Something Real

by Nellie Christine

  Oscar stood up and brushed himself off, ignoring the stares as others on the floor wondered what the commotion was about. “Sorry, babe.”

  “He grabbed my phone and ran,” Grayson said. He looked down at the device, about to speak again when he realized just what was pulled up on his screen.

  Oscar took a few steps back. “So! How about this band? Pretty great –”

  “Oscar. Emilio. Sanchez.”

  Eleanor pinched the bridge of her nose. Apparently her boyfriend had done something stupid. She had to use the middle name on him before, too. It wasn’t pretty. Now with the look on Grayson’s face…

  Why couldn’t they just have a normal time out together like normal people?

  “I think I’m going to go watch the set –”

  “Are you shitting me, Oscar?” Grayson took a couple steps forward, showing his best friend the phone screen like he didn’t know what was there.

  Oscar was only smiling innocently, glancing behind him every so often to make sure he wouldn’t back into the balcony. At this point, Grayson just might push him over.

  “You went on my Facebook and sent Elijah a message? Are you out of your mind? What would possess you to do such a thing?”

  Oscar’s back hit the railing of the balcony and he gulped. Grayson was mad. This was evil, Fire-for-Eyes Grayson. He reached his hands out to stop his friend from moving any closer, and boy was Oscar grateful for the witnesses on the second level with them.

  “Hey, man, I was just trying to h–”

  “Trying to help? By inviting someone here without me knowing? You’re an ASSHOLE –”

  “Grayson,” Eleanor said, grabbing his arm and trying to relax him. Though he still looked like he wanted 1,000 daggers to magically pierce his so-called-best friend right now, he calmed down a little as she continued. “Maybe you shouldn’t commit a murder in the middle of this crowded club, okay? We’ll go somewhere more quiet…”

  “Babe?” Oscar was pouting.

  “I would never do that to you,” Grayson said. “Even if you had good intentions –”

  “I did.”

  “Still,” Grayson continued. “Logging onto my account and sending a guy a message? What if he came here and I … I was hitting on another guy or something? Or what if he said no? Why don’t you just let me fight my own battles?”

  Eleanor went to lean against the balcony with her dejected boyfriend. “Look… I’m not sure what my brilliant guy said, but you know he did whatever it was because he loves you, Grayson. He wants you happy.”

  She would take his side.

  Grayson looked down at the message and actually read it this time. Elijah said he’d be coming, which meant that he could probably be here at this very moment, which meant that Grayson was about to see the guy he may have had a stupid crush on in a matter of seconds. He would’ve dressed and styled his hair differently if he knew this was going to be happening. This is precisely why he stayed in his room without letting people in.

  “I’m sorry,” Oscar said. “I figured tonight would go great and you’d be really happy. I swear I was going to tell you, too. I just. You’re tall and scary.”

  Grayson glared at him.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Oscar asked him.

  “Are you going to slip something into it?” Grayson shot back.

  Eleanor rolled her eyes. “You two are like 12-year-olds. I swear.”

  Grayson’s phone vibrated in his hand and he rushed to look down at it. His friends watched him curiously.

  Elijah:

  Hey. I just got here. Not sure where you want to meet me?

  “I am so not mentally prepared for this.” Grayson looked up as the club applauded the act that had just finished on stage. Oscar tentatively rubbed his shoulder.

  “I think he likes you, and I know you like him. Talk. It’ll be alright.”

  Eleanor smiled. “What he said.”

  Grayson took a deep breath.

  Grayson:

  Hey. Come up to the second level.

  Elijah:

  Cool. See u soon

  Grayson took another deep breath. Fuck. This was happening. He looked at Oscar and put a hand on the man’s stubbly cheek.

  “Do nothing. Do you understand?”

  Oscar smiled and nodded. “Copy.”

