Something Real

by Nellie Christine

  Fallon looked up at him from her cell phone; eyebrow raised. “Sounds like fun, but this story is lacking any mentions of who you screwed over the weekend. Not that I’d know him, but you usually include that.”

  Elijah shook his head at her. “I didn’t screw anyone this weekend. But…”

  She smiled. “But…?”

  “I hung out with Grayson Paul last night at an open-mic night show.” He turned to her and smiled. “It was sort of not really on accident, but it happened. I sang something I wrote for him, he and his friends loved it, and then we got to spend a few minutes alone.”

  Fallon gave him a weird look in response. “I thought you were over that guy. Mark mentioned you leaving the club on Friday with someone else. Oh, and not to mention, you’re never hung-up on guys to begin with.”

  Elijah shook the comment off and reached for his cell phone. It was 12:30. He told Grayson he’d text details about their get together, but he really didn’t know the details to text.

  “Well, nothing happened between that guy and I, okay? However, Grayson has been on my mind a lot, and last night, he agreed to go out with me. I told him I’d sign to Millennium and he thinks I’m crazy, but he agreed. This time, I intend to do things right. No sex involved. I just want to spend some time with him.”

  Fallon started to laugh, swooping her short hair back and putting her phone down. “Oh goodness.”

  He stared at her. “What?”

  “You’re not the relationship type, Eli. We both know that. What are you trying to prove?”

  His phone vibrated.

  Peanut:

  So you know how you totally called me Peanut last night, probably not on purpose? I gave you a cute name in my phone, too

  She was still smirking as he checked his phone. “And I’m guessing that’s him? I don’t know what it is, but he’s got you pretending to be something you’re not. This is making me uncomfortable.”

  Elijah didn’t know what to say to that. Why would Fallon be uncomfortable with him wanting to do right by someone?

  “I know I’m not that type of guy – or at least that I haven’t been in the past. But, Fallon.” He walked over to her and shrugged his shoulders, becoming unsure of himself. “It’s been a week since I first laid eyes on this guy and I can’t get him off my mind. I’m willing to change things around because I know I’ll regret it if I don’t at least try. I’m not letting him tell me that this won’t work again without us even putting the effort in. I’m not accepting that.”

  She shook her head.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” Fallon looked around the room and saw that it looked a bit messy. “You should probably straighten up in here instead of worrying about the opinion of a guy who you have a silly crush on. Your boss will probably pop her head in during your lunch break and I doubt you want her to see this wreck.”

  Elijah looked at her and scratched tiredly at his jaw. “I’m sorry; let’s get this straight.”

  She rolled her eyes, but Elijah continued anyway.

  “Weren’t you telling me that I should be all about this last week? Once I told you that I was seeing Grayson Paul, you were on board. Now…”

  “He’s got you losing your mind,” Fallon told him. “Come here.”

  She stood up and put both hands on his face, making him look down into her eyes. “I thought that maybe you’d have your fun and then realize that it wouldn’t work out, but for some reason, you’re still barking up that tree.”

  He pulled away from her and turned away, but that didn’t discourage her from continuing.

  “You aren’t that type of guy, and there’s nothing wrong with it, Eli. You’re a great man who isn’t exactly relationship material. Big deal. If you try and be someone you aren’t just to impress him, you’ll end up wasting his time and yours.”

  Elijah shook his head at that. He didn’t want to believe that.

  “Besides, he didn’t agree to a date until you said you’d be his artist, huh?” Fallon smirked. “Elijah. You of all people know better. You’re nothing to Grayson Paul but a meal ticket and a quick fuck –”

  “You know nothing about him, Fallon –”

  “I know enough.”

  He shook his head and picked up the cell phone, returning a message to Grayson. There was no way he was letting her give him advice about a potential relationship. Fallon couldn’t stay in one to save her life. And maybe Elijah wasn’t the type, but he owed it to himself to try. He knew he wouldn’t intentionally hurt Grayson. Hell, he cared about Grayson.

