Love on Stage (21 page)

They pulled into the motel by the theater just before noon. Gavin’s parents were already there; his father had checked everyone in. Gavin accepted a card for the room he was supposed to share with Archie, which he slipped to his cousin. Miles went up to the front desk and got an extra card for his room for Gavin.

Miles shepherded them all to the theater, where they sat in the audience watching the other acts rehearse. Then the stage manager called, “Singing Sweethearts to the stage,” and they all trooped up to practice their blocking. The lighting guy put up a huge photo of an apple orchard in full fruit as their backdrop, and a stagehand dragged three rocking chairs out and placed them in a semi-circle.

They ran through each of the three songs, first with the grannies standing in a semi-circle for “Apple Cider Time,” with Gavin, Erica, and Archie on the floor in front of them. Miles had asked for a standing mike for them to cluster around, though the sound wouldn’t come through it; he thought it would give their blocking an old-time feel.

Then the grannies moved to the rockers for the next two songs. The process reminded Gavin of modeling, where he was told what to do and how to move. The lavalier microphones pinned to their shirts had to be adjusted several times, and Aunt Myrtle’s left leg started to wobble when she stood for too long. Aunt Ida was wearing too much gold, and several of her bracelets caught the light badly when she waved her arms. Gavin had to convince her to take them off.

Gavin didn’t realize how much adrenaline he’d been channeling until they had all left the stage. He and Archie were in one dressing room with a bunch of other male singers; Erica and the grannies were in another, with Erica’s mom there to help with the costumes.

He slumped to the floor, sweat dripping from his forehead, feeling like all the energy had been sapped from his body. He kept reminding himself that this was just like being photographed—he was putting on a performance, becoming someone the audience wanted to see, and in this case, hear.

Archie looked like he was going to throw up at any minute.

With a great effort, Gavin pushed himself up. “Come on. We’ve got to get dressed,” he said to his cousin.

Gavin stripped down to his boxer briefs, then began digging in his bag for the clothes he was to wear onstage. When he looked over, Archie was still wearing the T-shirt and shorts he’d begun the day in. “You need me to take your clothes off, Arch?” he asked. “I’ve got a lot of experience at that.”

“I can manage,” Archie said with a croak.

They dressed and then stood beside each other to look in the mirror. Archie had wanted them to wear porkpie hats, but Gavin had resisted. He liked the contrast of Archie’s close-cropped red hair, his own blond locks, and Erica’s dark-brown curls.

They joined the women in the green room, waiting for their cue, and as soon as they arrived, Miles stepped up. “You guys are going to rock the house,” he said. “Take it from me. I’ve been listening to you, and I know just how good you are.”

A stagehand adjusted their lavalier microphones, and then another opened the door to the green room and called, “Singing Sweethearts, you’re on.”

The curtain was down, and the grannies were led to their places in the center of the stage. The three rockers were behind them. They clustered around the standing mike, just as they had in the old days. Gavin, Archie, and Erica sat at their feet.

The lights went down, the curtain went up, and the apple orchard photo appeared behind them. When Grandma Frances sang the first notes of “Apple Cider Time,” the audience went wild with applause.

Gavin joined her on the second line, and the rest of the song flowed as easily as it had back home, Erica and Aunt Ida going high, Aunt Myrtle and Archie going low. When the song ended, the audience erupted once again in applause.

Gavin, Archie, and Erica stood up. Each offered an arm to a granny, and they walked them back to the rocking chairs. Archie grabbed the standing mike, moved it offstage, and then joined Gavin and Erica in a loose semi-circle behind the grannies.

Gavin jumped into “Down in the Valley.” He was a bar ahead of the music, but everybody followed him, the grannies joining in at the chorus. Gavin glanced offstage as he sang the last line, “
Angels in heaven know I love you
,” but couldn’t see Miles against the glare of the lights.

After another round of applause, they swung into “Milking the Cows,” the grannies rocking and smiling as Archie, Gavin, and Erica sang. Everything was working, from Erica’s high runs to Archie’s beat-boxing, and by the time they sang the last notes, Gavin was flushed with excitement.

The crowd didn’t want to let them go, though. They jumped to their feet, stamping and calling, “Encore!”

