Chapter 15 #2
Colton noticed that, whenever Dean touched his forehead, a wave of calm and reassurance washed over him. He felt completely safe and well cared for. It was a nice feeling, one he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Later that evening, Dean brought Colton some dinner and they watched The Breakfast Club while they ate.
Dean sat on the bed next to Colton, their thighs and calves pressed together. The layers of the sheets and blanket separated them from actually touching, but goosebumps erupted on Colton’s leg where there was contact.
Colton had never felt such a stirring in his body, simply sitting next to someone, watching a movie, his fingers were constantly twitching, itching to reach over to touch Dean.
The movie was decades old, but Colton was consumed with emotion, getting a little teary at the portrayal of typical high school stereotypes in the movie.
He could relate in so many different ways.
The ending, proudly declaring that everyone was a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal, touched him in the deepest depths of his soul.
“What a great movie!” Colton smiled with a sniffle. “I can’t believe I'd never heard of it.”
“See? I told you! It’s one of my favorite movies. I thought you’d like it. And it’s got one of the best theme songs of all time,” Dean rambled while touching Colton's cheek, then his forehead, checking his temperature.
Colton smiled. “You’re right. I know the song. But now it has a different meaning for me. I’ll always think of this movie when I hear it.”
Dean grinned. “That’s the power of music, my friend!”
The next morning, Colton was still running a slight fever but he was feeling well enough to get out of bed. He set up camp on the sofa in the main area of the loft where he could watch TV and secretly take part in a day in the life of Dean from the sidelines.
From his perch on the sofa, Colton heard the faint ding of the elevator and Jordan walked into the loft a moment later with his messenger bag draped across his body.
Jordan had a mountain of electronic documents for Dean to look over and sign.
They settled at the dining table and discussed dates and timelines for venue rentals, ticket sales, rehearsals, guest appearances, hotel accommodations, and equipment transport between cities.
It was an endless array of details and minutiae, and Dean handled it all with grace.
After they covered all the logistics and paperwork, Dean puffed out his cheeks and blew out a long breath. “Thank God that shit’s over.”
He closed his iPad and pushed it across the table.
“Now, let’s talk about something fun,” he smiled at Jordan. “Tell me about your week.”
Jordan laughed out loud. “Dean, honey, there’s nothing fun about my week.” He waved a hand toward the iPad. “I’ve been dealing with this shit all week, nonstop.”
Dean smiled lovingly at Jordan. “And I appreciate you so much. I couldn’t do any of this without you. But…no more talk about work.” Dean patted Jordan’s knee. “You haven’t done anything this week but work? No dates, or going out with friends? Don’t tell me I’m turning you into a spinster.”
Jordan shook his head. “I Get it, all work and no play makes Jordan a dull girl. I promise, I’ll make some time for fun.”
Dean reached over and patted his cheek. “That’s my girl! Your ass is too fine to be a shut in. Get out there and get your legs in the air!”
Jordan laughed and crossed his ankle over his knee. “Well. I could use a good night of debauchery.”
“Atta girl” Dean grinned.
Colton chuckled. He felt like he was eavesdropping, but he was strangely intrigued by this conversation…like he was learning some of Dean’s deepest secrets.
Dean’s smile softened a bit. “But please, Jordan, promise me you’ll make time for fun and relaxation. I know how you can get. Don’t let this job consume you.”
Jordan smiled and squeezed Dean's hand. “I promise. I’ll keep everything balanced.”
“Good girl!” Dean smacked his knee. “Hey, why don’t you go take a dip in the rooftop pool? No more work today…that’s an order, missy!”
Jordan gave a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.” He gathered his things and started for the door, but he stopped and turned back before making it through, “Thanks Dean…for everything.”
Dean smiled with a wink. “Anytime darlin’. Let me know if you need anything.”
Colton watched the interaction between Dean and Jordan with an admiring grin. Dean had built a wonderful team around him that was more like a family. It was evident they all cared deeply for each other.
