to say hi.”
“Of course you did. Have you done so?”
“I think we’re definitely good here,” Lincoln said. “And we have a long drive home tonight, so if the meet and greet is done, we need to pack.”
Bobby started for the door. Danielle gave Trey a nudge, cluing him into the fact that he ought to follow. He took one final look at Dominic, probably the last he’d get, then followed his friends toward the door.
“So we’ll see you guys in a few weeks at Unbound, yeah?”
They all three froze at Lincoln’s question. Trey glared at the smiling boy, barely resisting the urge to punch him in the mouth and knock loose a few of his too-perfect teeth.
“What?” Danielle said.
“We got the news tonight.” Lincoln was practically dancing in place as he laid it on them. “We were first runner-up in the indie rock category, and a band had to drop out. Looks like we’ll be seeing you at the Midatlantic regional festival.”
Anger rippled through Trey and fractured what was left of his calm. “Seeing as how you didn’t make the final cut, and you were on the wait list, I don’t see much competition,” he snapped. “So don’t practice too hard, kids. You won’t make the top ten, much less the top three.”
Dominic’s wounded expression made Trey regret the barb, but he didn’t take the words back. XYZ was the enemy in more ways than one, and Trey wanted to crush them at Unbound. Even if it meant crushing Dominic’s dreams, too.
Lincoln took a step forward, that cocky smile never wavering. “Bring it, bitches.”
“It’s already brought, bitch. Make sure you pack plenty of tissues for when you lose.”
“Says the guy without a drummer.”
“He’s replaceable.” Mean and a lie. Tyson was a friend and damned good percussionist, but Trey’s temper was up and he didn’t like to lose. Not even an argument. It was part of the reason he avoided confrontations if he could—he didn’t know when to stop.
Lincoln narrowed his eyes, lips parting to snap off something else.
“That’s enough,” Beatrice said. “Trash-talk each other on the street, but not in my bar. Fading Daze, out.”
They left. Trey returned to the bar, unable to hold back a smug smile over having gotten the last word in.
“The guy playing the keyboard just now,” Sasha said as she reached past him for a glass. “Wasn’t he the same one you played with last night?”
How did she know they’d—oh. Onstage. That kind of playing. “Yeah, he is.”
“He was so amazing with his violin. I wonder why he doesn’t play it with the band.”
“Dunno.”
He started wiping down the bar, done with the conversation. But Sasha’s words stuck in his mind. Dominic was a genius with his violin, and his love for playing it showed when he performed. Last night had been his first time playing it for an audience in years, he’d admitted that much to Trey.
Something had happened to Dominic to make him stop performing with his violin in public.
Not that he had a chance in hell of finding out now.
Van called for more lime wedges. Trey shoved all thoughts of Dominic out of his mind and went to get the needed fruit.