They had only practiced the three songs, and Gavin felt lost, like a deer in the headlights on a dark Wisconsin farm road. He was paralyzed until he heard Archie launch into the first notes of “I’m Yours.” Without thinking, Gavin joined him and Erica. The grannies were true musicians; though Gavin doubted they knew the song, they came in at the chorus.

When the song was over, before the crowd could demand anything else, Gavin turned to Grandma Frances and offered her his hand. She stood, along with her sisters, the six of them bowed to the audience, and then the curtain fell.

The stagehands rushed forward, removing the rocking chairs and setting up for the next act, as Gavin stumbled off-stage with his family.

“That was awesome!” Miles said as they reached him. He hugged Gavin, then turned immediately to Erica.

Gavin was disappointed as he watched Miles hug and kiss the rest of the family. Yeah, it had been a group effort, but shouldn’t Miles have had something more for him?

The parents were all in the audience, so Gavin didn’t get to hear what they thought until the end of the concert, when they all went outside. It was hard to find the family, though, because people kept coming up to them to compliment them and ask if they were going to start recording again.

The grannies basked in the glory, though Archie, Gavin, and Erica were shy, thanking people but saying they had no future plans. Gavin kept looking around for Miles, but Miles had disappeared somewhere and didn’t show up until the celebratory dinner. They gathered around a long table, everyone talking and laughing, and Gavin felt like he was flying. He kept exchanging glances with Miles, the kind of looks that made him shiver and made his dick jump.

It was late by the time the five of them made their way back to the motel.

“Where do the parents think you’re sleeping tonight?” Erica asked Mary Anne.

“Uncle Richard offered to pay for a room at the motel, but Mary Anne said she had a friend she was going to stay with,” Archie said. “I’m not sure he believed her, but nobody’s said anything.”

“I’d better get to bed,” Erica said. “Grandma Ida is probably waiting up for me.”

The other two grannies were sharing a room next door to them. Archie and Gavin’s room was at the other end of the hotel, as was the one Miles was supposed to have for his own. The four of them walked down along the exterior of the motel, Archie and Mary Anne holding hands. Though it was Wisconsin, Gavin reached out, took Miles’s hand in his own, and squeezed. Miles looked over at him and smiled.

Archie and Mary Anne went into their room, and Miles stopped at the door of his. He pulled the card key from his pocket and slid it through the slot. He opened the door, ushering Gavin ahead of him. The drapes in front of the sliding glass doors were open, and the room was filled with silvery moonlight.

Miles shut the door softly behind him, and Gavin turned to face him. “You were awesome tonight,” Miles said.

“The night hasn’t even gotten started yet,” Gavin said.

Miles poked him. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You have real star power. When I was listening to you, I couldn’t believe you weren’t already an established musician.”

“I couldn’t have gotten up on that stage without you showing me what to do.” He kissed Miles. “We make a good team.”

“We sure do,” Miles said. He began to unbutton Gavin’s shirt. “I’m not sure whether I prefer you in T-shirts or button-downs. It’s quicker to get you out of a T, but I kind of like taking my time unbuttoning.”

When he had Gavin’s shirt partially open, he leaned in and bit at Gavin’s nipple, and Gavin groaned with pleasure. He ran his hands through Miles’s dark hair and focused on the electric sensations running through his body.

Miles moved to the other nipple, and Gavin unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way and shucked it off. Then he gently lifted Miles up by his shoulders and undid his shirt.

From then on, it was a race to see who could get naked first. Gavin won; he had the most experience. They jumped onto the bed together and rolled around, wrestling, rubbing against each other, making the headboard bang against the wall.

“Should we be quieter?” Miles gasped.

“Who cares? We’re in a hotel. We’re leaving tomorrow and never coming back.”

“You’re right,” Miles said. He lifted Gavin’s legs and dove down to suck his cock, then lick his balls. He kept pushing Gavin backward so he could tongue his hole.

Gavin knew that things were never going to be the same—either with Miles or with the rest of his life. So he was determined to get the most out of the evening. He and Miles tried different positions, holding back climaxes to maximize pleasure.

“I think we’ve gone through about half of the Kama Sutra,” Miles panted after a half hour or more.

