Love on the Rocks (Bar Tenders) (21 page)

“Are those Swarovski crystals?” Justin asked, fastening Tam’s ruffle.

Tam looked surprised as he stood still for Justin. “You noticed!”

“Christ, Tam.” Justin frowned as he secured the ruffle and stepped back. “How much did they cost?”

“Oh, don’t panic.” Tam rolled his eyes and then squatted down to his bag. “I got a good deal on a wholesale bag from Ebay.”

“A
bag
?” Justin watched him fish out the vodka bottle again and pour two more shots.

“Yes, a small bag of crystals. It took everything in my power not to empty the lot over my head and squeal when it arrived.” He stood, offering Justin the shot glass.

Justin laughed, accepting the shot. “Why?”

“Diamonds are a boy’s best friend.” Tam clinked his glass with Justin’s. “I can’t afford diamonds yet, so crystals will have to do.”

“You’re a strange man,” Justin told him and followed Tam in drinking another shot.

“That I may be,” Tam retorted, “but wait till you see them under the lights.”

It was time. Dolly, dressed in a sweeping black sapphire ball gown, her huge curly wig sparkling with glitter, marched out to the stage, ready to start the show. Butterflies fluttered in Justin’s belly, but this was the good kind of nervous, the preshow buzz he liked. He’d been performing a long time now, and the nerves didn’t worry him like they used to. Now he could ride the buzz and look forward to getting onstage.

They were third act on, after Dolly had done the introductions. He followed Tam down the hall, and they took up a place stageside, lining up with other performers clad in costume. It was pretty dark back here, as they were behind the heavy curtain; only a dim light from the hall and the slim peek of the brightly lit stage beyond gave them any light.

Justin’s eye was caught by the glint of crystal, even in this dull light, from Tam’s feathers. “Okay,” he admitted, leaning in to Tam’s ear. “The crystals look good.”

“Hah. See?” Tam grinned broadly, his lip gloss also catching the light. “Trust me, darling. There is no such thing as over the top in this biz.”

Justin chuckled, his eyes roving over their fellow performers. Tam had a fair point. One girl was almost completely nude, slim body covered only by red sequin nipple tassels and a matching merkin. Justin didn’t know how she had the balls to wear—or not wear—something like that. What if the bit of sequined material slipped off onstage? Her only props were some white ostrich feather fans. Hopefully Justin would be able to sneak nearer the curtain when she performed, and risk a glance out.

Usually they got a sidelong view of the stage and its performance, through the gap in the curtain, but the way needed to be kept clear for the dashing in and out of the stage manager and his assistant.

Dolly opened the show by singing the classic
These Boots
, changing the lyrics to “These boobs are made for wobblin’,” as she proudly stuck her cleavage out. The audience whooped along, won over already. Dolly was a star in the spotlight.

After her song was over she welcomed the crowd, engaged in some flirty banter, and got them to practice their cheering, whipping up the noise levels. Justin wondered if his parents were whooping along out there. They always cheered at shows.

A woman with a large furry muff on her arm started the show, dancing and miming along to an old jazz song. When the male vocal came in, she raised the muff to the audience, revealing it was actually some crazy-looking puppet with a mouth, and mimed her hand along to the words. Laughing and encouraging cheers sounded out. A comedy act was a good start to any show.

Dolly waited stageside in the gloom with them, checking her running order notes. Tam asked her if she was going to make a quip about the performer’s giant muff. Dolly smiled sidelong. “Great minds think alike, you naughty boy.”

“Surprised Tam knows what a muff is,” Justin teased, earning a snorting laugh from Tam.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at Justin.

After the act was finished, and through the applause, Dolly did her between-act patter and then swiftly introduced the next performance. The fan dancer trotted out onstage in her high heels, which Justin noticed were covered in crystals. The music started, and she fluttered her fans to a Marilyn Monroe number.

At his side, Tam snorted lightly. “Like this hasn’t been done ten million times,” he muttered.

“I’m sure the straight men like it,” Justin whispered back. “She looks like a model.”

“Yawn!” Tam replied.

After the closing of the fan dance—and Justin marveled at how her miniscule costume had stayed on—she left the stage, and Dolly began their introduction.

