Chapter 25
The Dusty Brooms arrive at their hotel, hiding away in the hills of Hollywood: the Chateau Marmont.
It’s basically like a castle, with its large, arched windows, steepled roofs, and fancy furniture that makes Gene feel like he’s stepped back in time to the Victorian era.
Their manager, Dennis, checks them all in, and then they’re free to scurry off to their rooms, dragging their suitcases with them.
Gene keeps a close eye on Carol, still worried about the situation with Ray.
She talks with Pat, seemingly about nothing important—it’s hard to hear when so many people are in the lobby—but he also sees Santiago approach them, chatting with the two ladies.
Standing by Gene’s side is Ray, also watching them all.
Carol shrugs, turns toward Pat, and the two walk up the stairs.
Gene takes that as a cue that Carol will be staying in Pat’s room for the time being.
Santi turns toward Gene and Ray, giving them a smile.
Wait, does Santi know something I don’t know?
Gene assumes Ray will tell him once they get to the room, but maybe Santi simply senses the tension and is doing a friendly duty of protecting them. He’s good at that.
And so, Gene and Ray carry their suitcases up the stairs and find their rooms. Ray still has his own room, as it was booked here prior. Ray drops his suitcase off in there, but once that’s done and the door is locked, they head next door to Gene’s room.
Once in, they take their shoes off and Gene sets his suitcase down by the dresser and pulls his acoustic guitar off his back.
This hotel is definitely much more exquisite than any others they’ve stayed in—potted plants along the walls, sleek furniture, and tall windows curtained by flowery drapery.
Gene shuts the door behind them, locking it, finally giving them the privacy they need.
“You locked it?” Ray asks.
“Yup.” Gene nods. “The suspense is killin’ me. Can you tell me now what happened earlier?”
Ray looks to the side and rubs his elbow, clenching the fabric of his shirt. “Y-yeah, I suppose I should.”
“Did something really bad happen?” Gene steps closer, caressing Ray’s shoulder. That gets him to look up—their gazes meeting easily as they’re both the same height.
“Yeah,” Ray says, a pain-crease forming between his brows. “So, Carol thinks someone from her gig stole her lingerie instead of me. But…”
“But?”
“I didn’t sleep in my room, y’know, and she noticed the bed was still made.
She got suspicious because of that, and the fact I was wearing a scarf…
” His mouth twitches, his breaths coming in shorter.
“Gene, she pulled the scarf off me and saw the hickey. I couldn’t cover it well enough with the make-up. ”
Gene’s eyes widen with shock. He pulls his hand off Ray, his heart rate ramping up. “She saw it? But, I mean, how…”
“She knows it was with you, Gene. I said I stayed in your room, and she put two and two together. So I just admitted it.”
Now Gene’s own breath comes out heavier. He shakes his head from side to side slowly, taking one step backwards. A lump rises in his throat.
“Oh my god, so she knows about us?!” Gene forms fists at his sides.
“Yes, Gene, but please!” Ray reaches a hand out, touching Gene’s upper arm. “She’s not going to tell anyone else. She promised me!”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes!” Ray clenches tighter onto Gene’s arm, sounding desperate. “I was so worried, but she won’t tell anyone because it could hurt the band as a whole. She knows that.”
Gene scoffs. “Okay, fine. But still—now your own girlfriend knows you cheated on her. With me. What, are you guys broken up now?”
“Um…” He pulls his hand off Gene, back to rubbing his elbow. “No, not technically. But things aren’t looking good.”
Gene shakes his head again, the lump in his throat forming thorns. “This is ridiculous. After everything, we still get fucking caught. And she’s basically giving you a second chance?”
“Yeah. I don’t know, Gene, maybe as long as she’s quiet about it all, it’s okay? But I…”
“You don’t love her, do you?” The words come out aggressively—he’d hate for Ray to answer ‘yes’.
But thankfully, Ray shakes his head. “No. I don’t. But what about you, Gene? You’re with Toshiko—you cheated on her with me. Do you love her?”
Gene’s heart skips a beat.
His breath hitches.
He hangs his jaw wide open, staring at his best friend.
“You get it, don’t you?” Ray pleads. “Sure, now Carol knows there’s something going on between us. But are you going to tell Toshiko? What about you and her?”
It embarrasses Gene to admit it, but honestly, he completely forgot about Toshiko.