  Peanut:

  I’m listening…

  “I’m going to lunch now. If I stay in here any longer, I’ll end up saying something I may regret.”

  She shrugged a bit. “I guess the truth hurts, Eli. But you’ll thank me one day.”

  He grabbed his coat and ignored her as he walked to the door, but before leaving, he turned back around. “You know what this is? I think you don’t want me to have someone – especially someone that has kept me away from you before.”

  She looked at him for a while before a smile eventually formed on her lips. “Okay.”

  Elijah turned the light off in the mailroom and walked into the hallway. “Close the door on your way out.”

  ∞

  Grayson:

  I was leaning towards Eminem but he’s a bit too cool. I’ll show you later if we’re still on for our date…

  Grayson smiled as he hit send.

  Our date.

  The choreographer gave a count of 5, 6, 7, 8, and he watched as The Pretty Committee went over their dance routine once more. Grayson stepped inside and watched quietly from the back of the room. Today was one of those days at work where he had to just sit back and wait for things to happen. Right now, the girls were working on the dance routine for their first video, and Isa was working on securing a location for the show. There wasn’t anything for him to do just yet, but Grayson did want to let the girls know what he was thinking regarding Friday’s performance. He didn’t think they’d be opposed to doing a show for the city to see. The group may’ve been young, but they were ambitious.

  Vanilla Ice:

  We’re definitely still on. I asked you out before actually knowing where I wanted to take you. I just knew that I wanted to see you again.

  Vanilla Ice:

  I’m thinking we can do a little ice skating at Bryant Park, though. What do you think? But I should let you know that if my name is something in your phone other than Big Sexy, I’m not letting you kiss me.

  Grayson laughed a little too loud for someone who didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. It wasn’t purposely, but Elijah reduced him to this. The girls looked back at him, as did the choreographer, and Grayson smiled, saying a soft, “Hello.”

  Their choreographer told them to take five as he turned off the track.

  Laura smiled when she laid eyes on him. Laura always smiled when she saw him.

  “Hey Grayson,” Dana said. Her group echoed her greeting, and Grayson nodded hello to them in response.

  “That was incredible,” Grayson told them; a proud smile on his face as he slid the phone away. “It’s good to see you working this hard and staying focused when others your ages are probably hanging out and having fun.”

  Laura walked over to her water bottle and picked it up. Her eyes stayed trained on him as she spoke. “Well, this is fun for us. And you told us that it’ll pay off and we trust you.”

  Grayson nodded.

  “No offense, boss man,” Shelby, the shortest of the girls began. “But what are you doing here? We know what we’re doing. Go take some time to yourself.”

  “Yeah,” Cara added with a laugh. “We haven’t even seen your father and that’s saying something.”

  Grayson laughed a bit as he ran a hand over the red and blue striped sweater he was wearing. Even his clients were getting tired of him, though he didn’t think he was hovering. They could’ve had it worse.

  “
To be fair, I’m giving you ladies a lot of space.”

  Dana scoffed.

  “I actually stopped by to talk to you all before my meeting with the promotions department.”

  He took a step forward and nodded to the choreographer as he excused himself for a phone call. Grayson turned his attention back to the girls, ignoring the way Laura grinned at him. She was smitten, and it was cute.

  “Actually, I had something I wanted to run by you – an idea I cooked up. Maybe we can work on it together.”

  Dana sat down along the wall next to her sister as she returned a curious look. “We’re listening…”

  They all waited patiently, and Grayson clasped his hands together as he continued.

  “Okay. So, as you know, we’re only a couple of days away from your album being complete. You’ve got promo days coming up after the single is released and I think we need to keep riding this wave. I’m working on securing a location for you all to perform at this Friday.”

  Laura looked at the rest of her group as they all smiled. “Wait,” she began. “Like… we’re going to perform our own set?”

