Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Trey spent the better part of the night tossing and turning, unable to shake a sense of unease from his conversation with Dominic.
Even though the heavy parts of their conversation had been about Roxy, Trey had the niggling feeling that maybe, in some of the things left unsaid, Dominic was also talking about himself.
Trey wanted to hop the nearest train to Philadelphia just to hold Dominic’s hand and tell him it would be okay, he could tell Trey anything, and he nearly did it more than once.
Except he had no way of explaining his disappearance to Bobby.
Nothing besides the truth, and Trey wasn’t ready to do that yet.
He wasn’t ready to risk destroying Fading Daze, despite knowing deep down that the confrontation was coming.
Trey didn’t want to lose his family, but more than Fading Daze, Trey didn’t want to lose Dominic.
What-ifs danced through his mind on an endless track, and he finally dozed off as the first hints of sunlight peeked through the camper’s blinds. He woke a while later to a minor miracle.
Danielle had somehow brokered a peace agreement between Tyson and Bobby—something she kept insisting she’d do—because the pair was sitting together on the couch talking like the old friends they were. Trey blinked hard at them, positive he was seeing things.
“The zombie awakes,” Tyson said. “Hey, man.”
“Hi.” Trey stared.
“Don’t worry, you’re not drunk or seeing things.”
“Are you sure?”
Bobby chuckled. “I admit to being a stubborn son of a bitch but Ty is still my friend. Can’t fault him for wanting a home base closer to him, or for having a crush.”
A surge of protectiveness made Trey sit up straighter. “Crush?”
“Come on,” Tyson said, all smiles. “Even a straight guy can appreciate the maximum hotness that is Dominic Bounds.”
Mine.
Trey resisted the urge to stake his claim on Dominic. Tyson didn’t have a chance in hell, and Trey didn’t want to piss Bobby off until after Unbound. “He’s definitely got an exotic look,” Trey said instead.
“And some kind of family crisis.”
How the hell did Tyson know about—oh. Bandmate. Lincoln probably told his crew why Dominic disappeared last night.
“Dude, that sucks,” Bobby said. “He leave?”
“Yeah, Linc took him to the train station last night,” Tyson replied. “Didn’t have much detail, just something happened with one of Dom’s sisters. Should be back today though.”
The toilet flushed, and an instant later Danielle emerged from the bathroom at the far end of the camper. Her gaze zeroed in on Trey. “Oh look, he is alive.”
Trey flipped her off, then glanced at his phone.
After noon. His stomach gave a mighty rumble.
He rolled off the bed and padded his way to the bathroom to relieve the sudden and urgent need to piss.
Also to get away from the conversation about Dominic.
He knew better than anyone what was happening with Dominic’s sister, and he probably wouldn’t be able to keep that off his face.
So he peed, then took a shower. The quartet headed for the food tents, Trey tagging along because he needed a distraction until he heard from Dominic again.
The day was less hot than the previous two, cloudy with a tiny chance of rain.
They got burgers and fries from the booth of a local Maryland favorite.
Tyson led them to a table where Lincoln, Benji, and Joshua were already eating, and somehow they all made peace long enough to share a meal.
Benji, Tyson, and Danielle made most of the conversation, while Lincoln glowered at his food and frequently checked his phone.
Probably waiting for an update from Dominic, just like Trey was.
He didn’t pay a lot of attention to the sound of the groups taking the stage, only vaguely aware that the country category was performing that afternoon.
Long after the food had been consumed, and polite banter turned to actual friendly conversation, Lincoln’s phone made a noise. He studied the screen, his mouth twisting. “Dom’s not coming back until tomorrow morning,” he reported.
Trey’s stomach plummeted.
“Roxy’s not okay?” Benji asked.
“Didn’t say, he just wants to stay home another night.” Lincoln put his phone away, his expression tough to read.
Trey would bet every dollar he had—which wasn’t much—that Lincoln knew the reason for the darkness in Dominic’s voice last night. Lincoln was Dominic’s best friend and had been for a long time. He had to know.
Not that Trey could ask without outing their relationship to Lincoln. Trey wasn’t ready for that. But he could make an effort to connect with Lincoln. Pretend he didn’t know anything about him or his friendship with Dominic.
“Roxy is his sister?” Trey asked, knowing full well she was.
