by Max Hudson
Bowie blushed like he was embarrassed. Hero couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it. Something about the soft flushing of Bowie’s cheeks took him back to the old days. He felt a bit of that old crush creeping its way back up but squashed it down. The singer fidgeted a bit, trying to do the same thing Hero was doing. He nodded. “Yeah, probably. I guess we’ve written a bunch of songs on the subject.”
“Bowie writes most of our music. He’s pretty unlucky in love.” Justice laughed.
Pokey shot the drummer a dirty look across the table.
Justice glanced down at his feet. “Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Hero asked. Something was going on there that he didn’t seem to be a part of.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Justice waved it off. “Just an inside joke.”
Bowie laughed. But he didn’t look like it quite showed in his eyes. There was something a little awkward about the laugh like it didn’t quite fit with the way that he felt. That was a surprise. Bowie had always been an expressive guy. He couldn’t hide much of what he was feeling and tended to get stuck in the moment. It was just who the singer was. “Yeah, the guys like to tease me about break up songs all the time.”
Hero smiled back, nodding in agreement. “One of those unlucky in love types, huh?”
“I tend to stay this way.” Bowie shrugged. “I kind of got used to it.”
Hero laughed. “All right, maybe we should start brainstorming.”
Justice nodded. “Yeah, this isn’t doing any good. We’re probably going to be here for a while, we’ll be ordering dinner, do you have any requests?”
“Chinese?”
“That sounds great.” Bowie agreed with him. “Finally, someone to vote with me.”
The band all laughed and Chinese was decided on before they went to the planning of the show they were going to put on. The time slots had already been decided, with the band playing once every weekend, and even headlining half of the time. That meant they had to put on an impressive show. They were some of the most famous people there, even if they weren’t exactly superstars.
The work was hard. There were lots of debates thrown about, and Hero was surprised how much say he had in it. He was being treated like a choreographer for the band, which was an exciting business, expected to capably explain what was possible and what they needed for the show.
The guys listened to him when he explained how much space and work it would take to make the story work. Dinner was ordered and they enjoyed the evening until evening stretched over them. It was almost midnight by the time the planning session ended. He had a few of his fellow dancers to recruit into the job and the paperwork was going to get done to have him called to work with this band. And there were a few other male dancers that he could get involved. It was going to be an amazing story about a break-up and the pain that came with it, ending with the broken-up couple coming back together years later. But it was up to him to pick the right dancers and figure out how they were going to act it all out.
His mind reeled as he thought about the possibilities, walking out to his car at the same time as Bowie. He still wanted to talk about it.
It was on a whim that he made the offer. “Do you want to go get a cup of coffee or something?”
“Sure.” Bowie was grinning once again.
Hero couldn’t help but smile. Something about the way Bowie grinned was contagious. “Is there a place near here? I don’t come to this part of the city often.”
“Sure. A nice diner not far from here. It’s open twenty-four hours. We can meet there and chat for a bit.”
“It’ll be nice to catch up, I think.” Hero nodded along.
“Yeah, more than nice. It’s been a long time since we’ve hung out.” Bowie turned toward his car. He was still smiling.
The sight made Hero get a little giddier, but he squashed that down. He could be responsible. He would be responsible.
He climbed into his car, eager to get into a public place with this man, a place that he knew he would behave at. It was easier to handle when he was around other people. Bowie could be overwhelmingly hot and he knew that the singer didn’t know it. But him not knowing it just added to how attractive the man was.
Hero couldn’t deny certain things about being near old friends. The fact that it had already felt so comfortable and right made him a little uneasy about working with them, but he needed the job. He needed to find someone to work with and a male dancer wasn’t nearly as hirable as a female one in the business. Especially with people that didn’t work with the ballet as often as they worked with less traditional dancers.
He sighed. This was going to be the work that he was going to be doing. He had to keep his mind out of the past. He reminded himself to keep it together as he pondered if it was a good idea to go out for coffee with Bowie.
He considered just not showing up for a while and as he lost sight of the car that he was following he pulled into a gas station. He needed to fill up the tank anyway and it would give him a moment to think about whether or not he was even going to show up at the coffee shop. Sure it would be blowing Bowie off, but he could easily send a text that he was too tired to go. That would probably work.
It would be a lie, but it would probably work.
Chapter Seven
Bowie sat in the diner and checked his phone once again. Nothing. Maybe Hero had gone to the wrong place and had let his phone die. He frowned and sipped his coffee.
He checked his phone again. Nothing. No messages. It was frustrating. Maybe he had missed something? Maybe he had read the room wrong? It was so hard to tell with Hero. The man played it so close to the chest.
He opened up his text messages and clicked on the conversation he had earlier with Hero, taking a moment to look through the messages as he tried to compose the right thing to say.
Nothing felt right. He put the phone back down. There was a deep frown creasing his face. He wasn’t happy with this at all. Something had to be wrong, but he had no idea what could be wrong. A couple dozen of the worst possibilities crossed his mind, but he discounted each one. But discounting them didn’t stop the thoughts from popping right back up again.