She didn’t once enter his mind ever since they started this tour.
No, his mind has been nothing but Ray, Ray, Ray.
Longing for Ray, wishing he could always be by his side, and feeling jealous of Carol getting to have him.
No one had mentioned Toshiko to him during the tour until right this very moment.
Gene doesn’t even usually bother to read magazines where they might mention their relationship.
Since Toshiko wasn’t here, she was forgotten.
And now, his heart sinks into his stomach.
“I don’t know,” is all he can say to answer Ray’s questions. He looks down at the floor, down at their feet.
“Gene?” Ray asks. He puts his hand on Gene’s arm again.
“I don’t know, man. Fuck.” A pressure rises in his skull, pushing against his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so mad at you. Because who I really should be mad at is myself.”
“Hey, Gene, I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry this got out of hand, but I think we can still make it out of this okay—”
“Really?” He looks up, into Ray’s beautiful blue eyes.
“I cheated on my girlfriend. And you also did with Carol, but Ray, I don’t know what to fucking do.
Carol knows now, but I’m so afraid of Toshiko finding out—I don’t want to ruin the band, because I need this band.
I need to make music, I need the Brooms, I need to sing with you, I need you so fucking badly—”
He can’t ramble any longer as Ray shuts him up, embracing him tightly and pressing their lips together.
Gene returns the hug, wrapping his arms around Ray as tenderly as he can, tears spilling from his eyes as he closes them.
This kiss is everything he needs. After being told that—he needs Ray’s comfort, his support, his care.
Maybe Ray is right, and things will work themselves out.
Gene can’t be sure, but he feels more confident when Ray is right here with him, kissing him so passionately.
Gene threads his fingers through Ray’s curly blond hair. He wants to hold onto him forever, but eventually they part, gasping for air.
“There’s one more thing I have to tell you,” Ray says, and Gene tenses, tightening his grip in Ray’s hair. “It’s okay, though. This one I don’t think is bad.”
“Really? Well, what is it?” he asks cautiously.
“Santi knows about us, too.”
“Oh… well, alright.” He shrugs, the pressure in his chest loosening slightly, yet his eyes are still teary.
“You’re not upset?”
“No, not at that.” He moves his hands to Ray’s shoulders. That explains why Santi smiled at us after talking with Carol. “I had a feeling that Santi was catching on, anyway.”
“Yeah. He told me he was.” Ray nods. “When Carol found out about everything, she stormed out of my room, and Santi noticed. So he came into my room and asked me what was the matter… and I told him what happened.”
“That’s fine. I would’ve done the same thing. Santi’s a good guy.”
“You can say that again.” Ray huffs a chuckle, his eyes looking like they’re tearing up as well. Despite the tension, Gene is happy to see Ray smile, even if just a little.
Usually when Gene and Ray are left alone like this, they don’t hesitate to rip each other’s clothes off.
But there’s still a knot of uncertainty in Gene’s stomach, twisting around, reaching up and poking through his throat.
He wants Ray, yet now he’s reminded of someone who holds him back: Toshiko.
She may not be physically here, but just thinking about her causes that knot to form more thorns.
But regardless of that, Ray is still his best friend. They have a connection that is deeper than he’d ever thought possible, more than any other person—tied together by their shared love of music. Since they have some time, and it’s not terribly late in the evening yet, why not kick out the jams?
“You wanna write a song?” Gene asks, petting Ray’s shoulder.
“You know I’ll always say yes to that.” Ray smiles, leaning forward to give Gene another kiss. He accepts it gladly, opening his mouth to taste Ray’s tongue. Oh, it’s so easy to get carried away.
When their lips part, Gene says, “When emotions are high, isn’t that the best time to write something?”
“Definitely,” Ray says. “We can do this. Let’s make some damn good music, Gene.”
And so, Gene finally pulls his hands off Ray to get his acoustic guitar. He pops the case open, pulling the instrument out, then sits down with it on the bed. Plucking the strings randomly to tune it, he watches Ray as he starts to come over too, but stops.
“Oh, I don’t have my notebook,” Ray says. “I left it in my bag in my room…”
“I have an extra notebook in my suitcase,” Gene says with a smile. “I figured I’d keep one just in case you didn’t have yours for whatever reason.”
“That’s genius, Gene. Gene-ius,” Ray laughs, and Gene gets a kick out of it too.