by Max Hudson
It was a good day. And he still had plenty of stock to sell the next day. Every weekend it was about making the money for the work that he was doing. He vaguely considered stopping at the small studio he rented to do some more work and make sure that he had enough but decided against it. He was due for an evening off and he could pull a couple of extra hours of work during the week.
The truck took a while to load. Once the pieces were completed, he had to be extra careful to prevent scratches and damage, loading the smaller pieces into the passenger seat and carefully covering them with towels that he had on hand. He was pleased with the number of extras that he needed to get done the next week.
“Maybe I’ll get a drink.” He mumbled to himself as he finished strapping down the large pieces in the bed of his truck. The blankets helped cushion every single piece as he climbed into the truck and patiently waited for his turn to pull out of the market. The traffic was always a bit hairy because everyone wanted to get home to get out of the heat. And that was what he was eager to do too.
He pulled out and onto the road, slowly navigating toward his small one-bedroom apartment.
He didn’t make it far down the road before his progress was stopped and his idea of a relaxing day was shot. There was a large RV on the side of the road. It looked vaguely like the tour busses he had seen on television for traveling acts, but it was hard to tell.
The bus was parked with the hazards flashing and several flat tires all on one side of the vehicle. He sighed and pulled his truck over, climbing out. “Hey!” He called out to the group of people on the side of the road next to the vehicle.
A familiar face looked up at him. “Hey!” The man jogged over. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Do you guys need some help?” Devlin focused on the tire rather than meet eyes with the handsome man that had been at his stall a few hours before.
“I think someone’s coming to help.”
“Oh, I just wanted to check. Can I go get you guys some cold drinks or something?”
“We’ve got that on the bus. It’s fine.” Chance smiled at him. “We’re just going to be a little bit late.”
“Anything I can do?”
“I think we’re ok. He’s just checking to see if they can get someone to come and help.”
“Ah. That’s cool.” Devlin fidgeted nervously. He almost didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t exactly explain why, but something about this guy's dark hair and green eyes called out to him and made him want to be closer to him. It was the same feeling he had at the farmer’s market.
He had never had an attraction this strong before. And it was a little frightening.
The driver called out as he assessed the damage. “You’re going to be a lot late. I just got a message. No one can get out to us. They’re stuck in rush hour traffic on I-10.”
“Yeah, that gets pretty rough this time of day.” Devlin winced. “Where are you trying to get to?”
“Don Haskins Center.” Chance frowned slightly.
“Oh? You heading to the Chance Bradford show?” Devlin was surprised that he had actually remembered what was playing in town, but he had seen the billboard earlier that day and some people at the market were talking about going.
It wasn’t until Chance smiled that it all settled into Devlin’s mind. “You could say that.”
“Wait-” The artist paused and then froze, staring at the man. “You mean to say-” He didn’t know how to respond to any of this. “Are you? Really?” He stammered and tried to get his thoughts together enough to make sense, but nothing was working. “Really?”
“Yeah. I am…” Chance looked down at his feet.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Chance fidgeted uncomfortably.
Devlin tried to pick his jaw up off the ground. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I should have recognized you.”
“I kind of didn’t want to be recognized.”
“Why not?”
“It’s nice to be able to act like a normal guy sometimes, I guess.” Chance’s voice had gotten quiet.
They were interrupted by the driver again. “They’re trying to get someone to come and pick you up, but the people at the venue aren't answering. They’re probably too busy setting up.” The man had been on the phone nonstop, texting away to try to solve this problem.
“Maybe Devlin can give us a ride?”
“You know this guy?” The driver actually stopped and looked at them.
“I met him when I snuck off to the farmer’s market.” Chance explained.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“What is he going to do, kidnap me?”
“That’s a real possibility.”
Devlin piped up as soon as he gathered his senses back together. “I would have to rearrange my truck a little bit, but I could fit him in.”
“That would be great.” Chance blatantly disregarded the advice of his driver.
“This feels like a really bad idea.” The driver walked over to them. “I don’t think you should get in a truck with a guy you don’t know.”
“Trust me. I can take care of myself.” Chance blew it off. He looked eager to get away from his employee. Devlin assumed that it was due to the fact that he wanted to get away from the struggles of his fame.
“Are you sure?”
Chance turned to Devlin. “Do you mind?”
“Uh. No, not really. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble or anything. I do know a back way to avoid the interstate.”
The driver nodded. “I guess that’s got to work at least for now.” He sighed. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t protest.”
Chance laughed and clapped the driver on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you aren’t blamed when he inevitably kidnaps me.”
“Wait! I’m not going to- oh!” Devlin blushed a little and rushed over to his truck to start to pull out some of the smaller pieces. It took a few minutes to clear out space and make it so someone else could sit there. Of course, that meant he had to put a few smaller pieces in the bed of the truck. “Do you mind stopping at the studio on the way to drop this stuff off? It shouldn’t take very long and it’s on the way.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. After all, you’re doing me a favor.”