Being surrounded by such doting and loyal people, it was easy to see why Dean was always happy and carefree.
Is he ever in a bad mood? Colton wondered.
Later, Dean had a Zoom meeting with his production team to discuss budgets and cost analysis and the like. Colton couldn’t think of anything more boring than having a budget meeting, but Dean was just as savvy in business as he was an artist.
What do you know, he’s not just a pretty face. Colton laughed to himself.
During the meeting Colton overheard the production team insisting that some aspect of the show absolutely couldn’t be done. They were asking Dean to consider changing the plan.
“Look! Don’t tell me this can’t be done!” Dean exclaimed, sounding annoyed. “I’ve seen it myself. Madonna did it, Beyonce did it, and Taylor has done it. If you can’t get it done, I’ll find someone else that can get it done. Hell. I’ll call Taylor myself and get her team on it.”
The production team relented and Dean promptly ended the meeting.
Damn, Colton thought. Remind me to never get on his bad side.
Later that afternoon, there was a knock at the door when Aiden arrived for his music lesson. He bounced into the loft with his backpack and eyed Colton on the sofa. He was a cute kid, with blond hair and blue eyes. He could easily pass for Colton’s son or little brother.
“Hey, I'm Aiden.” He strode toward the sofa. “You’re Colton Merrick!”
Dean laughed, following Aiden to the sofa. “Yes, Aiden, this is Colten Merrick, but you can call him Mr. Colton.”
“Are you sick Mr. Colton?” Aiden eyed Colton all bundled up on the sofa with a box of tissues on the table.
“I am. But I’m feeling much better, thanks to Dean.” Colton winked at Dean.
“Mr. Colton is staying with me until he feels better.” Dean patted his shoulder. “Alright, kiddo, let’s get to your lesson.”
“See ya, Mr. Colton.” Aiden spun and ran to the music studio.
“He looks like a handful,” Colton said, dabbing his nose with a tissue.
“He’s a ball of energy, but he’s a great kid.” Dean pointed at Colton. “Need anything?”
“No. I’ve got everything I need.”
“Okay, holler if you need me!” Dean called over his shoulder as he followed Aiden into the studio.
Colton could hear the lesson in progress. Aiden practiced scales on the piano and he seemed to be pretty good at it.
“Good job, Aiden. Now, let’s try some chords. Do you know what those are? Well basically, a chord is when you play two or more notes together to make a pretty sound…like this.”
Colton heard Dean play a chord on the piano.
“Hear that? So, back to the scale you just played. To play a chord, you start at the first note of the scale.” Aiden played the first note.
“Now count up the scale four notes and play.
“ Aiden played the two notes. “Good, now count up three more notes.” Aiden missed the third note, making an ugly sound on the piano.
Colton cringed. The ugly sound made his skin crawl.
“I can’t reach the third note,” Aiden whined. “My hands are too small.”
“Don't stress. Your hands will get bigger and you’ll be able to reach it eventually. In the meantime, you can always use both hands.” Colton couldn’t see what was going on, but he guessed Dean was showing Aiden how to adapt.
Colton heard sniffling, then, “Hey, why don’t you go get yourself a drink? Yeah? Okay, go grab something and come back.”
Aiden trotted toward Colton a few moments later, wiping his eyes, and grabbed a carton of chocolate milk from the fridge before running back to Dean.
They cut the lesson short when Aiden continued to get frustrated, and Dean played with Aiden at the pool table until his car arrived. At the door, Aiden threw his arms around Dean before muttering quietly, “Thanks, Dean. I love you.”
Dean hugged the back of Aiden’s head and Colton could see a little stutter in Dean’s chest. He was going to cry, and that made Colton’s heart melt.
“I love you too, Aiden.” He kissed the top of his head. “I’ll see you in a few days. If you need anything, you call or text me, Okay?” Dean waved at Aiden as he left, then made his way over to Colton.