  Grayson nodded. “If you think you’re ready for it? Your schedule is already hectic, but throwing in the performance on Friday could be just what we need to introduce you as the real deal to new fans and loyal ones alike. Now, I’m planning a Christmas Toy Drive, and a lot of children will benefit from it. You’ll perform a set and I’m thinking of having a new artist perform as well. Maybe someone that’ll help you open for Felicity Miller when you all go on tour.”

  They began to high five one another and Cara ran over to Grayson to hug him.

  He smiled proudly. “So I’m guessing this means you’re all on board?”

  “Of course!” Laura got up and approached as well, initiating a major group hug. “This is going to be great! Our first real performance is going to be in NYC! Where’s the venue?”

  Grayson laughed, accepting the hug as they all looked up at him. He was happy that they were excited as he was. The next step would be having Elijah sign a contract and making sure his father saw how hard he was working for what he wanted.

  “It isn’t finalized, but I received an email saying Washington Square Park is willing to work with us on such short notice. You can look up and see the Empire State Building and it’ll be a night you’ll never forget,” he told them.

  “That’s so awesome,” Dana sighed. “And do you know who this person will be? The other performer, I mean.”

  Cara stuffed her hands in the pockets of her sweats. “Do not say Zach Evans. That guy is a major tool.”

  Shelby agreed. “At the album release party for Felicity Miller, he didn’t wait two minutes for his girlfriend to walk away before he started hitting on Dana and me.”

  The choreographer walked back in and announced that they’d be resuming again soon. Grayson nodded to him and smiled at the girls.

  “I promise it is not Zach,” he said, pulling his phone out. There was another text from Elijah that threatened to make him blush, but instead, he went to the video Eleanor texted him. “This is him. His name is Elijah Dawson.”

  The girls gathered around as the video clip began and Grayson smiled, memories from the night before flooding his senses. It was still hard to believe that it even happened.

  “He’s hot,” Shelby said in what sounded like awe.

  Grayson almost nodded his head to agree.

  “So he’s going to be performing with us?” she continued. “I’m all for it.”

  Cara and Dana nodded their agreement. “Me, too.”

  “Me, three.”

  Grayson smiled, turning the video off. “He’s attractive, but how does he sound?”

  “Amazing,” Laura answered.

  “I’m really excited for Friday.” Dana threw an arm over her sister and smiled at Grayson. “I’ll be honest; at first, I thought you hated the idea of having to work with us. Now, I see that you’re invested. It’s a good feeling having someone believe in us, Grayson.”

  Grayson nodded. “I really do need to apologize for being a brat. I wasn’t very warm or welcoming when I learned I had to work with you, but you four taught me so much. I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

  There were a couple knocks on the door, and all of them turned to see who it was. Isa Blackwell leant against the frame with a smile on her face.

  “I need to borrow Mr. Paul for a moment if you ladies don’t mind.”

  They smiled at her and nodded. Grayson gestured that he’d only take a second, and Isa stepped into the hall.

  “Listen. I have the utmost faith in you all. I may not have been on board at first, but after seeing the hard and very talented workers each and every one of you are, I want to make sure that the world sees it, too.”

  They seemed hopeful at his words. “We love you, Grayson. You know that,” Cara said.

  He smiled. “Likewise. I’ve got to get to this meeting and make sure that Friday runs smoothly, so I’ll see you later on.”

  “Bye Grayson,” three of the girls said in unison. They chattered excitedly between themselves as they walked back over to their choreographer – the man turning the music back on. Grayson looked down at his phone, about to turn and leave when Laura came up to him.

  “Grayson?”

  He turned to face her and smiled. “Laura! Everything okay?”

  “I was wondering,” she began to twirl at the hem of her Nike shirt as she looked at him. “Do you – are you taking someone to the Millennium Christmas party?”

  Grayson smiled once the question registered, and he could see her blush and look away. “Not yet. But, as a gay, 24-year-old man who in no way wants it to be reported that he’s dating a 17-year-old girl, I have to say that I can’t officially take you to said party.”