The waitress wandered by his table again. He had told her he was waiting on someone, but she came by to refill his coffee and see if he wanted to order in advance. “How’re ya doing, sweetie?” She had a sweet southern charm about her.
It made him smile at her. “I’m doing fine. Still waiting.”
“Any word?” She had a kind of sad look on her face.
Bowie forced a smile. “He’s not used to this part of town. He’s probably just delayed.”
“Need a refill then?”
“Please?” Bowie checked the time on his phone again.
“I’ll get you more coffee. Maybe he’ll be here soon.” She didn’t seem like she believed it, but she walked away before he could feel any more embarrassed by the fact that he was probably going to be stood up.
He didn’t even look up when the jangle from the door happened.
He didn’t even notice until the man slid into the booth across from him. “Hey.”
Bowie’s eyes snapped up. “Hero!” He grinned. He had reacted perhaps a bit too excited by the man showing up. “Did you get lost?”
“I stopped for gas then got turned around.” Hero had an easy smile around him.
“Can’t blame you for that. Want some coffee?”
“Coffee sounds great. I’m usually not up this late.”
“Really?”
“Well, normally performances end earlier than this, and I’m so tired it’s hard to do much afterward.”
“Probably something you can expect after the first show with us.”
Hero laughed, giving his crooked smile, the honest one that he had only when he was the most comfortable. “I guess so.”
“We usually come out after the shows, enjoy some coffee like this.” Bowie shrugged, leaning back against the booth seat he was sitting i
n. “It’s just something we all like to do. It’s pretty fun.”
“I’m sure it is, like a little wrap party.”
“Does the ballet do wrap parties?”
“When we can after the entire run, not every night.”
Bowie nodded. “We don’t do full-fledged parties or anything like that, just mostly doing stuff like getting together and discussing stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Hero tilted his head.
“Band stuff mostly. We can discuss our personal lives during the rest of the time we spend together.” Bowie laughed. “Are you looking for gossip?”
“I’m not much of a gossip.” Hero smiled. “I listen to things, sure, but it’s not something I go out hunting for.”
Bowie laughed. “It’s not exactly gossip. We’ve been working together for years now and we’ve been best friends for even longer.”
“It’s rare to have that kind of friendship.” Hero’s smile widened. “It’s so rare that people only think it happens in fiction.”
Bowie grinned. That was probably one of the biggest compliments that he had heard for a long time. “I guess it just doesn’t seem so odd to me.”
“That’s because you’re living it. And it’s a blessing.”
“I know it is. I don’t know what I would have done without my band.” Bowie nodded, thinking about the guys. They had said that he should not be alone with Hero. His heart fell too easily. “They’re amazing guys.”
“They have been since the beginning. I’m really surprised that you guys have stuck together this long.”
“It’s been a long hard fight to get to where we are. We used to have full-time jobs on top of getting gigs whenever we could.” Bowie nodded. “It’s always a hard fight to get to where art makes money.”
“You guys have been increasing your audience online.”
“That’s been a blessing. It took us a bit to figure out the right way to do it, but we’re getting there.”
“Do you think you’re going to just keep getting bigger?”
“I hope so.” Bowie laughed. “This might be our big break. Maybe someone will be watching.”
“Someone important.”
“Not necessarily. Not that the entire audience isn’t important, you know? But if we get enough of an audience, we can attract the attention of the big wigs, maybe get a better record deal and actual promotion.”
“You have a record deal?”
“It isn’t a superstar one. But we sell enough albums to justify the expense barely.” He shrugged. “We don’t self-publish our records at least.”
“That’s a good step up.”
Bowie laughed. “It is. We made it a couple of years ago. We’re mostly a regional band, so we don’t sell much out of this area. But it’s enough. Pays the bills, but we have to do other things for extra money.”
Hero nodded. “Did you guys have to room together for a while?”
Bowie shook his head. “We agreed never to do that, it could cause damage to our relationship.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. You guys are already friends and work together.”
“We need some time apart to recharge our batteries. That meant that we lived with our parents a little longer than any of us were happy with. At least until we made enough to get places of our own. And now Justice is married. He’s happy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he’s really happy.” Bowie beamed with pride. “Pokey and I were both his best men. And we both played at the reception.”
“I bet it was a helluva service.”
Bowie laughed. “It was, yeah. A really happy day for everyone.”
“Neither you nor Pokey have settled down yet?”
“Nope. Both confirmed bachelors.”
“That explains why you’ve got time to meet with me this late at night.”
Bowie laughed loudly. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing to catch up with an old friend. And your argument can be turned back around on you. You’re not sitting here because you’ve got someone waiting for you at home either.”
“No, I don’t. Life is just too strained right now. I’ve got time to settle down once my time on the stage is over.”
Bowie laughed. “You think it’s going to be over any time soon?”