“You’re really good with him. You’ll make a great dad one day,” Colton said as Dean walked over.
“I fucking love that kid! I would adopt him in a heartbeat.” Dean plopped onto the sofa a few feet from Colton and threw his feet on the coffee table. “But I don’t know if I’m ready for children yet. I like my life just the way it is!”
“I hear ya.” Colton nodded. “I want kids one day, but I can’t imagine having one right now.”
Dean turned to Colton. “You know how bad my parents were, and I know I could do a much better job raising a kid than they did, but with my busy lifestyle, the last thing I’d want is to have a child that ends up dumped off with some nanny while I’m traveling the world.
When I have a kid, I’m going to actively participate in their life. ”
Colton smiled and gently punched his shoulder. “And that's why you’re going to be a great dad!”
Dean grabbed the thermometer, sat next to Colton, and touched his forehead. Colton felt a shiver down his neck, into his spine. A shiver that he was pretty sure wasn’t related to his fever or illness.
“Alright, let’s see…down to ninety-nine degrees! Are you feeling better?”
“Better than two days ago, that’s for sure.” Colton smiled then started to cough.
Dean stood and started walking toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna make you some tea for that cough. Keep it up, and you’ll be released from my prison any day now!”
Colton laughed. “This is the nicest prison I’ve ever seen.”
While convalescing at the loft, Colton noticed something about Dean. He sang whatever he was doing, as if musically narrating his day.
If he was going to get water from the kitchen, he’d sing: “Going to get some waaater.”
If he went to the studio to work on music, he’d sing: “Time to make some muuusic.”
Colton thought it was probably the most adorable thing he’d ever seen or heard.
A little after midnight that same night, Colton walked to get a drink from the kitchen. There was a full moon which bathed the entire loft in a soft blue light.
From the corner of the kitchen, Colton could see Dean sleeping face down in his bed across the loft, with one arm draped over a pillow.
He had kicked the sheets halfway off, revealing the right side of his body.
The right side of his very naked body. Colton glimpsed the curves of Dean’s strong shoulder, into his bicep.
He noticed the thick musculature of Dean’s thigh and his firm, round, muscled butt.
He looked more like a pro athlete than a musician.
Colton realized with a rush of embarrassment that he was leaning against the wall, staring at Dean’s naked body in the middle of the night while he was sleeping.
Okay, this isn’t weird at all, Colton thought. He shook the thought from his head and got his drink from the kitchen.
Over time, Colton’s opinion of Dean had slowly shifted.
At first, he'd kept Dean at arm’s length.
Cynically, he'd been secretly afraid that Dean was only being nice to try to get into his pants.
But he had learned that Dean was actually genuinely kind, caring, loyal, and trustworthy.
Colton recognized, gay or straight, Dean was the kind of person he needed as a friend.
By the time Colton had fully recovered from his flu and was packing his bag in the spare bedroom, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to leave.
Dean appeared at the door. “Ready to be sprung from this joint?”
Colton smiled. “I think so? It's only been a week and the real world kinda sucks my balls, but I miss it a bit.” He turned, putting his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I’ll pay you back one day, I promise.”
Dean’s eyes danced with an evil grin. “Well, I just emailed you your bill. I expect prompt payment.” He laughed and Colton punched him in the chest.
“No, but seriously. It was my pleasure. Happy to help.” Dean shifted, leaning against the door frame. “I’m not a religious person, by any means, but I live by the saying ‘Do unto others, as you would have done unto you.’ So yeah, maybe one day you’ll take care of me when I’m sick.”
“More people should live by that mantra.” Colton said as he threw his bag over his shoulder. “The world would be a much better place.”
Dean walked Colton to the front door and smacked his ass. “Go get ‘em tiger!” Colton yelped, then chuckled.
At the elevator, Colton turned back and smiled. “Thanks again. I’ll call you in a few days.”
Dean waved and closed the door.