Justin’s heart hammered, but he concentrated on receiving his cordless mic from the stage hand, checking it was on, and breathing in and out. This was the part he loved most.

Dolly gave them a roaring introduction and came offstage as their music started. The stage lights flashed, and they waited a beat. This song had a long introduction, so they always walked on to it.

Justin waited for Tam and then followed him on stage. The lights were so bright all he could see were the dark boards of the stage and Tam’s silver costume as he followed him into position. The lighting tech was obviously enjoying having a disco number played, as the lights were going crazy with flashes of color. As the intro finished and became slower, Justin clutched his mic in his right hand, ready, while raising his left arm out at the same time as Tam. It looked like a grand gesture for the music, until just at the right moment they brought their hands down to pinch their noses and sing in squeaky, nasal voices the first verse to
Voulez-Vous
.

The lights stopped swirling, settling into spotlights on them. The venue was still shrouded in darkness to him, but Justin could see the first rows of the audience, and noticed a few people smiling along. First verse done, he released his nose, as did Tam, and they swept their arms out to the audience, singing in deeper voices, building the sound. This was one of Justin’s favorite songs, and he felt the grin on his face as he sang.

For the chorus they each pointed at the audience, as if singling out a member, holding eye contact with faces they couldn’t really see under the dazzle of lights. Because the song required a lot of singing, they mostly stayed in one spot, but the chorus was a sassy choreographed maneuver. Sing a line. Shoulder wiggle, ruffling the feathers. Sing the next line. Hip thrust. Point and wink.

Cheers bellowed over the music, and as happened every time they were well received by an audience, Justin was relieved and thrilled all at once. He sang his heart out, swapping places with Tam beside him for the final verse. The lights swirled again, flooding over the audience nearest the stage. Justin’s eyes scanned the crowd, looking for his parents. They were probably at a table, further back.

He almost missed spotting Chi Chi, standing right near the stage. She wore a sleeveless white and red polka dot dress. It was the polka dots that caught his eye and made him notice her tattooed arms and her blonde hair in long ringlets. She grinned at him, and Justin let his gaze rest on her a moment, so she’d know he’d seen her.

Then he saw the person next to her.

Yena
.

Chapter Eighteen

A
T
THE
end of their song, the roar of applause seemed far away. The smile had been wiped off Justin’s face from shock, and he didn’t know what else to do except leave the stage. He left Tam waving at the audience, as Dolly stepped out and said into her mic, “The Dancing Queens, everyone!”

Justin hurried through the backstage hall and into the dressing room, leaving the noise behind him. Tam was on his heels, asking him what was wrong. Justin couldn’t focus, not on Tam, nor on the dressing room around him. His eyes darted about as he remembered seeing
him
, right there next to Chi Chi. Yena was here, watching his show, and he’d smiled at him.

“I….”

“Justin?” Tam touched his arm.

Finally, Justin looked at him. “I have to talk to him.”

As he made to step around him, Tam grabbed both his arms to stop him. “Who? Who do you need to talk to? Mark?”

“What?
No
. Yena’s here.”

“Who…? Oh. Where? Did you see him?”

“Yes, he’s with Chi Chi, near the front of the stage.” Suddenly it all made sense; the Hula-Hoops at Yena’s home, the knowing smile from Chi Chi those weeks before. She and Yena knew each other. More than that, they probably
lived
together, as housemates.

“I’m just going—”

Again, Tam stopped him. “Whoa there. You can’t go out in a crowded room wearing that. My ruffs will get ruined, Justin.”

Justin swallowed, trying to ignore the erratic thump of his heart. This was more than a performance buzz, this was proper nerves kicking in. “I’ll… I’ll take the costume off,” he said, thinking aloud.

“Justin, we don’t have time. The interval is only twenty minutes, and we’re on almost directly after that. Are you telling me that if you go out there now and talk to this guy, you’re going to get back here in time to be in your costume, without being in even more of a flap than you are right now?”

“I… I….” Justin breathed deep, feeling lightheaded. “Shit. I don’t know. I need to talk to him.”

