Grayson looked at him and apologized. “I’m sorry about that.” He played at the bowtie around his neck and continued sincerely. “But – can you please not call me Gray? Bad memories are linked to that nickname.”
He could’ve sworn Bryce rolled his eyes. “Ok, Grayson. How’d you meet Eleanor?”
“She’s dating my best friend, Oscar.” Grayson looked up at the waiter and smiled as the man placed a bottle of wine and two glasses between them. “Thank you.”
“Thanks,” Bryce echoed.
“The two of them have been together for a while now and she and I have a decent relationship. We’ll see how it changes after tonight,” he joked.
His not-date didn’t find it too funny, apparently. The look on Bryce’s face was blank as he stared at Grayson. His lips hadn’t even threatened to curve up into a smile.
All the better for Grayson, honestly. It meant he got to hear Elijah clearly.
Their waiter poured each of them a glass and left the bottle there. Grayson figured it would be courteous if he asked a question this time.
“So are you from here?”
Bryce took a sip and shook his head. As he began to answer, Grayson looked up and saw Elijah staring back. The singer smiled at him and continued the song. “…born in Jersey, but the family moved to Kentucky a year later. I grew up there until it was time to go to college, and then I made my way back east. Been here ever since.”
Grayson looked away from Elijah and nodded at the response. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Kentucky boy. What made you want to leave?”
“Everything,” Bryce answered. “What about you?”
“Well, I grew up here. I was raised uptown. My parents divorced when I was 12 and a year later my mother moved to Florida where her family is. I stayed here with my dad.”
“That’s tough.”
“Yeah.” It was tough. He’d never really been close with either of his parents – they always had their own things going on. For his mom, it was her bakery. With Dad, of course it was Millennium. But his mother leaving hit him harder than he ever would’ve expected. She lived in Fort Lauderdale now, managing her different southern-based businesses from there. They spoke every now and again.
Elijah started a new song. He said it was something original, and that caught Grayson’s attention.
“You know, I remember –”
“I’m sorry…” Grayson interrupted. “Do you mind if we listen to this song?”
Bryce hesitated to answer, but he smiled before doing so. “I do mind, actually. I didn’t come out to listen to music with you, but I hoped to get to know you.”
Grayson stared at him.
“So do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Wait…” Grayson arched an eyebrow. “Are you seriously not going to let me listen to the song?”
“We’re here on a date,” Bryce said obviously.
“Actually.” Grayson stopped and rubbed at the nape of his neck. “Eleanor told me that if I did this, it wouldn’t be a date. It’s a friendly outing.”
Bryce shook his head and took another drink. “I’m not looking for friends. I have friends, Gray.”
Grayson took a deep breath. “And if this were a date and you were being this controlling over whether or not I could listen to the performer, do you think that would be a good look?”
Elijah began to sing, and Grayson wished he could tell him to hold on. The aspiring record label executive in him really wanted to see him perform an original song.
“You’re right.” Bryce was quiet now. He pulled out his phone and looked down at it.
Grayson rolled his eyes this time. While the doctor may have been attractive and had several years on him, he seemed a little bit on the unattractive and immature side right now.
Oh well. Grayson turned his chair a little bit so he was better angled to see the stage. He was already sold on the voice, but he was curious about the songwriting capabilities of this guy.
We fell out of love like Lucifer fell from heaven
but your body on mine was nothing short of a blessin’
I won’t say that I miss you, but I kept the shirt you slept in
and I can’t shake the image of both us undressin’
Do you look up at the stars like we used to back then?
Remember when I kissed you back when we were just friends?
Do you hum the songs I wrote you? There’s no need to pretend
Are these anything like the memories that you’re making with him?
It was cute. He could work with that.
Elijah was going to be the guy he brought home to his dad.
Wait. Not like that.
Elijah was going to be the first person that Grayson recruited for the label. He could sing. He had a smooth persona that both guys and gals could vibe too. He wrote his own music and lyrics.
There was no way his father could tell him no.
“I just texted Eleanor to let her know this isn’t going how I anticipated,” Bryce said.
Suddenly, Grayson remembered he was here. Doing this.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he lied.
“But,” Bryce continued. “I was wrong. I said that I didn’t need any more friends, but she’s been telling me that you’re a great person and I’m willing to give you a chance to prove that.”
Oh boy. Grayson wondered if he’d be bruised from how hard he was rubbing his neck at the moment. Elijah was still singing, but he started to laugh in the middle of one of his lyrics. Grayson glared at him.
“… Is your neck feeling okay?”
Grayson put his hand down. “It’s fine.”
∞
The one good thing about this place had to be the food. Bryce was right about the ravioli being delicious, but he still wished that he’d gotten to choose his own dinner.
Their entertainment wasn’t too shabby, either.
Grayson knew one thing for certain; he’d rather listen to The Pretty Committee on loop for two hours than have to go on another outing with Bryce Winston. He was seriously considering banning Eleanor from his apartment. No. From his neighborhood.
In the past hour just about, he’d heard transphobic comments, he’d been called Gray on two more occasions, and he had to listen to the sound of Bryce chewing his food like a goddamn cow.