Devlin nodded along and revealed the cleared seat. “The trucks a bit of a mess.”
“Dude, stop worrying. It’s fine. I know you probably spend a lot of time in your truck. I probably understand that better than anyone.”
“Ok. Sure.” Devlin watched as Chance climbed into the truck. He felt his heart start to speed up as he made his way over to his side of the truck. There was no way that he could fit anyone else in the truck, but he was sure they could make it on their own somehow.
They left with a wave from the driver, who still looked worried. And Devlin didn’t blame him. He was a little worried about being blamed if anything happened to Chance Bradford. The man was a well-loved singer with a ton of fans. And the last thing he wanted to be was the guy that got Chance Bradford injured or killed in some kind of traffic accident.
He was careful to drive safely, even though all the traffic trying to avoid the crowded interstate.
Chance stayed quiet in the passenger seat. Devlin wondered what the man was thinking about, but he didn’t have the nerve to ask. This was Chance Bradford and so much had changed since he had found out who the man really was. It had been so easy to talk when Chance had just been a handsome customer in his stall. But this made it so much harder.
Nothing was said until Devlin pulled into the parking lot in front of the small duplex studio that he rented. “It won’t take me long.”
“I’ll help.” Chance climbed out of the truck.
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t mind at all.” Chance laughed. “Just because I’m famous now doesn’t mean I forgot what it was like to work a real job.”
“I’d say your job is probably pretty difficult.” Devlin offered weakly.
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br /> “Yeah, it’s a little exhausting.”
“At least you get paid well.”
“I do.” Chance frowned slightly.
“Did I say something wrong?” Devlin paused.
Chance started to work the straps. “No. No, you didn’t.” He shook his head. “Being famous just sucks sometimes that’s all.”
“Yeah. I bet it does. That’s why you have to go out in secret and stuff.”
“That would be it. If the paparazzi had shown up at the farmer’s market you probably would have lost a lot of business.”
“Yeah. People get skittish around big things like that.”
“That’s why I came in a hat and glasses and kept my head low.”
“They must have seen the bus, though?”
“I came in a rental car, actually. We left the bus somewhere else.”
Devlin smiled as he started to pull stuff out of the bed of the truck. “You seem to have this down to a science.”
“You have no idea how much I need to get out.” They continued to chat about fame and every word seemed to come easier to Devlin.
By the end of it, he actually found himself wondering if all the money of being a famous artist was worth it and if he would ever want something like that. Chance seemed to sense what he was thinking and changed the subject as they headed back out to the venue.
Chapter Five
The audience spread out in front of the stage. A sea of faces that surrounded him on three sides. He couldn’t see if anyone was behind him, but it didn’t really matter. The audience was packed in and most of them were on their feet. They were watching him, eager to see what he was going to do. There was something different in the air tonight though.
He knew exactly what it was when his eyes searched out one man in the crowd. There he was. Right next to the stage with a wide smile on his face. Devlin. The man he had only met that day but had made him want to know more about him. He wanted to be down there in the audience, but all he could do was watch the man dancing to the music.
It made him feel almost alive, another connection to the songs that he was singing. Especially when he hit the love songs in the set. When he sang those songs, he sang directly to the man in the front row and he seemed to notice.
Devlin blushed every time he hit the chorus of those songs, and Chance couldn’t drag his eyes away. He felt more of his heart swinging through the words that he sang.
He wondered what the press would make of it. If they would see anything, but none of that seemed to matter. He didn’t care what the press had to say about any of this. What he wanted to do was get through these songs and head backstage to meet with Devlin. Maybe they could even figure something out to see each other more.
The concert seemed to stretch on forever, much longer than he would ever have been willing to admit. By the time all the songs were over, he was rushing off of the stage and motioning for security to show Devlin back right away.
He rushed back into the small room he would use to get out of all the stage gear he wore for every show and slowly started to remove the heavy outer clothes so that he would be more comfortable in just a set of jeans and a t-shirt that weren’t built to have wires and microphones built into it.
He was grateful to feel normal once again when the knock sounded on the door. “What’s up?”
“Uh, Chance?” Devlin sounded nervous.
“Yeah, come in.”
The door opened and Devlin stepped inside, quickly closing the door behind him. “There are some crazy people out there.”
“You noticed that, huh?”
“You seem to have some crazy fans. When security came to get me, they tried to follow.”
Chance winced. “I’ll have to do backstage stuff soon; I hope you’ll wait for me.”
“Yeah, I can wait. Did your bus ever make it?”
“It did. They told me during the first break.”
Devlin smiled at him. “That sounds great.”
“Why don’t you take it easy. I’ll be back soon.”
“Are you sure? I can take off. I shouldn’t be interrupting.”
