Something Real

by Nellie Christine

  Grayson shook his head, walking over to join his boyfriend on the couch. “You should probably tell them that you’re doing a show Friday so they can come.”

  “Are you in a rush to meet them or something, Peanut?”

  “Don’t do that,” Grayson said with a smile. He slouched down in the seat and took a deep breath. “I just want them to be as proud of you as I am.”

  “If you’re really proud, tell your dad to shove his opinions where the good Lord split him and let me blow you right here.”

  The way Elijah said it let Grayson know that he had next to no filter. That’d be an issue when it came to public appearances. He watched Elijah move a little closer and smiled at him.

  “I’ll give you a quick kiss, then we start writing this song. Deal?” Grayson suggested.

  Elijah was already leaning in for the kiss before Grayson even properly finished his statement. Grayson laughed into it, but after a moment, they were much more relaxed.

  Chapter 18

  It sucked that Elijah couldn’t make it into Harlem tonight, but that wasn’t going to stop Fallon from partying. So what it was a Tuesday? That never stopped her before, especially in a place where there were $4 beers.

  Besides, Mark and Selena had decided to join her. Fallon pushed her red hair back and approached the bar, smiling when the hot mixologist walked her way. A little flirting never hurt anyone.

  It wasn’t long before they had their drinks. Mark was nodding his head to the beat of the music and checking out the scene.

  “I’ve never been here before,” he shouted above the music.

  Selena, Fallon’s friend from school, was singing along to the song playing. “So far so good, right?”

  Mark shook his head. “There’s way too many dudes here. Elijah would be all over this place.”

  Fallon rolled her eyes as she swallowed her drink. Elijah wouldn’t be all over anything. “Let’s not forget that he’s a married man now,” she said sarcastically.

  Mark laughed.

  “I still can’t believe he signed with Millennium,” Selena said. “I didn’t even know your friend sang. Where is he and why isn’t he spending money on all of us?”

  “He’s not at that level yet,” Mark said, trying to knock the dollar signs out of her eyes. “Besides, he’s with his boyfriend,” he continued with a smile, turning to face Fallon now. “He’s spending the night at the home of Grayson Paul.”

  Fallon walked off to the lounge area, her friends following close behind. “Oh, well at least he talks to you. You do know we’re being replaced, right?”

  Mark was silent at first, but once they all sat, he answered her. “I seriously doubt that’s the case, Fallon. He’s spent years being a dick. Let him know what it’s like to have someone he gives a damn about.”

  She smirked. “Yeah. I’m giving him space. We sort of got into it yesterday and I’m just waiting for the opportunity to make things right. Do you even know when you’re going to see him again?”

  Mark look concerned at first, but he knew those two. Fallon and Elijah were pretty close, and had been for years. If anyone could work through their differences, it was the both of them.

  “I do,” Mark answered. He picked up his beer, scanning the crowd and focusing on one guy in particular. “You know Millennium’s Christmas party is on Thursday.”

  That was right. Fallon looked down at her beer and wondered if she’d get an invite. If not, she’d just show up with Mark. But seriously, Elijah could not stay mad at her for that long.

  “I intend to bring Allison with me. Imagine our second date being at a record label’s private party. I’d score so well,” he said with a smile, but once he got a better look at this guy, he couldn’t help but bring it up. “Hey…”

  Selena and Fallon both turned to look at him. “What is it?” Fallon asked.

  “That guy in the lilac cardigan with the blond hair. Doesn’t he look familiar? Like really familiar…”

  Fallon looked around the club and finally her eyes landed on him. She didn’t recognize him, but he was extremely hot. Like, she needed to talk to him immediately hot. “Don’t know him, but if you’ll excuse me…”

  Mark watched her get up and cross the bar. He took another drink before looking at Selena. “So you’re to Fallon what I am to Elijah, huh? We sit back and watch them hit on everyone,” he said with a smile.

