Chapter 28
It’s their final day recording in Las Vegas.
The Dusty Brooms will be back on the road to their home in Michigan tomorrow, after what’s been their most exciting tour yet.
Ray is only a little bit sad they have to go—he’s loved the glamour of Vegas—but some peace and quiet at home sounds good, too.
They all need a break from the hustle and bustle of performing and recording after this, not to mention all the fun they’ve had gambling and visiting the casinos on the Strip.
They’re finishing up their final song of what’s becoming their second album, due to release hopefully by either late summer or early fall.
This song is actually the very first song Gene’s singing lead on, the one they wrote on the bus: ‘It Was Always You’.
It’s a lovely song—a slower paced, dreamy ballad.
Such a mood fits Gene’s voice perfectly, better than Ray could ever sing it, he believes.
They’ve already recorded most of what they needed yesterday, and today is mainly about relistening to their (supposed) final take, paying attention to every detail and deciding if they need to make adjustments.
Only the core five members are here along with the sound engineer; Dennis, Maurice, Nicky, and the other roadies are back at the hotel, planning to check in with them later.
Carol is actually away for another modeling gig in California.
She’s not alone, however; she’s with her new agent, Tim Price (Dennis’ contact from Detroit), and they plan to fly back to Michigan at the same time the Brooms are due to arrive home.
She’s going to stay rather busy in the upcoming months with even more gigs, which will be good for her career, but it’s also not going to let her spend a lot of time with Ray.
Ray doesn’t think he’ll mind all that much. He’s got the Brooms, he’s got Gene. He’ll be alright.
Though, what does that say about me? That I don’t really care if I’m hanging out with my girlfriend or not?
Ever since that night stumbling about, attempting to see a drag show at Caesars Palace and then being literally dragged out by Gene, things have been awkward between Ray and Carol.
He’s been somewhat avoiding her except for at night, and even then he hasn’t wanted to initiate anything sexual with her.
She’d been the one to, and it was only twice during these past two weeks.
And yet, both times, images of Gene kept flickering through his mind.
Presently, Ray is sitting next to Gene on a couch as they listen to the sound engineer play the tape from the speakers. They almost always sit like that—so close that their thighs are touching. No one seems to question it. Not even Ray himself. He loves being close to Gene, however it may be.
Though, Ray and Gene haven’t shared any more kisses since the night of the drag show.
They haven’t talked about it, either; they’d woken up that next morning—Ray pushing through a terrible hangover—and they went about their day just like usual.
It’s like there had been an unspoken agreement between them—that while what they did together was nice, maybe they shouldn’t indulge in that type of affection so often.
That’s not to say they can’t show affection in other ways, such as how they’re sitting close on the couch right now.
Ray’s mind has been torn. While he’d like to explore more with Gene, he’s still worried about the consequences of it evolving further. What would happen if other people found out what they’ve done? If they knew what he still wants to do?
What if Carol found out?
He hasn’t let go of her, despite his feelings for Gene. But he and Gene can’t be lovers in the same way he can be with Carol.
However, even if they’re not quite lovers, what they have feels like more than simply friendship. Gene means the world to him. He’s not exactly sure what they’re doing, but he wants to hang on to whatever this is, and see where it goes.
The song on the tape finishes, Stefan’s long bass note lying underneath Gene’s gorgeous voice, Pat’s long and sweeping cymbal glazing overtop.
Almost too quiet to hear is Santiago’s guitar mellowing out the middle, paired with a quick hum of Ray’s harmonica.
A combination of the entire band showcasing how well they melt together.
“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” Ray says, setting his hand on Gene’s thigh. “I’m so glad we finally recorded something with you singing lead.”
Gene’s cheeks flush a little darker. “Thanks, Ray. Though, I prefer if you would still sing most of the songs. I’d miss your voice too much.”
“That’s fair.” Ray chuckles, his cheeks feeling warm as well.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing you sing more, though, Gene,” Santiago says, standing by the control panel and the sound engineer operating it.
“But if Gene sings more, what would Ray do?” Pat asks, sitting in a folding chair between Santi and the couch.
“Wha—hey! It’s not like all I do is sing.” Ray pouts. “My harmonica is right there on the recording! Besides, have you forgotten I played rhythm guitar on ‘Truck Stop Blues’?”
“Yeah, but that’s just an album track we’ve never played live,” Pat retorts.
“Maybe we should include it in the next setlist then,” Gene says. “Give Ray some experience playing guitar on stage.”
“Yeah, that’s a pretty good idea!” Santi nods.
“You mean playing guitar and singing at the same time?” Ray raises his brows.
“What do you think I’m doing every show?” Gene laughs. “If I can do it, you can do it.”
“But you’re so much better at guitar than me, though…”
“Don’t talk so down about yourself.” Gene puts his hand on top of the one of Ray’s on his leg. “Besides, we’re all here to support you. It’s not like you’d be replacing either me or Santi—you’re just adding to the sound.”
“You know we play acoustics like that all the time, too,” Santi says, raising his pointer finger.
“Yeah, but that’s at home,” Ray says. “It’s much different on stage. How will I dance? I can’t move around as much with a guitar strapped to me.”
“You’re just making up excuses, now.” Pat crosses her arms. “What’s the harm in not dancing hysterically for one song?”
“Hysterically? Hey, you can see for yourself how much the audience loves my moves.” That gets everyone to laugh, even Ray himself. “Whatever, fine. We can try it out on our next tour. I think it’ll be alright.”
“That’s the spirit.” Gene smiles, still not letting go of Ray’s hand. No one seems to notice anything amiss; Ray’s glad of that. “Anyway, what do you guys think of the song?” Gene asks.
“Personally, I love it,” Santi says. “I wouldn’t change anything about it.”
“Sounds good to me.” Pat nods. “I think I did well with my parts.”
“Alright,” Ray says. “And Gene, you already know I love it. What about you, Stefan?” he asks the bassist who’s been sitting in another folding chair, listening to them all quietly.
“All good with me,” Stefan says with a subtle nod.
“Okay then!” Ray grins. “If we have unanimous approval, I think we’re done recording. That’s plenty of songs for our next album. We still gotta mix it all, but we’ll worry about that later.”
“For sure,” Gene agrees.
“You think Dennis will like it?” Santi rubs his chin.
“Denny loves everything we make,” Pat says with a shrug. “It’s the record execs we have to worry about.”
“Even so, I think we should be fine,” Ray says. “They can’t say no to the success we’ve been bringing them. You saw how many people were at our shows. I can’t believe how big we’re getting. It’s absolutely insane.”
“That’s true.” Pat chuckles.
“This album’s really almost done,” Gene says, squeezing Ray’s hand a little tighter. “We probably won’t be recording again for a while.”
“No, but we still have so much to look forward to.” Ray focuses solely on Gene. “Plus, it’ll be nice to have a break. Dennis was telling me how after this album releases, he’s planning to get us touring again in the fall. We’ll be recording more then, too, more singles, even more albums.”
“Yeah, for sure.” Gene’s eyes stay locked onto Ray’s, and he gives him a smile—not just any smile, a smile meant just for him.
Ray gives him the same smile back, warmth spreading throughout his chest. It’s a smile that says:
I’m ready for anything, as long as it’s with you.