  Grayson put his phone away, slowly walked towards the staircase, and leant against the wall. He couldn’t really hear anything other than his heart pumping blood throughout his body. In his head, it would be better if he was far away from Oscar right now. Was he excited that Elijah had shown up? Yes. Was his heart doing crazy things over the prospect of seeing him again? Hell yes. But was he prepared for this in any way? NOOO. Not at all. He’d have to smell him again, and see those freckles, hear that laugh…

  Someone walked past Grayson to go downstairs. He watched the towering man walk a few steps before he saw him.

  Fuck.

  ∞

  Elijah could hear his heart beating over the sound of the music playing. His palms were clammy. Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air. As he walked across the club, he tried not to let his nerves get the best of him.

  Elijah Dawson. Nervous because of a guy.

  Not just any guy, but Grayson freakin’ Paul.

  He licked his lips as he walked past the tech booth where the DJ had set up. The doorway to go upstairs was right there. All he had to do was walk through that doorway and he’d be at the stairs. Then, all he had to do was climb those steps, and he’d be face-to-face with Grayson again. For the past few days, all Elijah could think about was being face-to-face with Grayson again. In the back of that Will guy’s car, as he laid down with Lily on his chest – it was all he could think about.

  Now, it was about to happen. If only his legs would move.

  “Excuse me!” a very loud and impatient woman shouted from behind him.

  Elijah stepped out of her way. He took a deep breath, smoothed his hair, and took a couple steps forward.

  Then he was walking up the stairs. Don’t fall. Don’t fall. Please don’t fucking – oh shit. You tripped, idiot.

  But when he looked up, Grayson was smiling. That was the smile he’d been thinking about damn near non-stop.

  “Hey.” Elijah straightened himself out as he stood on the second to last step, looking up at Grayson.

  Shit. Grayson was as beautiful as ever – gorgeous smile, smooth pink lips, his sweater hugging every curve like it was custom made. Maybe it was. Everything about him had somehow gotten better.

  Grayson kept smiling for a while before saying anything, but eventually he gave a coy laugh and nodded. It had to be the most adorably sexy thing Elijah had ever witnessed.

  “Hi, Elijah. …Come on. We’ll go to the other side and get comfortable, if that’s cool?”

  Was it cool? Uh. Yeah. Elijah smiled back, slipping his coat off and following Grayson through the dark club. They stopped after a few steps, however, and Elijah recognized right away that the lady in front of him was the lady from Symphony Café. The guy with his arm around her was the one who was on Grayson’s phone. They were smiling at him, and while it looked a little forced, they did seem… happy to see him.

  “Elijah, you know Eleanor. She works at the café.”

  “Our spot,” Elijah said jokingly, taking her hand.

  Grayson responded with a shy laugh.

  “Nice seeing you again, Eleanor,” Elijah said.

  “Nice to see you outside of café!” She had to raise her voice to talk over the music, and Elijah smiled in response.

  Grayson’s tone had changed when he introduced the next person. “And this is my best friend and roommate, Oscar. Oscar, this is Elijah.”

  “Hey. I’ve heard a lot of glorious things, Eli-ow! Sonny, what the heck?”

  Grayson smiled innocently.

  Elijah laughed a bit, but he nodded and shook the man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Let’s cross over to VIP and get some drinks,�
� Grayson said, gesturing over to the side of the second level closest to the stage.

  The group walked through the crowd until they were at the bar, and Grayson waited for Oscar and Eleanor to place their orders before he went. The two of them were quiet, and it was a bit awkward. But in Grayson’s defense, he did not know ten minutes ago that he’d be standing here with a guy he banged.

  “You look good,” Elijah said.

  What a lovely icebreaker. Grayson felt his face heating up. He was grateful for the dim lighting in the club.

  “You look good as well,” he replied; a soft smile on his lips. “It’s good to see you.”

  Elijah nodded. “I’m happy you reached out to me. Really happy. I’ve been thinking about you a bit, and … yeah.” He trailed off and laughed at himself.

  Grayson wanted to both punch him and kiss him because of it. It was really fucking cute.

  Instead, his smile fell. Now would be a good time to admit that you didn’t invite him. It wasn’t even a debate in Grayson’s head. Being honest upfront would avoid this blowing up later on, and there was no way Grayson wanted to have to argue over something Oscar had drummed up.

