Chapter Twelve #2
“It was an amazing performance. You were on stage for two and a half hours, then came back for two encores.”
“It was all he could talk about for days,” Jesse said.
Evan turned to Jesse. “Why didn’t you go?”
Brandon laughed. “Our parents wouldn’t let him.
They said he was too young. And when you came around again for the One More Time Tour, the tickets sold out so fast we couldn’t get any and the scalped prices were ridiculous.
It’s pretty hilarious when you think about it.
When you were on your third concert tour, he was just starting high school. ”
Evan’s smile shared none of Brandon’s humor. “Yeah, that’s pretty funny.” At the sound of Jesse sniggering, he glanced at him.
“Just so you know, even back then I had a crush on you,” Jesse said.
Evan smirked at Jesse. “And just so you know, I’m glad I didn’t meet you back then since I have a feeling prison life would cramp my style.” He looked back to Brandon. “Jess tells me you’re one hell of an actor and dancer.”
Producing a shy smile, Brandon lowered his eyes. “I do okay, I guess. There are far better actors out there than me. And my dancing is nothing compared to what you used to do on stage.”
Jesse rolled his eyes at Brandon’s feigned humility, then caught Brandon’s gaze drifting down Evan’s body, blatantly checking out his lean, fit torso. Obviously Brandon wasn’t too upset over Evan usurping his position in Jesse’s life.
“Well, that was a long time ago,” Evan said. “I doubt I could pull half those moves anymore, and I’m way behind on the latest trends.”
Brandon waved Evan’s excuses away. “You talk like it’s been decades. Dancing’s like riding a bike. If you’re free tonight, we should go to dinner, I know the best Italian restaurant, then we could go back to my place and I’ll show you all my best moves.”
Evan opened his mouth in as much shock as to protest the offer, but before he could get a word out, Jesse lunged at Brandon and shoved him back a step.
“I can’t believe you! I’m right here, and you’re hitting on him!”
Brandon rebounded and retaliated with a hard push to Jesse’s chest. “All I did was ask him out to dinner!”
Jesse stepped up to Brandon’s face. “And invite him to your apartment for ‘all your best moves’! What a lame ass line!”
“It’s better than making him stay here! You should be ashamed of yourself for making him come to this dump!”
Evan looked back and forth between the two of them, barely restraining from breaking into hysterics. “Wow. I’ve never had two brothers fight over me before. This is hot. We can move it into the bedroom if you boys like.”
Jesse sucked in a horrified gasp. Brandon started snickering. Jesse spun to walk away from him, but Brandon snatched his arm.
“Wait. Since you weren’t playing around about him, then does that mean you really did meet with Phoenix Records yesterday?”
Jesse’s chin raised in pride. “That’s right.
We’re all set to make our first album. Well, we will be after our producer finds us a drummer and keyboardist, but he said he’s already got a couple people who might be interested and he’d arrange for us all to meet down at the Phoenix Studios next Monday, so by this time next year the whole world will know my name. ”
Brandon threw his arms around him. “I knew you could do it! Didn’t I always tell you that?”
“Yeah, you did,” Jesse laughed as he hugged Brandon with one arm while still maintaining a grip on his towel.
He stepped from Brandon’s embrace and headed toward the bathroom.
“I’m going to finish showering, then we’ll go out to breakfast. I’m starving and those donuts you brought aren’t going to cut it. ”
“Hurry and get ready,” Brandon said, chuckling again.
“I’ve got to show you guys this stripped out Escalade parked up the street before the owner finds it and has it towed away.
The damn thing’s up on blocks, the whole front clip is gone, tires, everything!
It got stripped right on the street! I almost died when I saw it!
What moron leaves their Escalade parked on the street in this neighborhood? ”
Jesse snapped his head toward Evan.
Evan stared at Brandon. He blinked once. “Was it black?”
Brandon’s laugh slowed, then stopped as he cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
Evan took in a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Jesse put his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Evan lifted Jesse’s hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on his fingers. “Don’t worry about it. This just gives me an excuse to get a Porsche Cayenne.” He turned for Jesse’s bedroom. “Let’s get ready to go.”
Jesse faced Brandon and saw his eyes were focused on Evan’s ass as he disappeared into the bedroom. He punched him hard on the bicep. “Hey! Can you behave around him while I get a shower? You’re not going to try and compromise his honor or anything, are you?”
Exasperation fell across Brandon’s face. “Will you hurry and get ready?”