He gave up on the neck rubbing trick. That signal obviously wasn’t working. All it did was make Elijah laugh.
Grayson was never texting him again.
“You need to make sure that you give me your number before you go,” Bryce said. “I think next time we can go to somewhere you like. You said you’re fond of Washington Square Park, right?”
There’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere with you, Grayson thought. One wouldn’t be able to tell by the straight look on his face, though.
“Sure.”
Elijah’s set ended ten minutes ago. Grayson assumed he’d gone to change back into his street clothes and leave. Lucky him.
“Would you like anything for dessert?”
Grayson looked up at him, finishing off the last of the wine in his glass. It was his second glass, and he told himself no more after this. But God, did he need it.
“…Are you letting me choose on my own?”
Bryce looked up in confusion. “Hm?”
“Nothing,” Grayson said. “I’m fine. I actually have an early workday tomorrow so I don’t want to prolong this any longer –”
“Grayson? …What is this?”
He looked up and saw Elijah standing there. This time, there was no guitar case over his shoulder, and no duffel bag in hand. Just Elijah, changed back into the outfit he’d shown up in, brown leather jacket and all.
Grayson wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, but he went along with it. “Elijah. Uh –”
“Uh? Are you here with another guy or am I losing my mind? Just tell me I’m losing my mind.”
You probably are losing your mind, he thought. “I –”
“I don’t want to hear that this isn’t what it looks like,” Elijah said. His sass was almost enough to make Grayson laugh but his confusion wouldn’t let him.
Bryce looked back and forth between the two of them with a questioning expression on his face.
“You’re obviously here with another guy and the two of us, Grayson… the two of us are done!” Elijah picked up the glass of water in front of Bryce and tossed it in Grayson’s face, making water splash all over him.
The whole restaurant gasped. Bryce’s eyes went wide as Elijah turned and left, picking up his things and storming out.
If this was Elijah’s great ‘Rub the Nape of Your Neck and I’ll Come Save You’ plan, then it was a terrible fucking plan. Grayson looked down at the water covering his body and reached for the napkin in his lap.
“What the hell was that?” Bryce asked. “You knew the entertainer?”
Grayson wiped his face and then dropped the napkin over his plate. “I’ve got to go.” He fumbled for cash and left some on the table, grabbing his coat as he rushed to his feet. He tried his best to hurry out the restaurant before someone could pull out their phone to record this.
“Cheaters never win, Grayson.”
Grayson wanted to laugh at the ridiculous quip. This wasn’t the end of a football movie, and Bryce was far from Billy Bob Thornton. Instead, he took the out he was provided – no matter how over the top and uncalled for it was – and ran with it.
He pulled his coat on when he got outside, followed by his scarf. Grayson knew that with his luck, he’d get pneumonia from walking around in the December weather with a wet shirt on. He looked around for Elijah and pulled out his phone to send him a text when he didn’t see him.
“Sorry that we had to break up in there. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Grayson turned around and glared at Elijah. He ignored the fact that the shorter man looked really good so that he could continue being mad.
“So Plan A was to throw a drink on me in your place of employment, in front of all those tipping customers?” he asked.
Elijah winced. He obviously hadn’t thought that through. “Maybe the show we just put on means they’ll come back for more!”
Grayson rolled his eyes and walked off towards 15th street.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. My shirt is drenched.”
Elijah scoffed. “There wasn’t even half a cup of water in that glass. Besides, it’s way too early to go home.”
Grayson ignored him.
They walked for a bit until they hit the intersection, and Elijah passed his duffel bag from one hand to the next.
“So. Where are we going?” Elijah asked again.
Grayson smiled, shaking his head. “We just broke up. We’re not hanging out. And you didn’t play the song I requested so I’m done here.”
Elijah smiled back at him, but he wasn’t getting any eye contact. “I was hoping you’d let me perform that for you one-on-one.”
Grayson sneered. “Yeah, right.”
They were quiet again, walking farther south down 10th Avenue. Elijah wasn’t quite sure where they were going, but he knew he didn’t want to go home just yet.
Grayson slid his hands into his pockets and mumbled some more about being wet and cold.
“So do you want to talk about your date?”
Grayson shook his head no. “Definitely not. And it technically wasn’t a date. Just a … thing.”
Elijah looked at him. “A thing?”
Grayson nodded. “My friends wanted me to get out and meet people and suggested another guy for me to do that with. Only this guy was disgusting and I hope I never have to be in the same space as him again.”
“Ouch.” Elijah faced forward, stepping aside for a cute couple that were out with their dogs. “Well something good came out of this evening. You got to see me again.”
Grayson genuinely laughed.
“I hope you’re not too mad at me about the whole break-up, water-throwing incident.”
“I’m not,” Grayson told him. “I should be, I think. But I’m not.” Once they reached 14th Street, he gestured that he was going east. Elijah nodded, walking with him. “I rubbed my neck 17 times tonight for a reason, Elijah. I had to get out of there. So thanks for the help.”
“Yeah.”
Their walk down 14th Street was pretty quiet. Grayson didn’t mind it, though. It felt good to have company, and he did need to talk to Elijah anyway.
