Chapter 10 #2
Dom’s throat closed on a wave of emotion. Never in his life had he imagined that his own therapeutic expressions would inspire someone else in need of the same thing. “What’s your name?”
“Justin.”
He held out his hand. “I’m glad I was able to help. I mean that.”
Justin’s shy smile brightened, and he clasped Dom’s hand. “Me too. Anyway, I won’t monopolize your time. I just needed to say thank you in person.”
“Thank you for telling me. And you’re welcome.”
Dom watched Justin disappear into the flowing crowd, insanely pleased at having touched someone’s life through his videos. He also realized he’d never checked the earlier text that had jolted him out of his dancing stupor.
Trey: Enjoying yourself?
He knew Trey well enough to hear the sarcasm in those two words. Sarcasm that could easily mean Trey was jealous. Dom liked the idea of jealous Trey. It meant that Trey valued what they had together the same way Dom did.
Dom: I’d have enjoyed it more if I was dancing with you.
A little passive-aggressive, maybe, but whatever.
He meant it. He wanted to be out there dancing with Trey, rubbing their dicks together, showing off for the world to see.
He also wanted to be naked with Trey right the hell now, and that wasn’t going to happen.
Privacy didn’t exist in a festival as big as Unbound.
One Vine of them together and Trey’s secret was blown.
As the alcohol in his system burned away, it left fatigue in its place.
The Red Bull tent was still open, but he’d rather turn in early than wear himself out.
They had to play tomorrow, and Dom didn’t wear exhaustion well.
He headed for the talent gate, unsurprised to see a steady flow of people in that direction.
The general-admission folks could party all night long, but Unbound officially began at nine thirty in the morning.
Dom’s category started at one in the afternoon, and XYZ was slotted for two thirty.
Fading Daze went on at one thirty, and they already had a huge advantage after playing tonight.
It was an uphill battle for the other nine indie rock groups, who only had twenty minutes each to rock the crowd in their favor.
While the actual winner in each category was chosen by a panel of judges, a combination of the judges and popular vote sent a runner-up to nationals to play in a showcase that would open the final round of competition.
The showcase wasn’t for the guaranteed contract, but agents and producers would be in the audience.
Everyone who played at nationals had a chance to be discovered.
The idea of playing in a national competition for the first time in more than six years was as terrifying as it was freeing.
It could help Dom finally put that nightmare to rest, once and for all.
His phone buzzed.
Trey: Look for the purple tent next to the red Jeep.
Dom vaguely remembered a purple tent from earlier. He wove his way around the lot, eyes open, until he spotted it. The tent was zipped up and dark, no sign of life around it.
I’m here.
Come inside.
Okay.
No one was around or paying him any attention, and the recorded music still blaring over the sound system drowned out the ripple of the zipper on the tent’s front flap.
Trey sat inside of the dim interior, his expression serious, perspiration glistening on his skin.
He motioned for Dom to come in, and he did, zipping the flap back up.
A small, battery-operated fan rotated inside, providing a smidge of relief from the heat.
Dom knelt in front of Trey, curious. The tent smelled like lavender and patchouli oil, and one of the two sleeping bags had butterflies embroidered on it. This was not Fading Daze’s home base.
“Whose tent is this?”
“Rose and Lauren,” Trey said quietly. “I met them earlier today. They’re a folk duo.”
“And they said you could use their tent?”
“Yes. I charmed them into not coming back until midnight.”
That gave them almost an hour. The idea of being with Trey like that, with only a thin layer of nylon between them and the entire festival, was insanely hot. But Trey didn’t look remotely turned on.
Might as well address the elephant in the tent. “Was that before or after you saw me dancing with Tyson?”
“Before.”
Ouch. “But you still asked me to come.”
“To talk.”
Double ouch. “I’d rather have been dancing with you, Trey.”
Trey heaved a long, loud sigh. “I know. I think that’s why I was so mad when I saw you two. I wanted it to be me.”
“But it can’t be. After seeing you and Danielle performing together tonight, I can kind of see why. I don’t like it, but I see it. That spark you two have. It draws people in.”
“It’s an illusion, though.”
“No, the chemistry is real. It’s the sexual part that’s the illusion. And that’s the part people want to believe in.”
“Exactly.” Trey’s expression softened. “Thank you for understanding.”