  Selena laughed. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  Fallon pushed her boobs up higher and then walked over to where the man stood at the bar. The closer she got, she realized that he did sort of look familiar. She knew him from somewhere – was it college? Did he interview for the same internship? It could’ve been from a party. She leant against the bar and glanced over at him, smiling a bit when she got eye contact.

  He looked over at her and gave a polite smile in response. He didn’t seem to double take at all, so maybe she was imagining having met him before. Or maybe he just didn’t remember her. The guy was as preppy as preppy got, but he wore it well. He looked like he had a black card, and that itself was a turn on.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you,” she began. “But you look really familiar. This isn’t a pick-up line but; do I know you from somewhere?”

  He laughed, and that was a good sign. The man shook his head no, though. “I haven’t been in the city in a couple years, and when I was here I usually just stayed in my dorm towards the end.”

  “What school did you go to?” she asked.

  “I’m an NYU boy,” he said.

  She didn’t really hang with the NYU crowd. It had to have been a party then. She knew him. Fallon knew she knew him.

  “Been living upstate since graduation,” he continued. “Working and trying to get settled in, but. I don’t know. I guess I miss it here.”

  “So is that what randomly brings you back in the middle of December?”

  He smiled, and his smile was really gorgeous. “Actually, I’m trying to get in touch with my ex.”

  Fallon laughed. “Wow.”

  “We um, we used to come here a lot when we were together so I was hoping maybe I’d see him or his friends, but it’s been a while since those days.”

  Him. Fallon tried to fight pouting. Of course the hottest guy in here was gay. “That stinks. If you don’t mind, maybe I know who he is. I’m quite the socialite around these parts.”

  He laughed, rubbing a hand through his short hair. “His name is Grayson Paul, actually. You’d probably know his name even if you weren’t a socialite.”

  Fallon’s eyes went wide. Wait… this guy was Grayson’s ex? It made no sense for her to know anyone attached to Grayson. “Of course I know him. And you’re trying to reconnect because –”

  “I miss him like crazy,” he filled in. “I’m thinking about moving back to Manhattan and I just wanted to get in touch. See if he could forgive me for the things I did and if there was something else there.”

  “Wow,” Fallon took a deep breath.

  This was such a small world. For Grayson’s ex to be here tonight looking for him while Grayson was currently at his place with her best friend… Small world indeed. But something told her that Grayson would drop Elijah like a bad habit if his handsome, successful ex-boyfriend came back into the picture.

  If Elijah could be saved from this situation, it would have to be done now. Any longer and he could get hurt. She didn’t want to see him hurt, and at the rate he was going, it was bound to happen sooner rather than later.

  “I’m Fallon,” she said, extending her hand.

  He smiled. “Oh, forgive me. Stephen Abel.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Stephen. You won’t believe this, but…”

  He put some cash down on the bar and picked up his whiskey and soda. At her words, his blue eyes widened a little. “Go on…”

  Fallon looked him in the eyes. “I’m going to a Christmas Party at Millennium Records.”

  So maybe she wasn’t invited yet. She’d definitely be going. Elijah was going
to come around before then, let’s be real.

  Stephen smiled before shaking his head. “No way. That was way too easy.”

  “I’m serious,” she continued. “And I can tell that you care about him, so you can be my plus-one. On one condition.”

  Stephen looked around the bar incredulously, probably not believing that this was happening. Fallon could almost see the thoughts going through his head.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  She looked him in the eyes. “Make sure that you get Grayson Paul back.”

  ∞

  “Grayson Paul.”

  Grayson was laughing the hardest Elijah had ever seen anyone laugh. He was barely touching him.

  “I’m not playing with you. Give me the phone.”

  “You’re not changing my – OH GOD –” the fit of laughter began again as Elijah’s fingers moved along Grayson’s ribcage beneath the t-shirt he wore. “I swear to my dead goldfish, Eli, if you don’t – HAHAHA!”

  Elijah laughed along with him. “Baby, change my name from Vanilla Ice, or I tickle you for the rest of the night. What’s it going to be?”