Lincoln met his gaze, and Trey startled at the intense gray-blue of his eyes. “Younger sister, yeah. Dom’s real tight with his family. When something happens, they rally.”
“He’s lucky to have family like that.”
“Yeah, he is.” Lincoln’s eyes flickered with something—jealousy, maybe? “Occasionally, his parents even take in strays.”
“Like stray dogs?” Danielle asked.
Lincoln laughed, but the sound was kind of bitter. “And the occasional homeless teenager.”
“They sound like good people,” Trey said.
“They’re the best.”
The rest of the day passed quickly enough, now that their social circle had expanded.
Bobby invited XYZ, plus Lauren and Rose, over to the camper to hang out under the awning, and friendly chatter soon melted into a friendly jam session.
Other musicians came over and joined in.
Drinks and beers were passed around, and the atmosphere changed from competition to a shared joy over music.
Trey was content, even while part of him hated that Dominic wasn’t there to join in.
He’d have loved the newfound camaraderie among the different singers, songwriters, and musicians.
Trey and Benji even tag-teamed an a capella version of “See You Again,” with Benji killing it on the Wiz Khalifa part.
Danielle recorded the whole thing on her phone, and then declared it was going on their YouTube page.
The jam session died out around eight o’clock, leaving Trey exhausted despite his having slept until noon. Inside the camper he peeled off his sweaty T-shirt, then checked his phone.
Dead.
“Fuck.” No wonder he hadn’t heard from Dominic.
He found his charger and plugged it in. Andy was on his bunk reading a magazine, while everyone else was still outside hanging out. Trey plunked on the floor near the outlet until his phone had enough charge to wake up.
Sorry I’m not going to see you today. Need the time with family. TTYL.
That was sent around one o’clock, close to the same time Lincoln got his text. The second came four hours later: Please don’t be mad I stayed. Miss you.
Trey bit back an angry string of swearing. Dominic thought he was ignoring him on purpose.
He texted back: Not mad I swear! Just realized my phone was dead. Distracted today, I’m sorry. Miss you too. Hope the family is okay.
It took two hands of Solitaire for a reply to come. You in a place you can talk?
Shit balls, he wasn’t. Heading for the vendors would look weird, since he’d excused himself from the group so he could crash. No, sorry. You okay?
Yeah. Roxy guilted me into staying longer. Can’t say no to her.
How’s she doing?
Tons better. Asshole made bail, tho. He gets w/in ten feet and I’ll break his balls off.
Me too. Trey wasn’t sure what else to say. Miss you. A lot.
Ditto. Be back on grounds around nine tomorrow. Can we get time?
For sure.
If he couldn’t get Rose and Lauren to give up their tent, he’d find a way to bribe Danielle into keeping the boys away from the camper.
Tomorrow was the last day of Unbound, and after the winners were announced, at eight that night, either he’d be free to be open about his relationship with Dominic—or he’d have to keep hiding him for a while longer.
Despite having told Dominic he hoped XYZ won the competition, a selfish part of him wanted Fading Daze to win, so he could keep hiding.
Hiding meant no fallout, no immediate chance of losing his band.
Hiding also meant continuing to publicly deny how much Dominic meant to him—something he was having a harder and harder time managing.
Either way, Trey needed face time with Dominic. Alone.
He’d do whatever he needed to in order to make that happen.
Trey was a bundle of nerves when he woke up the next morning.
The final day of Unbound performances loomed, as well as the announcement of the category winners.
Each category had one winner, one runner-up.
Trey spent most of his morning trying not to vomit.
Even Andy, who never seemed to get nervous about anything, was jumpy and unfocused.
Since yesterday, their awning had become a default gathering place, and other faces came and went.
Everyone who’d performed was on edge, uncertain about the outcome, and it was easy to find solace with other artists.
Trey held back from most of the freestyle jamming, listening without paying too much attention.
Around eleven, Tyson, Lincoln, and Dominic—Trey’s heart had never beat so hard as when he got his first glimpse of Dominic’s smiling face—joined them. Trey had to settle for a handshake from Dominic, when all he really wanted was to pull him into a tight hug, then kiss him stupid.
He’d texted Dominic earlier that he’d arranged for privacy at the girls’ tent at three o’clock, and he’d received a back a GIF of a puppy running in excited circles.
Dominic resisted pleas to join in and play, and he hung back against the camper wall with Trey. Elbows so close but not quite touching. Sharing a silent secret.