  “Actually, I’ve got a confession.”

  He saw Elijah’s face change, but he quickly reached out to tell him to relax. “It’s… Oscar. Oscar went on my account and did something that I was way too afraid to do. Too afraid and too stubborn, but mostly too afraid. He invited you here without me knowing until like… right before you showed up.”

  Elijah looked past Grayson at Oscar as he took in what was just told to him. “So what you’re saying is you didn’t want me to come?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all,” Grayson reassured him. “Actually, you were on my mind, too. I just… I’ve been spending the weekend assuming you moved on, back to being a big playboy, so I wouldn’t have thought to invite you here tonight. I didn’t think you would want to come if I had the balls to ask you.”

  “Well, I’m here,” Elijah said. He felt bad that he scared Grayson into keeping his distance in the first place. They were wasting time that they could’ve been using. But at the same time, time was just what he needed to realize that this was what he wanted.

  Grayson smiled softly. They looked at one another for a moment before he gestured over to the bar. “Drinks on me? I hope you aren’t too upset…” Grayson said.

  Elijah shook his head no as they walked over to the bar. “Let’s forget how it happened and focus on the fact that I’m here, and that we both want me here. Cool?”

  Grayson nodded. He could definitely do that.

  “Besides, I can’t get mad at you for assuming something based off of the information I gave you about who I am. Was. That wouldn’t be fair.”

  Grayson looked at him. They didn’t have to talk about that. “I guess. Is beer okay?”

  Elijah nodded. “It’ll do.”

  They ordered their drinks and stepped to the side. Oscar and Eleanor were off cuddling one another as they watched the performance. Grayson tried to listen to the artist, but he couldn’t focus.

  “So how are The Pretty Ladies doing?” Elijah asked.

  Grayson laughed. He turned to pay for the beers and the two took their drinks to watch from over the balcony. “They’re off to a good start. I’m actually working on putting together this show for them on Friday. It’s a Christmas show. Introducing them to the public as our recording artists. You should come and support me.”

  “Ah,” Elijah smiled. “Look at you, Little Paul. I’d love to come.”

  “I’m here tonight hoping to find an artist to perform in the show with them. It’ll be someone new. My artist.” Grayson smiled to himself at the possibility. If this went to plan, he’d have his own artist. He’d be able to help people share a part of themselves with the world.

  Elijah took a sip.

  “You know how I told you I wanted to discover my own talent? There’s nothing more genuine than getting out there and doing it myself, you know? I mean, YouTube and other networks are great platforms. But this. Seeing it live…” Grayson paused for a moment and smiled. “This is what it’s all about.”

  The act finished and the club started to applaud once more. Elijah looked away from Grayson and down at the stage. He knew exactly what he was saying, and being able to discover your first artist because you saw them kill it live and in the flesh had to be a great feeling.

  The story wouldn’t be as great if it were with someone else, though.

  “Alright!” The host stepped on stage and prompted everyone to give it up for the performer. “Are you guys enjoying yourselves tonight?”

  The venue erupted with cheers. Elijah glanced at Grayson as he took a drink, and when the two of them caught eyes, they smiled at each other.

  “Next up, we have a performer from Trenton, New Jersey. Her name is Stella. Everyone give it up for Stella as she makes her way to the stage!”

  Grayson clapped for the woman as she walked out; ukulele firmly in her hands. She was quite older than him, and he appreciated her unique style. It wasn’t so unique that people wouldn’t be able to relate to her, but just enough so that she’d be instantly recognizable.

  She wasn’t doing something original, though. Grayson found that an odd choice. She was doing a Lady Antebellum cover. Her voice was beautiful – she had a sound similar to Sia. The audience seemed captivated, swaying back and forth as she sang the lyrics.

  Elijah watched her for a while before switching focus to Grayson. He looked to be really into Stella’s performance. A lot of people here were. But this wasn’t the person that Grayson needed.

  “I’ll be right back, okay? Watch my drink for me.”

  Grayson looked at him and smiled. “You better not be ditching me, Dawson.”