Jesse gave Brandon a final warning look before going back into the bathroom.
When he finished his shower, he stepped out to Brandon rambling about theatre and his roles to Evan, having already forgotten about his humble routine.
He ducked into his bedroom and was pulling on a shirt when Evan stepped in.
“Is he driving you nuts?” Jesse asked, sitting on the bed to put on his shoes.
Evan shook his head. “No, but he talks almost as much as you do when he’s excited.” He stood in front of him and placed his fingers under Jesse’s chin. “Why don’t you pack a few things and come stay with me for a while?”
Jesse’s expression glowed with a bright smile. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
Jesse stood up and pulled Evan into a kiss. As Jesse’s tongue glided into his mouth, Evan tightened his hold on him, pressing Jesse’s hips against his.
Jesse caressed Evan’s cheek, then turned to pack his Chicago Bears duffel bag. Once finished, he left Kenny a note and they headed out of his building to where Evan had parked his Escalade.
Evan stumbled to a halt, a shocked cough slipped from his throat at the sight of it.
The SUV sat stripped to the frame on the front end, mounted up on cinderblocks with the wheels and tires gone.
The seats were missing and the instrument panel had been torn apart.
Evan took a halting step toward it, then paced around it.
Jesse saw something on the SUV’s roof and pointed to it. “What’s that?”
Evan pulled it down. “My CD wallet.” He flipped through it. “Oh, how nice. They took the time to look through and only steal the ones they wanted.”
Jesse bit his bottom lip to keep from busting out in laughter. Brandon turned his back to Evan and rested one hand on Jesse’s shoulder, squeezing it as he struggled to keep his laugh under control.
“Well, we have pretty classy thieves here on the South Side,” Jesse said.
Evan glanced up at him. “I told you this was a bad neighborhood.”
“You did say it was your beater, though.”
A slow smile spread across Evan’s lips.
Brandon faced around, chuckling with each word he spoke. “If you need to go anywhere, Evan, I’d be happy to take you. I got my motorcycle parked up the street. You can ride behind me.”
Jesse jabbed his elbow into Brandon’s ribs. Brandon’s breath shot out of him, and he lost the last bit of control he had over keeping his laughter in check. Evan shook his head, chuckling softly as he pulled out his cell phone to call for a tow truck. Jesse took a seat on the steps to wait.
Brandon sat down beside him and leaned close to his ear. “Hey, is he really that good in bed?”
Jesse looked at him with a smirk that gave Brandon his answer.
Brandon huffed and reclined back on the steps. “Lucky little slut. It’s not fair. So you were really at his house? What’s it like? Is it a big ass mansion?”
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Jesse said, and began filling Brandon in on details.
Evan finished his call and sat down on the step behind Jesse with his legs on either side of him.
During the hour it took for the tow truck to come, Brandon dominated the conversation by asking Evan questions, and Jesse noticed how Evan would deftly turn the topic away from himself and back to Brandon.
When Brandon asked what Evan had been up to for the past three and a half years, Evan simply said traveling and talked about a few of the places he’d been.
Then Brandon queried Evan as to what it was like being on tour, and Evan answered it wasn’t much different from being a stage actor in a traveling troupe and swung the dialogue back to Brandon’s acting career.
Listening to him, Jesse had to admit Evan’s mastery of conversation was impressive, if not a little unsettling.
Evan was always honest in the answers he gave, but he didn’t give more than he had to, and now sitting back and paying attention made him realize all the more that Evan had been doing the same thing to him.
Before, he’d been hurt by Evan’s refusal to open up to him, now his determination strengthened to get Evan to trust him.
When the tow truck arrived, Jesse overheard the conversation between Evan and the driver, the driver commenting how in his experience, insurance companies didn’t usually pay up unless there was a police report. Evan shrugged and told the guy to take the Escalade away.
Jesse stood as Evan returned. “Aren’t you going to call the cops?”
Evan shook his head. “The paparazzi have a knack for sniffing out stuff like this. I’ve been doing pretty good at staying below their radar for the past few years, I don’t need to send up a signal flare by reporting this.
If I did, the next thing you know, there’d be articles in every tabloid about me being a burned-out has-been trolling bad neighborhoods looking to buy crack and a hooker. ”
“But what about the insurance?” Jesse asked.
“It’s not like I need their money. Tomorrow we’ll go shopping for a Cayenne. Right now, I can’t even think I’m so hungry. It’s closer to lunch than breakfast. Let’s go get some food.”