“My depth of understanding only goes so deep. I haven’t been in the closet for almost ten years, and I don’t like tiptoeing around the door again.”
Fear flashed in Trey’s eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No. I like you too much to break up with you. But I can’t hang around the closet door forever. Neither can you.”
“I know.” He reached out, and Dom snagged the offered hand. “After Fading Daze is finished with Unbound, I promise. Whether we lose here, or we go to nationals, after the competition, I won’t hide us anymore.”
Dom loved that Trey had given him a promise like that—an actual time frame, rather than an oblique response.
By the end of August, if they were still doing whatever it was they were doing, they would finally be able to be open about it.
Both of their bands would have either lost or won, and it wouldn’t matter if they were together.
“Thank you,” Dom said.
“You deserve better than me, you know.”
He blinked hard, surprised by the sudden deflation of Trey’s self-esteem. “You’re crazy.”
“No, I mean it. You’re so open about who you are. You don’t apologize for it, you just go after what you want. I’m the coward hiding behind my best friend and heteronormative assumptions.”
“Hey, you’re not a coward.” Dom shifted closer so he could drape his arm across Trey’s shoulders.
Trey leaned into him, a welcome heat. “You’re in a tough spot, so you don’t challenge other people’s assumptions about you.
You’ll come out when you’re ready, Trey, not when the rest of the world thinks you are. ”
“Unless we’re found out.”
“Yeah, well, if that happens we’ll deal with it. So far so good, though, right?”
“True.” Trey leaned his head against Dom’s shoulder. “This is nice. Being able to touch you. I missed it.”
“Me too.” Dom turned the one-sided embrace into a full-on hug, cinching his arms around Trey’s waist and pressing his face into Trey’s neck. Inhaling the scent of him—sweat, aftershave, and his own unique musk. His dick took notice of their proximity. He pressed a gentle kiss against damp skin.
“Mmmm.” Trey’s hands tightened in his shirt. “Missed you, Dom.”
“Me too, babe.”
They didn’t have a lot of time left, but Dom wasn’t leaving that tent without getting his mouth on Trey’s cock.
He nudged Trey onto his back, tugged his shorts and briefs down far enough for access, and went down on Trey’s hardening dick.
It was fast and sloppy and not Dom’s best work, but he swallowed every drop that Trey gave him when he climaxed.
Trey pounced immediately and returned the favor with long, hard pulls and firm swipes of his tongue.
When he started playing with Dom’s balls, Dom shot, a haze of bliss settling over him in the hot tent.
Trey licked him clean, then came up for a demanding kiss, all tongue and lips and teeth.
As if he was staking his claim. Dom returned the kiss in kind, until Trey’s phone beeped.
“Fuck, time’s up,” Trey said. He sat up, his eyes sparkling even in the dim light. “Want me to talk them into giving up the tent again tomorrow?”
“Aren’t they going to ask questions?”
“Nah, they’re super chill. All I said was I wanted some alone time with a very special someone.”
“Then I am definitely up for more tent time.”
Trey tapped his chin. “I might be able to score us some camper time, too, if Dani agrees.”
“Wait, she knows?”
“Oh, oops. Yes. Um, she woke up during our first FaceTime date and saw some of it. But she knows how important this is to me, so she agreed to keep quiet.”
Dom grinned. “That’s some best friend.”
“The very best. Plus, the camper has air-conditioning.”
“No shit?” Dom was stuck in a sweaty tent while Trey had AC and probably a bathroom that wasn’t being shared by a few thousand people. “Lucky bastard.”
“Andy got it for us to use. He was a lucky find.”
“He’s a good percussionist, too. I’m glad you found him in time for tomorrow.”
“Me too. If I don’t see you, then good luck. I mean it.”
Trey’s bright smile hit him right in the balls. “You too, Dom. I know this is huge for both of us.”
Dom sealed the good luck with a kiss, tucked himself back into his shorts, and then crept over to the tent’s opening.
The door faced the Jeep, probably for privacy.
Once he determined the coast was clear, Dom ducked out and headed for his own tent.
He didn’t care that he probably smelled like someone who’d gotten lucky.
He wouldn’t deny it if his friends asked.
He also wouldn’t tell them who. They’d assume he banged a hot fan to work off his anxiety over tomorrow’s performance.
And Dom was just fine with that. Trey was his special secret to keep for a little while longer.