“You aren’t getting in the way of anything. I want you here. Just sit tight and I’ll be back later.”
“You sure?” The man looked unsure.
“I’m sure. It’s fine. I just need to do a quick meet and greet with fans that paid for backstage passes. I promise. I really want you to stick around. Maybe we can do some talking.”
“Sure, I’d like that.” The painter smiled softly.
Chance felt his heart stop. “I’ll make it as quick as I can.”
“Hey, I get having a job.” Devlin waves it off as Chance made his way out of the room. He promised himself that he was going to try and move as quickly as possible.
It took so much longer to deal with the fans than he thought that it was going to take. This drove him crazy and he did his best to keep his cool. The last thing that he wanted to deal with was fans at the moment, but they didn’t deserve to feel unimportant. So, he slapped a smile on his face and made himself be happy for the fans. Which made them happy.
Still, it was nearly an hour later that he made his way into the dressing room with a heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry.”
But Devlin didn’t respond. He was sleeping in the comfortable chair that they carried with them. It made Chance smile to see the man. Instead of saying anything he picked up a throw blanket and pulled it over Devlin.
He must not have been as sneaky as he thought he was going to be. “Huh?” Devlin’s eyes blinked open.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“No, It’s ok. It’s just been a long day.”
“I know. I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long.”
Devlin rubbed his eyes. “I know you have things to do. I didn’t mean to pass out.”
“I didn’t mean to keep you from sleep. I’m sure you’ve been up for a long time.”
“Yeah. A bit.”
“You want to take a nap on the tour bus while they pack everything up?”
“Uh, sure. That would be great. Then I can drive home.”
Chance smiled as he helped the man up out of the seat and helped him gather up his coat before he led him out and through the tunnels of the place. They would avoid all of the crowds this way. “Don’t worry. We don’t have to sneak around for long.”
“You have to do this sort of thing a lot, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do.” Chance shrugged. He was trying to play it cool, but the question hit a painful spot in his heart.
“That’s got to suck. I can’t even imagine having to live like that.”
“Fame is a double-edged sword.”
“That’s a cliché and you know it.”
“It’s a cliché because it’s true.” Chance sighed heavily. “It just sucks, I guess.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Sometimes.” Chance opened the door of the tour bus and showed the man inside. The driver was still packing up the gear from the concert. They likely wouldn’t be done for a few more hours at least. That gave Devlin enough time for a good nap. “You probably have a few good hours before we have to get on the road. The driver may need a nap himself.”
“I bet he does after a day like today.” Devlin smiled and walked in.
“Do you want a drink or anything first?”
“What do you have?”
“All sorts of things. Soda, juice, beer. What do you want?”
“Some juice should be fine. I’m too tired to have much else.”
Chance walked over to the fridge and opened it. “Oh. I have some iced tea too. You want some of that?”
“Sweet or unsweet?”
“Sweet.”
“I’ll take that.” Devlin laughed. “I love sweet tea.”
“It’s not around these parts a lot, is it?”
“Not really, I mean I can make it myself or buy it in a grocery store, but it’s hard to get in restaurants.”
�
��Did you grow up in a different part of the country?”
“I’m actually a Midwest boy.”
“What brought you down here?”
“The Southwest is the new place for an artist. They have all these sorts of artist’s colonies here. I don’t live in one, but I like living near one. Plus, the weather is almost always clear.”
“That does sound pretty nice.” Chance poured a glass and walked back over to the couch where Devlin had sat down.
“On top of all of that. Old furniture doesn’t rot as much down here. It’s easier to find stuff.”
“Have you thought about selling this stuff online?”
“I’m considering it, but mostly small stuff. It’s hard to ship bigger pieces.”
“You’re thinking too small. The kinds of people that are going to buy this stuff are going to buy it no matter how much shipping costs.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I would buy it.” He motioned over to the suitcase that he had bought earlier that day.
Devlin noticed it and smiled. “Can you believe you just bought that today? It looks like it belongs here.”
“You mean in my messy tour bus?”
“I mean, it’s not that bad. All of my clothes have paint on them.”
Chance laughed. “That’s great.” His hand shifted and brushed against Devlin’s thigh. He paused and looked wide-eyed at Devlin who blushed, but he was smiling.
That made Chance feel a lot better and the pair fell into an awkward silence. They had just crossed a line on accident and now they had to decide what to do next about it.
Devlin broke the silence with a soft cough. “So, do you invite a lot of people onto the bus?”
“Not many people. I mean, I’m not a nun or anything, but I don’t exactly have someone in every port.”
Devlin nodded. “I get that, yeah.”
“Do you mind?”
“Why would I?” Devlin looked at him. “I just met you today. Why would I get jealous?”
“I guess you don’t really have a reason.”
“Look. I think it’s obvious that we both find each other attractive. And we’re probably not going to have another chance…” He let the words trail off.
“Do you want, you know, to do something?”