Lincoln laughed, but the sound was kind of bitter. “And the occasional homeless teenager.”
“They sound like good people,” Trey said.
“They’re the best.”
The rest of the day passed quickly enough, now that their social circle had expanded. Bobby invited XYZ, plus Lauren and Rose, over to the camper to hang out under the awning, and friendly chatter soon melted into a friendly jam session. Other musicians came over and joined in. Drinks and beers were passed around, and the atmosphere changed from competition to a shared joy over music.
Trey was content, even while part of him hated that Dominic wasn’t there to join in. He’d have loved the newfound camaraderie among the different singers, songwriters, and musicians. Trey and Benji even tag-teamed an a capella version of “See You Again,” with Benji killing it on the Wiz Khalifa part. Danielle recorded the whole thing on her phone, and then declared it was going on their YouTube page.
The jam session died out around eight o’clock, leaving Trey exhausted despite his having slept until noon. Inside the camper he peeled off his sweaty T-shirt, then checked his phone.
Dead.
“Fuck.” No wonder he hadn’t heard from Dominic.
He found his charger and plugged it in. Andy was on his bunk reading a magazine, while everyone else was still outside hanging out. Trey plunked on the floor near the outlet until his phone had enough charge to wake up.
Sorry I’m not going to see you today. Need the time with family. TTYL.
That was sent around one o’clock, close to the same time Lincoln got his text. The second came four hours later:Please don’t be mad I stayed. Miss you.
Trey bit back an angry string of swearing. Dominic thought he was ignoring him on purpose.
He texted back:Not mad I swear! Just realized my phone was dead. Distracted today, I’m sorry. Miss you too. Hope the family is okay.
It took two hands of Solitaire for a reply to come.You in a place you can talk?
Shit balls, he wasn’t. Heading for the vendors would look weird, since he’d excused himself from the group so he could crash.No, sorry. You okay?
Yeah. Roxy guilted me into staying longer. Can’t say no to her.
How’s she doing?
Tons better. Asshole made bail, tho. He gets w/in ten feet and I’ll break his balls off.
Me too.Trey wasn’t sure what else to say.Miss you. A lot.
Ditto. Be back on grounds around nine tomorrow. Can we get time?
For sure.
If he couldn’t get Rose and Lauren to give up their tent, he’d find a way to bribe Danielle into keeping the boys away from the camper. Tomorrow was the last day of Unbound, and after the winners were announced, at eight that night, either he’d be freeto be open about his relationship with Dominic—or he’d have to keep hiding him for a while longer. Despite having told Dominic he hoped XYZ won the competition, a selfish part of him wanted Fading Daze to win, so he could keep hiding. Hiding meant no fallout, no immediate chance of losing his band.
Hiding also meant continuing to publicly deny how much Dominic meant to him—something he was having a harder and harder time managing.
Either way, Trey needed face time with Dominic. Alone.
He’d do whatever he needed to in order to make that happen.
Trey was a bundle of nerves when he woke up the next morning. The final day of Unbound performances loomed, as well as the announcement of the category winners. Each category had one winner, one runner-up. Trey spent most of his morning trying not to vomit. Even Andy, who never seemed to get nervous about anything, was jumpy and unfocused.
Since yesterday, their awning had become a default gathering place, and other faces came and went. Everyone who’d performed was on edge, uncertain about the outcome, and it was easy to find solace with other artists. Trey held back from most of the freestyle jamming, listening without paying too much attention.
Around eleven, Tyson, Lincoln, and Dominic—Trey’s heart had never beat so hard as when he got his first glimpse of Dominic’s smiling face—joined them. Trey had to settle for a handshake from Dominic, when all he really wanted was to pull him into a tight hug, then kiss him stupid.
He’d texted Dominic earlier that he’d arranged for privacy at the girls’ tent at three o’clock, and he’d received a back a GIF of a puppy running in excited circles.
Dominic resisted pleas to join in and play, and he hung back against the camper wall with Trey. Elbows so close but not quite touching. Sharing a silent secret.