  Laura’s eyes went wide.

  “I told you he was gay,” her sister shouted from across the room.

  Grayson patted her on the shoulder. “If you’re up for a dance, please save me one?”

  She smiled, though the embarrassment was evident on her face. “I’d like that. Goodbye, Grayson.”

  He waved and backed away. “See you all tomorrow.”

  “Later,” they answered.

  Grayson:

  Ice skating sounds fantastic. Can I meet you there at 7?

  Oh, and if I want a kiss, I’ll get a kiss. Don’t be silly.

  Grayson sent the text before looking up at Isa. She was smiling at him in a way that said she had great news, and Grayson couldn’t wait to hear what it was.

  “Let’s go to my office,” she said.

  Chapter 15

  “You look incredible,” Eleanor told Grayson.

  He wasn’t entirely sure. He felt like he was trying too hard to not try hard. There were only 20 minutes before he had to be in midtown at Bryant Park, yet here he was staring in the mirror trying to figure out if he should change again.

  “It’s just a date to go ice skating,” she said. “It’s not like you two are going to some fancy Italian restaurant.” Eleanor nudged him with her elbow and Grayson rolled his eyes. “Besides, don’t you want to tell him about the good news?”

  Oscar walked into the room with a huge bowl of Lucky Charms. He finished chewing as he looked Grayson up and down, giving an approving nod.

  “Okay. You look hot, but why are you still here?”

  Grayson pulled on his hood. He didn’t know what the problem was, but in the back of his mind, he acknowledged that things were both moving too fast and going much too easily. Things were never this good.

  “He’s leaving,” Eleanor said. She put her hands on Grayson’s shoulders and led him towards the room’s exit. “He’s going to have a great time on his date and come back here and tell us every little detail.”

  “I already know what’s going to happen,” Oscar began, taking a huge bite from his cereal.

  Grayson appreciated the fact he waited to swallow before continuing.

  “Elijah’s
going to sing him right out of his clothes.”

  Eleanor laughed, but Grayson ignored them both. His only expectation was to have a good time. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he wanted things to go well enough for a Round 2. Grayson remembered telling Isa’s assistant, Derrick, that he didn’t date within the label, yet here he was hoping to date a potential artist. It could either go terribly, or really well. What would his father say?

  One step at a time, he told himself.

  “Have fun,” Eleanor basically demanded, handing Grayson his coat.

  Grayson smiled at her and said goodbye to his friends before being pushed out of the door by Oscar.

  Jeez. If they wanted the apartment to themselves, that was all they had to say.

  ∞

  The couple met up at the Bryant Park ice skating rink as planned. Grayson apologized for being a few minutes late, but Elijah was all smiles. He seemed intent on paying for everything since he was the one who asked Grayson out, but also because he felt he had something to prove. He didn’t have to say that, but Grayson knew it. He let Elijah pay for the rental skates and for their coffees. He was delightfully surprised when his date took his hand and led him over to a quiet table to sit.

  Elijah looked adorable in his bright blue beanie and matching scarf. He was wearing a black bubble coat and black fuzzy gloves with it. Grayson couldn’t believe he was here with him, but with that being said, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

  This was nice. It was different for the both of them, but nice nonetheless.

  “You’re gorgeous,” Elijah told him right away.

  Grayson rolled his eyes as he nervously played at his scarf. Elijah smiled at him. Grayson tried to focus on something else, because right now, Elijah was going to make this an incredibly long night with the flirting. The guy wasn’t even trying, but Grayson was affected by him.

  Secretly, he loved it.

  “I thought we’d start simple,” Elijah began. “I want to get to know you better, so let’s play 20 Questions.”

  Grayson sat back and smiled. 20 Questions. This could get really deep really quickly. He nodded, smirking as he took a sip from his coffee. “Okay.”