“Hey, look.” Tam softened his voice, seeming sympathetic. “He’s here, isn’t he? He’s with a friend of yours, and they’re watching the show. That’s fine. Chi Chi knows the drill; they can sit tight through another forty-five minutes, or whatever it is. Then when we’re done you can go straight out there and not worry about coming back onstage.”

Justin conceded he was right. Nodding, he concentrated on breathing.

“Have another shot with me,” Tam said. “Calm your nerves.”

“I don’t want to get drunk,” Justin worried, but Tam waved his concerns aside.

“Drunk is better than a nervous wreck.” He poured out a shot and handed it to Justin. “Get that down you.”

Justin knocked back the shot, and this time he hardly felt the burn in his throat. His mind kept picturing Yena in the audience.
He’s here. He’s really here.

That was surely a good thing, wasn’t it? That he’d come to the show. Surely it wasn’t just a coincidence? Chi Chi had been trying to get in touch with him, after all. Maybe Yena had asked her to. Justin’s mind swirled.

He smiled at me. He’s here
.

“Justin?” Tam’s voice edged into his thoughts. “You are going to be able to do the next set, aren’t you?”

Justin nodded. “I’m fine,” he murmured, holding out his shot glass. “Better give me another.”

The wait was excruciating. Intervals were a bore at the best of times, unless a costume change was involved. After a quick toilet break, using the one backstage bathroom, Justin didn’t know what to do with himself. Luckily, Tam had him covered and managed to distract him enough to stall any freak outs.

For now, at least.

Justin felt okay. It was only if he thought about Yena being here that his heart started thumping and his breaths came quicker. His mind wandered, and he worried he was going to mess up the next act.

“You can do this, Justin,” Tam told him as they lined up stageside once more. “In fact, you could do it in your sleep.
Super Trouper
is your favorite song, so at least I know you practiced this one.”

Justin managed a smile. “It is my favorite.”

“Then let’s knock ’em dead.”

Dolly was engaged in words with the stage manager, as his assistant prepped the stage. The curtain was drawn, shielding any prop setup from the audience. Dolly was saying something to the stage manager about performers having too many props, to which he nodded sagely in reply.

The performer in question was busy nagging the stage assistant about where her myriad props were supposed to go, but not actually helping out.

Tam clicked his tongue to Justin. “Bossy slag,” he muttered. “Her act better be worth the hassle.”

Overhearing them, the stage manager smirked. Finally when things were set, he gave the cue into a walkie-talkie, and the music faded out. The curtain swished back as Dolly strutted into position and welcomed the audience back to the show.

After Dolly’s song, there was only one act in front of them.
Not much longer
. Justin breathed deep. The alcohol had helped a little, but he was definitely more nervous than usual. Their
Super Trouper
number started with them singing a capella, as it was their homage to the
Mamma Mia
film and how much they loved it. Justin hoped his voice wouldn’t give out on him.

Tam clearly had the same thoughts, as he insisted on a quick warm-up, nearly drowned out by the current act onstage. “Warm up your chords,” he instructed. “Fa la la la,” he sang, right in Justin’s face, waggling his tongue.

Justin laughed and pushed him away. “Okay, okay.” They sang and tongue-waggled until the end of the act, and the performer strode offstage in only her high heels and skimpy underwear. The stage manager and his assistant quickly cleared the stage, hefting props and discarded clothes aside, as Dolly came back on to talk to the audience and distract them from the cleanup.

“Just pretend he isn’t there, Justin,” Tam hissed sidelong. “Focus on your parents instead.”

“Oh, God.” Justin had forgotten about them. How was
this
going to work?

Suddenly it was time for them to take the stage. Dolly announced their act, and they hurried on as the audience made noise. Justin couldn’t help it; he scanned the audience, looking, looking….

There
.

Yena was still there, with Chi Chi. They both offered encouraging smiles, and Justin felt warmth bloom in his chest. He stood in his position next to Tam, waiting for the audience to settle down. In the growing hush, Tam clicked his platform boot on the boards, counting them in. Justin fell back on memory as the routine started; left hand, point. Right hand, hold mic. Sing the lines, overexaggerated and slower than the actual song.