“I don’t really know.” Hero shrugged. “But ballet takes far too much out of a body. It can only be a career for so long.”
Bowie frowned. “You’re still so young though.”
“Most are out of the game by the time they’re thirty. It’s just that much damage.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“A lot of people do.” Hero shook his head. “But I don’t have much longer.”
“Why do you sound so defeated when you talk about it?”
“Have you ever felt like it all ends when you’re at the cusp of greatness?” Hero spoke slowly.
“That’s what you feel now, right?” Bowie could feel the pain in his friend’s face. Hero was hurt. It was like he was at a point where he saw the future crashing in on him and the pain was going to be devastating.
Bowie felt a bit of shame rack his mind. His career wasn’t going to end just because he got older. It made him awkwardly fidget as he thought about how that had to feel for Hero. In a way, he already knew this. Hero had spoken about it in high school, how important it was to make a name for himself early on before he couldn’t dance as much anymore. But he had viewed it through the lenses of a youth who believed things like that never really happened.
Hero was quiet as the man sat across the table from him.
Bowie reached across the table. His hand rested on the dancer’s arm. “It’s all right.”
“I know.”
“You can teach or do choreography or something.” Bowie suggested, but he felt like it was a mistake. Hero had to have thought about these possibilities.
“I know, but that’s not the same.”
“I know.” Bowie nodded. “But if it still keeps you adjacent to what you love, isn’t it worth being there?”
Hero frowned as he thought out what Bowie had said. Bowie couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the man’s head, but it would have been rude to ask at that moment. Bowie waited for the man to be able to speak so that Hero had a chance to properly gather his thoughts.
It took a little while for Hero to consider what he was saying, but eventually, the man spoke. “Maybe, I guess I don’t know. It may hurt to be that close to it.”
Bowie frowned. “Yeah, it’s a hard decision to make.”
“But it’s one that I’m going to have to make eventually.” Hero nodded. “It’s all right to ask about it.”
“It still seems to make you uncomfortable.” Bowie examined his coffee cup and the small brown speckles on the off-white ceramic. Suddenly it was just beyond fascinating to him. “I’m sorry.” He had a thousand questions that he wanted to ask, but it was so much better to focus on his cup and ignore the things that he wanted to say or ask because that would just be rude.
“You’re trying to help.” Hero offered a kind smile.
“By stating the obvious.” Bowie shook his head, still not looking up and across the table.
“Hey, but it shows you care. Even if it is a little frustrating.” Hero admitted. “But I get it. I try to do the same thing for people.”
“Yeah, it’s just natural to try to help even when you can’t help.” Bowie shrugged and glanced up.
Hero still had a comforting look on his face. “It’s just a part of the business. I knew this going in, remember?”
“But back then it felt like that would never actually happen.” Bowie nodded. “You never realize how fast the time goes by and how quickly everything changes.”
“Yeah, it was over a decade ago now.” Hero nodded. “I’ve probably got a couple of years left before I make that decision.”
“That’s good. I’m sure it’s all going to turn out for you.” The man nodded at the dancer acros
s the table from him.
Hero’s smile widened. “that’s nice to hear.”
“I’m happy you showed up. I know that things didn’t exactly end well for us.”
“We just kind of fell apart when we left college. Heading to two different lives.” Hero shrugged.
Bowie laughed. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Just guess? I’m pretty sure what happened is that we were too immature to handle long-distance relationships.”
“You’re right. We were young and stupid.”
“And now we’re old and stupid.” Hero raised his glass.
Bowie laughed. “I think some people might take offense to us calling ourselves old. I don’t feel old yet.”
“Then you’re a lucky one.” Hero joined in, laughing loud enough to draw the attention of the waitress.
The server walked back over to the table. “How are you two doing? Need anything?”
“I think we’re all right.” Bowie nodded.
“Your food should be out soon.” She offered a smile. “Glad to see he finally showed up.”
“Guess I won that bet, huh?” Bowie joked around with her. He was smiling, happy to be proven right. It was a bad feeling to have a server feel sorry for you and try to keep you company when someone doesn’t show up to a meeting.
Hero shook his head as the laughter started to fade. His smirk remained, showing his amusement as Bowie joked with the waitress. “You guys were betting?”
“Can’t help it.” She grinned. “It kinda was looking like he got stood up.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
“I knew that.” Bowie agreed. “That’s why I waited for you to get here.”
Hero shook his head. The dancer couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of his face. It made Bowie’s heart skip a beat as he watched the man’s face. It was nice to see Hero so happy. He had thought that the man was always in a foul mood from the serious expression he had carried at every other meeting. “I should probably get out of here soon, though. It’s getting late and I’ve got some people to call in the morning.”
Bowie nodded. He wanted to ask a question but avoided it. It would be a bad idea. “You’ve probably got a lot longer of a drive than I do.” He cursed himself. That sounded like it was going to lead to an invitation to his place for the night.