“I have a question.”
Elijah plugged his cellphone into his portable charger as they walked, hoping it’d come back on soon. He wanted to make sure that his niece was okay in case Josie had to work a double today. “Shoot.”
Grayson had to think of the proper way to phrase this so that it didn’t come off as pushy. “You need to be a singer. Like. A major singer. On a major label.”
Elijah snorted and shook his head. “No I don’t, and that’s not really a question.”
“Well I guess my question now is ‘why not?’” Grayson looked at him. They neared the subway station and he slowed down a bit.
Elijah sighed as he thought of an answer that would help Grayson understand. He turned to face him. “You know how some people know they’d be a great famous person? I’d be a terrible famous person. And being a local performer is really cool. I’m broke as fuck, sure, but being New York’s Elijah Dawson is nice. I like it.”
Grayson didn’t like that answer at all. “You have a unique sound. It’s borderline selfish to keep it from the rest of the world.”
“I’m a selfish guy,” Elijah answered. He stepped in a little closer as he looked around the city. “Can I like, take you out for a drink or something? It’s not even 9:30 and I usually grab a drink after performing.”
The smart answer was no. For starters, this guy had thrown a drink on him not even ten minutes ago. He shouldn’t be trusted with any more drinks. Secondly, Grayson had work in the morning. He didn’t want to risk being late if he wanted to tell his father about the amazing talent he’d discovered on his not-date from hell. And to top it all off, Grayson had already drank two glasses of wine. Any more and he’d turn into a stripper.
“I should pass.”
Elijah pouted.
Wow. That was adorable.
“We both have work in the morning, don’t we? And you worked two jobs today. Rest is not the enemy.”
“Dude. It’s not even late. You can’t convince me you’re ever in bed before 11 PM on a weeknight.”
Actually…
“Plus, I owe you a song. I’ll get you a drink and then I’ll sing for you.”
Grayson looked around as he debated this. Hang out with the cute guy who’d found his phone and could sing like a dream, or go home and be hounded by Oscar with questions about why he hadn’t had hate-sex with Bryce?
The debate wasn’t too difficult.
“Where do you want to go?”
Elijah smiled as he looked at the subway they were next to and thought for a moment. “Let’s walk another block and then hop on the 1 train. I’ll take you to The Village.”
Grayson nodded before he could change his mind. “Alright.”
Chapter 6
Elijah took Grayson to one of his regular places. At least Grayson assumed as much. The staff here seemed to know who Elijah was, and so did the drunk gays that were screaming along to the P!nk song blasting from the speakers. Grayson wanted to ask a lot of questions – the main one being ‘how many of these guys did you screw?’, but he behaved himself and accepted the free drinks with a smile.
Elijah whispered something to the bartender and then turned back around to face Grayson. It might’ve been the alcohol, but he looked even cuter in the dim lighting of the bar they were in.
“So, do you miss Bryce?”
Grayson rolled his eyes. “No, Elijah. I don’t miss him. Ever.”
Elijah smiled. He didn’t want to be too happy that Grayson had a miserable
time, but he was really happy. “Sorry to hear that, man. The guy was really hot. I have to give it to you. I don’t think I’d have the willpower you do.”
Grayson took another drink from his gin and tonic and looked over at Elijah. “What do you mean?”
“I mean there’s a great chance that I still would’ve fucked him, even if he was the worst date I’d ever had.”
“Of course,” Grayson said, rolling his eyes. He wondered if there was anyone that this guy wouldn’t do. “Can we talk business though?”
“No,” Elijah said.
Someone came up behind them and tapped Grayson on the shoulder. He curiously turned around and smiled politely at the guy – he was decent looking, a little on the short side, but that did nothing to damage his confidence, apparently.
“You’re new around here, huh? Would you like to dance?”
Elijah put his hand on Grayson’s waist and glared at the unwanted guest. “Get out of here, Jamie. He’s taken.”
Jamie rolled his eyes. Of course Elijah already had dibs on him.
Grayson shook his head. “Actually, Elijah and I just broke up – ow!”
Elijah pinched Grayson in the side and smirked when he turned around and punched his arm. “Stop flirting with other guys, Grayson.”
“Business,” Grayson reiterated as Jamie gave up and went back towards the dance floor. “Seriously. Before this drink settles in. I want you to be my artist. Seriously.”
Apparently Grayson said ‘seriously’ a lot when he was drunk. Elijah licked his lips and looked around the bar at everyone dancing. He leant in closer to Grayson when the music got louder. “Where are you from?”
Grayson looked at him. “I’m from here.”
“I’m from Long Island,” Elijah answered. “I didn’t move to the city until after college. I went to the University of Georgia.”
“Why’d you go to Georgia?” Grayson asked. That was a long way from Long Island.
“It’s a big party school,” Elijah said honestly. “And I wanted to get away from town. My parents. The idiots I went to high school with. You know how it is when you’re 17.”
Grayson nodded.
The bartender placed two shots in front of the both of them, and Grayson stared at the glasses before shaking his head no.
Something Real Page 8