  Grayson really wanted to shove Elijah off of him, and that was a first. He had his boyfriend mounted on top of him as he laid in bed, and he wanted to push him off. But that was because Elijah was tickling the life out of him right now and it wasn’t fair.

  “Okay. Stop. Stop, seriously.”

  Elijah smirked. He stopped the movement of his fingers and looked Grayson in his watery eyes. “I stopped. Your move.”

  Grayson got the last of the giggles out before unlocking his phone. Elijah watched him closely, trying to get a glance at what he was doing, but his boyfriend shielded the phone away.

  “Seriously?”

  “I’m changing it at least.”

  Elijah rolled his eyes. He looked back at the TV right as Oscar banged on the door and told them to keep it down. Grayson smirked.

  “Little does he know I have plans to make out with you every time he’s eating.”

  “You two have an interesting relationship,” Elijah said, leaning over to see what Grayson renamed him in his iPhone. “Macklemore?” he laughed even harder when Grayson burst into another laughing fit but snatched the phone away from him.

  “Let me fix that.”

  “If you make yourself Big Sexy, you can get an Uber home.”

  Elijah smirked, typing in his contact information a single heart emoji next to the letter E. He pressed save and then placed the phone down, leaning in to kiss Grayson before settling in next to him.

  Grayson picked the phone up and smiled at it.

  ♡E

  “Simple, but accurate.”

  Elijah nodded. They smiled at one another before looking at the TV.

  It was shaping up to be another perfect night. Earlier that day, the couple made good on their deal and had written a song together named “Paradise.” The music provided to Elijah by producer, Domo, was the perfect fit. It went well with a song that Grayson knew couples all over the country would be sending to one another on Facebook as they annoyed the hell out of everyone on their friends list.

  At first, Elijah was resistant to work with Domo. It was because the guy told him to do the same take multiple times, and because he’d get impatient when Elijah decided to change the flow of the verses, but eventually, they both got into the flow of things. Grayson had seen it happen before. A new artist with a strong personality having to work with a seasoned producer who had an equally strong personality made it sometimes hard to be on the same page. But once Elijah relaxed, enunciated the words more clearly, and realized that he didn’t have to sing so loudly in the booth, it was like he’d done this before.

  There was work to be done, but Elijah Dawson’s first professionally recorded song was completed and ready for airplay. Grayson had played it no less than 30 times on their way back to his place. It was going to be a hit.

  “What are you thinking about?” Elijah asked him.

  Grayson smiled. He rolled over and pulled Elijah a little closer, kissing him on the earlobe and whispering in his ear. “I’m your number one fan.”

  Elijah grinned at that. “You’re a fucking cornball, Little Paul.”

  Grayson closed his eyes. “Maybe. I’m also very proud of you.”

  “I’m proud of you, too,” Elijah told him.

  And he meant that. Grayson wasn’t only working hard for what he wanted, but he was showing the people who doubted his ability that he was more than capable. There was something sexy about a man who went for what he wanted. Elijah was turned on.

  Then again, there wasn’t much that didn’t turn him on, he acknowledged.

  “And you’re not running away from how domestic this is because?” Grayson asked.

  Elijah looked away from The Rugrats Movie and at Grayson’s arms around him. That was true. This was pretty domestic. But running was the last thing on his mind right now.

  “Because I’m here with my boyfriend and I’m fucking happy.”

  “Hm,” Grayson said. “So you’re not going to be gone when I wake up?”

  Elijah laughed, looking down at their socked feet wrapped around each other. “That wouldn’t be true boyfriendship. Now shut up. The best part is on.”

  Grayson laughed, kissing him on the cheek. The two of them were quiet for the rest of the night, enjoying the Nickelodeon movie and sharing the smallest, sweetest kisses.

  At least Harvey Paul couldn’t stop them from being them here, Elijah thought.

