Chapter 20 #3
In the matter of an instant, Ray’s cheeks darken to a crimson red. “Oh, um… thanks. You’re pretty handsome yourself, Gene.”
That gets Gene to smile. Ray has called him handsome before, but for some reason, right now it hits him differently. It could be the alcohol, but it could be something else… “I… I really loved your singing tonight.”
Ray grins and bites his lip. Those luscious, full lips. “You already told me I did a great job.”
“Yeah, but, I mean I just love your voice.” He steps closer to Ray, now only a foot away from his face. “And I’ll tell you that as many times as I want, baby.”
“Baby?” Ray’s smile stays on his face, yet it morphs into something more… suggestive.
“Do you not like that?” Gene says, inching ever closer to Ray’s face.
“Oh no, I like it.” He can feel Ray’s breath against his skin. It doesn’t get past him how Ray glances down to his lips. “Just… taken by surprise, is all.”
Gene chuckles. “That’s fair.”
“Well, we got the things I was looking for. Shouldn’t we be heading back out?
” Ray says, yet he doesn’t move to leave.
No, instead, he reaches up, and rests both of his hands on Gene’s upper arms. The warm touch through the fabric of his button-up shirt makes Gene shiver with delight. He must be feeling it too. He must.
“Maybe that’s what we should be doing. But… I don’t want to leave just yet.”
Gene can’t hold back any longer. He puts his hands on Ray’s waist.
He takes his chance.
He leans forward.
Their lips collide in a sudden crash.
Ray doesn’t try to turn away. No, to Gene’s surprise, he leans into it.
He can feel Ray in his arms, melting into the kiss, eager.
Gene’s eager as well, head swirling in a haze, completely blissed out of his mind.
That sensation is heightened even further as Ray reaches up, one hand grasping the back of Gene’s neck, the other tugging at his long hair, pulling him closer, as tight as possible with their bodies flush together.
How long has he been waiting to do this?
How long has Ray been waiting to do this?
It doesn’t matter, because here they are now.
Gene feels Ray’s backside hit the edge of the counter, and then—Ray leans backwards, pulling Gene down with him.
Their lips stay locked together as Ray lounges, the back of his head resting against the mirror, his hands tangled in Gene’s hair.
He can hardly believe what is happening.
He opens his mouth, and Ray does the same, tasting the sweet flavor of him.
He knows Ray wants this—why else would he be holding onto Gene so tightly, as if his life depends on it?
As if he couldn’t go another second without Gene’s mouth, Gene’s kisses, and he holds onto him so fucking intensely it makes Gene’s mind swirl again, back and forth, around and around, his heart beating so rapidly it’s going to burst out of his chest any second now…
He needs to catch his breath, and he reluctantly parts his lips away from Ray’s. Breath after breath, in and out, in and out, and he watches as Ray does the same. He wants to dive down for another kiss, but something stops him. He sees something in Ray’s eyes. Hesitancy.
Questioning.
Worry.
Ray blinks. He bites his bottom lip, then loosens his grip on Gene’s hair. He doesn’t make another move. “What are we doing, Gene?” he asks with a sheepish smile.
Gene forces out a chuckle. “Ah, um… I guess we got a little carried away, didn’t we?”
Ray chuckles as well. “Yeah, I guess we did.”
Gene stands up straight, forcing Ray to completely let go of him. Ray stands as well, adjusting his shirt—which Gene didn’t realize was riding up. As he glances further downward—that’s no trick of the eye—the bulge in Ray’s tight pants looks bigger than before.
Oh my god, he really liked it. He fucking did. But…
His gut twists. Someone else pops into Gene’s mind, someone he doesn’t want to think about at all, reminding him the exact reason why Ray would be hesitant in the first place.
Carol.
“I’m… I’m sorry, man,” Gene laughs nervously as he rubs the back of his head, feeling the mess Ray had done to it. “I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it’s ’cause of the coke I had earlier. Making me do things I wouldn’t normally do.”
Ray laughs as well, though it’s not a hearty laugh. It sounds just as nervous as Gene’s own. “Well, either that, or the whiskey, I guess. Um… it’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry about it.”
“I don’t?” Gene’s shoulders relax.
“Nah, it’s okay. I mean, I liked it.” He really did. “But… we should probably keep quiet about it. Don’t want anyone else to find out, y’know. Maybe, uh… maybe we should just head back.”
Don’t want anyone else to find out. The reality of the situation hits him like a fucking truck. “Yeah, I understand. Let’s head back.”
Ray gives him a reassuring smile, which makes the sinking feeling in his gut lessen, if only ever so slightly.
There’s no way any of this would work. What the hell has come over me?
Gene shakes his head, which does nothing to help the dizzy feeling.
But he fights through it. Ray grabs his wallet and harmonica from the counter and Gene turns around, opening the door as they both walk into the hallway, Ray shutting the door to the dressing room behind them.
Once back at the greenroom, the two walk in together. And of course, the first person to greet them is none other than Carol.
“Hey guys!” she says a bit too cheerfully, grating on Gene’s nerves. “Did you find what you were looking for, Ray?”
Ray shuts the door to the hall behind him, licking his lips.
I hope you still taste me on them.
“Yeah, I got it. All good here,” Ray says, and Gene can tell he’s forcing a smile to look at her.
So much must be running through his mind, as it is with Gene’s—Ray has a fucking girlfriend, for Christ’s sake.
Even if they both enjoyed themselves back in the dressing room, what gives Gene the right to kiss his best friend when he’s tied to someone else?
And why the hell am I so eager to do it again?
“Awesome. Come on, have a drink with us! You’re missing the party.” She pulls on Ray’s free hand, guiding him further into the room.
“Ah—okay! Uh, Gene, you wanna come along?” Ray turns to look behind himself.
“Oh, uh…” As much as he doesn’t want to spend time with Carol, he also doesn’t want to be separated from Ray. Not yet, not unless he absolutely has to. “Sure, why not?”
He shrugs, and follows along after the other two. He’ll be fine. Surely someone must have some weed on them that he can bum until he gets back to the hotel room, to help him get through the rest of the night.