“Then we’ve still got half a book to go,” Gavin said.

When Gavin couldn’t hold back anymore, he squirmed around so that he and Miles could suck each other. He buried his face in Miles’s crotch and used every trick he knew to bring Miles to a climax he’d never forget.

Miles seemed determined to do the same thing to Gavin. Gavin felt his nuts pull in tight, and then the force of his orgasm rocked his body from his head to the tips of his toes. Miles came at almost the same moment and with what appeared to be the same force.

They were both left gasping, neither of them able to move for a moment. Then Gavin climbed back up to face Miles. “I love you, Miles Goodwin,” he said, though he hadn’t planned to say it.

Miles opened his mouth to say something—but yawned instead.

Gavin reared back. “Am I boring you?”

“Never, mi amor,” Miles said, pulling him back down. “
Te amo. Te amo mucho
.” Then he added, “In case your Spanish doesn’t extend that far, I love you too.”

He put his arm around Gavin’s shoulders. Gavin turned and nestled into him, and all the adrenaline drained from his body, and he slept.

Star Power

When Gavin woke, he was under the covers and Miles was sleeping next to him. How had they gotten there? The last he remembered was being on top of the covers with Miles’s arm around him.

He turned on one elbow and surveyed Miles beside him. Miles wasn’t conventionally handsome; his face was round, and stray hairs sprouted on his cheeks when he didn’t shave carefully enough. With his eyelids closed, Gavin couldn’t see those mesmerizing aquamarine eyes. But just the sight of Miles sleeping there was enough to cause his heart to race and his dick to rise.

He stumbled out of bed and used the bathroom. When he returned, Miles was awake and yawning.

“What time is it?” Miles asked.

Gavin glanced at the clock. “Seven thirty.”

Miles groaned. “Too early to be up.”

Gavin jumped into bed next to him. “Even too early for this?” He leaned over and kissed Miles on the lips.

“Never too early for that,” Miles said when he could speak again. He reached down below the covers and grasped Gavin’s dick, which was hard again. “You really are a morning person, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t use to be. But all those early shifts at Java Joe’s, and all that coffee. It changed me.”

“Hmm… I like you the way you are now.” He wrapped an arm around Gavin’s shoulders and pulled him close, and they fell back asleep.

They were roused by a knocking on the door. “Wake up, sleepyheads,” Archie said. “We’re due at breakfast.”

Gavin looked groggily at the clock. It was nearly ten. He grabbed a bathrobe and went to the door. Archie and Mary Anne stood there dressed in their Sunday best.

“Come on, dude. We’ll be late.”

“You guys go ahead. We’ll be right behind you.”

Archie shook his finger at Gavin and said, “No more nookie!”

Gavin shoved the door closed on him. “You can sleep in if you want,” he said. “I’ve got to go to breakfast.”

Miles yawned. “No, I’ll get up and go with you.”

“Dibs on the shower.” Gavin dropped his robe on a chair and loped into the bathroom. He’d just gotten the water warm and begun to soap his body when Miles opened the door and stepped in beside him. It was a tight fit, but they made it work, lathering each other and then rinsing. Gavin’s dick rose again, but he knew they had to keep moving.

They walked down to the hotel restaurant, and as he reached the door, he grabbed Miles’s hand and they walked in together. No more need to hide, from anyone.

They were the last to slide in at the end of a long table, and everyone was chattering about the performance the night before and all the compliments they had received.

Grandma Frances tapped her fork against her water glass, and everyone quieted. “I think I speak for my sisters when I say we couldn’t have imagined a better closing for our career. And we owe it to Gavin, Erica, and Archie, and of course Miles. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“Hear, hear,” Aunt Myrtle said, and everyone clapped.

The first group to break away were Erica and her parents, who were taking her and Aunt Ida back to Starlit Lake to pick up their belongings, then delivering Erica to Madison to start her grad school program. There was a flurry of kisses and hugs, and Archie took that opportunity to say that he’d already packed his stuff and he and Mary Anne were going to head back to Chippewa Falls.

Archie’s parents said they’d walk Archie and Mary Anne out to the parking lot, and Aunt Myrtle followed.