  Chapter 19

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” Elijah whined, folding his arms and sitting back in the second row. Lily was calm in her car seat; fingers in mouth as she looked at her uncle.

  “I can’t believe you have a boyfriend and are going to be performing in a freaking show in Washington Square Park tomorrow and had no plans of telling me,” Josie shot back. She stepped on the gas and her ’02 Subaru sped off down the suburban block. “I feel like I woke up in the Twilight Zone. Were you going to tell me any of this?”

  Eventually. Elijah looked down at Lily and blew her a kiss. She smiled.

  “I mean, of course. Mark beat me to the punch, though.”

  Peanut:

  Make sure that you have your radio on Z100 at noon sharp! Isa got you airplay and the world is about to hear Elijah Dawson. Wish I was with you to hear Paradise, but I’m so happy you’re going to be with your family. Mwah. See you tonight xo

  “You weren’t going to tell me,” Josie said. “I’d just find out like the rest of the world when you dropped a video on VEVO or something.”

  Elijah smiled. “That’s not true. I just… I still don’t know what I’m doing. All of this seems so surreal, like it won’t hit me until it’s full-blown here, you know?”

  She nodded, but she wasn’t quite sure.

  Peanut:

  Also realized I probably shouldn’t be texting my client Xs and Os. Hm. Maybe we’ll get work phones or something.

  Elijah smirked. They’d have to come out eventually. Maybe after Christmas.

  Elijah:

  ♡♡♡♡ See you tonight. Hope you were right about me and the song doesn’t flop!

  Peanut:

  You’re an idiot.

  “So tell me about being on Millennium Records! Jeez, Eli. I feel like I barely even know you.” She turned left onto their parents’ block and she continued. “What’s it like being a soon-to-be-famous singer?”

  Elijah took Lily’s free hand that wasn’t in her mouth and held it in his. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. If something goes wrong – for instance – if I don’t do well at this show tomorrow night, they can decide they don’t want to extend my deal long-term. Right now it’s only for this one song that’s being released today at noon and the promise to perform at the Christmas gig tomorrow.”

  “Noon is pretty freakin’ close.” Josie looked around for parking since both of their parents’ cars were in the driveway. “I’m
not missing this for anyone.” Although she had to go a good distance down the block, there was a free spot across the street, right in front of a home that slightly overdid the holiday decorations.

  “And there’s no reason for them not to extend, or for you not to want to. This could change your life for the better.” She put the car in park and undid her seatbelt, turning around to face him. “I took off work and I’m bringing Lily to come see you and that girl group tomorrow. You know she dances to their song when it comes on.”

  He laughed at the image. “You better dance to my song too, knucklehead.”

  Lily laughed, too.

  “My point is, you can do this in your sleep, kid. I’m sure Mom and Dad will tell you the same thing.”

  Elijah doubted it. He undid his seatbelt and then worked on unstrapping his niece. “Well the one thing I’m feeling good about is being able to help you and Lily out. I almost beat the shit out of her dad the other night. He’s a waste of time.”

  Josie let her dark hair out of its bun and sighed. “Language, please.”

  “Sorry,” he answered.

  They got out of the car; Eli carrying Lily and her bag as they approached his folks’ place. The last time he was even in Long Island had to be over the summer. If he could avoid leaving the city, he avoided leaving the city. Especially when he was leaving to come see his mom and dad. There was next to no point in doing so. His dad just sat there in his underwear watching something ESPN related while his mother talked about how hard it is to keep their huge home clean.

  It was 11:30 by the time they went inside. As expected, Elijah’s father, Edwin, didn’t even attempt to move from the sofa. He said hello and waited for his granddaughter to be brought to him, his head balding and grey on the sides. Juanita, Elijah’s mother, at least gave both her children big hugs.

  They let their mother ramble on about what was going on in the life of an out-of-work, stay at home, 58-year-old woman who’s married to a retired 69-year-old man. Elijah looked down at his watch. He wasn’t even going to get to tell them he had good news at this rate.