The showcase wasn’t for the guaranteed contract, but agents and producers would be in the audience. Everyone who played at nationals had a chance to be discovered. The idea of playing in a national competition for the first time in more than six years was as terrifying as it was freeing. It could help Dom finally put that nightmare to rest, once and for all.
His phone buzzed.
Trey:Look for the purple tent next to the red Jeep.
Dom vaguely remembered a purple tent from earlier. He wove his way around the lot, eyes open, until he spotted it. The tent was zipped up and dark, no sign of life around it.
I’m here.
Come inside.
Okay.
No one was around or paying him any attention, and the recorded music still blaring over the sound system drowned out the ripple of the zipper on the tent’s front flap. Trey sat inside of the dim interior, his expression serious, perspiration glistening on his skin. He motioned for Dom to come in, and he did, zipping the flap back up. A small, battery-operated fan rotated inside, providing a smidge of relief from the heat.
Dom knelt in front of Trey, curious. The tent smelled like lavender and patchouli oil, and one of the two sleeping bags had butterflies embroidered on it. This was not Fading Daze’s home base.
“Whose tent is this?”
“Rose and Lauren,” Trey said quietly. “I met them earlier today. They’re a folk duo.”
“And they said you could use their tent?”
“Yes. I charmed them into not coming back until midnight.”
That gave them almost an hour. The idea of being with Trey like that, with only a thin layer of nylon between them and the entire festival, was insanely hot. But Trey didn’t look remotely turned on.
Might as well address the elephant in the tent. “Was that before or after you saw me dancing with Tyson?”
“Before.”
Ouch. “But you still asked me to come.”
“To talk.”
Double ouch. “I’d rather have been dancing with you, Trey.”
Trey heaved a long, loud sigh. “I know. I think that’s why I was so mad when I saw you two. I wanted it to be me.”
“But it can’t be. After seeing you and Danielle performing together tonight, I can kind of see why. I don’t like it, but I see it. That spark you two have. It draws people in.”
“It’s an illusion, though.”
“No, the chemistry is real. It’s the sexual part that’s the illusion. And that’s the part people want to believe in.”
“Exactly.” Trey’s expression softened. “Thank you for understanding.”
“My depth of understanding only goes so deep. I haven’t been in the closet for almost ten years, and I don’t like tiptoeing around the door again.”
Fear flashed in Trey’s eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No. I like you too much to break up with you. But I can’t hang around the closet door forever. Neither can you.”
“I know.” He reached out, and Dom snagged the offered hand. “After Fading Daze is finished with Unbound, I promise. Whether we lose here, or we go to nationals, after the competition, I won’t hide us anymore.”
Dom loved that Trey had given him a promise like that—an actual time frame, rather than an oblique response. By the end of August, if they were still doing whatever it was they were doing, they would finally be able to be open about it. Both of their bands would have either lost or won, and it wouldn’t matter if they were together.
“Thank you,” Dom said.