  “Never in my wildest dreams.” He smiled at Grayson, only walking away when Grayson bit his lip into a smile as well.

  Stella hit a long note and earned a few cheers from several in attendance. Elijah went to the exit and headed downstairs. Once he was gone, Oscar and Eleanor turned to look at Grayson. He only shrugged, moving a little closer with their drinks.

  “I told him that you were the one that messaged him,” Grayson whispered.

  Oscar winced a little. “I’m still sorry about that. Well at least we know he isn’t leaving,” he said, pointing at the coat with the rest of their things on the sofa behind them. “Not unless he wants to freeze to death.”

  Eleanor had a feeling she knew just where he was going, but she kept quiet.

  A couple minutes later, the place broke into applause for Stella. Grayson kept her on his list for potential clients, but he was curious to see what else was out there. The night was young, after all.

  The host jogged out onto stage and fist pumped. “Wasn’t she incredible? Wow. Stella, ladies and gentlemen.”

  “She was pretty good,” Oscar said. “Hey. Maybe I’ll go out there! I can get this crowd turn’t up.”

  Grayson didn’t even acknowledge what was said.

  Eleanor had to laugh, though. “This isn’t karaoke, babe. Serious artists are here. They’re trying out their music on this wonderful audience. Don’t do it.”

  Oscar smiled. “Fine.”

  “Promise me you won’t do it,” she continued.

  “Whatever,” he mumbled.

  “Next up, all the way from Long Island, New York, we have Elijah Dawson!”

  The crowd cheered.

  Grayson’s jaw dropped. He felt Oscar tip it closed before he screamed “HELL YEAH!” at the top of his lungs.

  Eleanor laughed. She pulled her phone out and held it up, hoping to record the performance.

  Grayson was simply frozen as Elijah walked out onto the stage. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing or seeing. He just wasn’t expecting Elijah to want to perform anywhere other than Amo Pasta, he guessed.

  Yet, here he was.

  Elijah stepped up to the microphone. He rubbed his palms against his jeans and licked
his lips before speaking.

  “Hey. My name is Elijah… Dawson. I hadn’t planned on doing this – being here. But when I found out I was coming, and acknowledged that this was an Open Mic-Night, I wrote a little something on the train.” Before placing his lyrics on the stage floor, he glanced up at the balcony and smiled when he saw Grayson watching him – Elijah clearly startled. “Um. Does anyone have a guitar I can borrow?”

  The room was silent at first, but a few seconds later, there was low murmuring. A member from a band that had performed a couple songs ago passed his instrument forward, and Grayson watched it float through the crowd. Elijah accepted it from a woman up front and thanked them.

  “I write music and perform for fun, really. But I met someone recently who is so passionate about music as an art form, and I see what it means to him. I think he’s beautiful, and this song is for him.”

  The club all cooed “awwww” in unison. Grayson felt his whole body heat up as Elijah tuned the guitar and looked up at him. He could feel Oscar throw an arm around him and he wanted to push his friend off, but he didn’t bother.

  Elijah had apparently written a song for him on the train ride to their little forced meet-up tonight. Elijah was about to sing said song in front of a crowd of hundreds. Grayson was having a hard time processing everything that had happened in the last half-hour.

  He began to strum the guitar – the tune upbeat. Grayson saw Eleanor and Oscar bumping their heads in unison and it made him laugh. He was blushing, and when he looked at the stage, Elijah was looking up at him, too.

  Grayson hated him.

  It’s been 3 days since I last felt your lips

  I remember the taste and how you smiled when we kissed

  Is 3 days later too early to reminisce?

  Is the way my heart sped up the definition of bliss?

  Give me your hand

  I don’t want jets or corvettes

  we’ll cuddle under the covers

  watch Disney on cassette

  or we can listen to your iPod

  sharing my headsets

  and of course the sex, let’s not neglect the sex

  The crowd whooped and laughed at the face Elijah made as he said it. They were dancing, and he was bopping on stage – slow and sexy. He looked away from the audience and at Grayson again, starting the chorus.