by Hank Edwards
3
Will didn’t see Rex at breakfast the next morning, which was probably for the best considering how he’d reacted the day before. He prepared a plate—blushing and smiling when he dropped the hash browns on top of his scrambled eggs—then sat at a small table near the doorway. As he ate, he looked through Rex’s social media accounts. Pictures of him playing at the Side-Eye on Instagram and Facebook, along with posts encouraging people to attend his shows. Will suspected Rex had a personal assistant, maybe that man he had shouted at the other night.
But on Twitter, Will came across a single tweet that he knew had come from Rex himself. Tough to get the lyrics down sometimes, but a quiet night in the snow is always nice.
A shiver of delight went through Will when he read the tweet. He had been part of Rex’s quiet moment, whether or not Rex himself knew it. Smiling, Will resumed eating and quietly hummed the melody Rex had been playing the night before.
One stocking hangs by the fireplace
But I’m lonelier by far this Christmas Eve
The words bubbled to the top of his mind, a perfect match to the melody. Will sat back in the chair and stared at the wall. His heart pounded, and a fine layer of sweat covered his body.
He had words that went with Rex’s music. He could share the words with Rex and help him write his song. They could work on the lyrics together, come up with the perfect Christmas song while stranded at this slightly shabby motel. Rex could get the chance to know Will and understand that he had just been flabbergasted at meeting Rex, which was why he’d acted so stupid. And Rex would like that Will was someone who still used the word flabbergasted.
Reality barged in on his daydream and stomped all over it.
Not only was Rex a complete stranger, but he was also a singer and songwriter. He wouldn’t want anyone to help him write his song. That kind of help would mean Will would get a songwriting credit and kick off a host of legal ramifications that Will could not possibly understand.
Also, Will was a clumsy bear of a man, and Rex was the exact opposite.
So, fine. There it was. He could listen to Rex work on his song as much as he wanted, but he needed to stay out of it. There was no reason he should even consider helping Rex with the lyrics to his Christmas song. No. Absolutely not.
With that decided, Will resumed eating, working hard not to notice his mind toying with the lyrics in the background.
That evening, Will was already sitting at the window when Rex opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the patio. Will had turned off all the lights in his room and left the sheer curtain open a couple of inches so he could peek around the edge. He watched Rex tune the guitar, trying not to think about how it would feel for Rex’s fingers to touch him.
When he was satisfied with his tuning, Rex strummed the now-familiar melody and softly sang,
Christmastime is here again
And here I go missing you again
The singing and strumming stopped, and even from three floors up, Will heard his exasperated sigh.
“I’m just not in that place right now,” Rex muttered.
He started playing again, but this time a very familiar tune that Will knew the words to. It was Rex’s song, “Lights Out, No One’s Home,” and it was one of Will’s personal favorites. He moved even closer to the window screen, breath fogging in the cold air as he stared down into the courtyard. This was like his own personal Rex Garland concert, and he couldn’t wait to tell Carter about it. When Rex finished that song, he went right into “Clean Slate,” another upbeat number, and Will quietly sang along.
When he finished that song, Rex sat with the guitar in his lap and looked up into the clear night sky. Will followed Rex’s gaze, taking in the cold, silent stars spread out above them.
“I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight,” Rex said. “I wish for the lyrics to a great Christmas song. Period, the end.”
The sliding door behind Rex opened, and a man leaned out.
“Jesus Christ, Rex, it’s freezing out here,” the man said. “You need to save your voice.”
“I thought I needed to write a goddamn Christmas song, Earl,” Rex snapped back.
“You do, but not out in the cold. Get in here!”
Rex grumbled as he got up and disappeared through the sliding door, shutting it firmly behind him.
Will pulled the sheer curtain over the window and crossed to the bed. He slid beneath the covers, shivering delightedly at the soft chill against his bare skin, and lay with his eyes closed as he thought about Rex. For someone as popular as he was, Rex seemed lonely. The refrain from the Christmas song ran on a loop in his brain, and he couldn’t help adding his words to it.
One stocking hangs by the fireplace
But I’m lonelier by far this Christmas Eve
He was pretty happy with those lyrics, and he thought Rex might be as well. Will wouldn’t want any credit for the lyrics. Just knowing Rex sang words Will had come up with would be all the reward he’d need. But what could he do with them? He couldn’t message him on Facebook or tweet them to him because Rex would know who he was. And even if he created an account just for that purpose, there were ways to find IP addresses and locations. No, Will would need to get the lyrics to Rex in a way that couldn’t be traced back to him. Like in the days before the internet when people used to send secret admirer letters.
Will sat up in bed and looked toward the window, his heart beating fast. Secret admirer letters… or maybe an anonymous note left someplace Rex was sure to find it. Someplace he visited every night. Will’s stomach cramped from the excitement of his idea. How could he pull it off?
Sleep wouldn’t come for him now, so he got up and pulled on boxer briefs and a T-shirt. He switched on the desk lamp and moved aside the sheer curtain to look down to the courtyard. It was empty, and a thrill went through him as he considered what he was planning. Could he really do this?
A search of the desk drawer produced stationery and envelopes with the hotel’s name and address printed on them. Will decided that since he would be leaving the note in the hotel courtyard, it would be okay to use the printed stationery. He got a hotel-branded pen out of the drawer and closed his eyes as he thought about the lyrics. He only wanted to give Rex a creative nudge, not write the song for him.
He had crumpled up five sheets of paper before he was satisfied with his penmanship and the wording:
Rex,
I really like the music you’ve got for your Christmas song. I know you’re having trouble coming up with lyrics, so how about a nudge? Feel free to use this at no charge: “One stocking hangs by the fireplace, but I’m lonelier by far this Christmas Eve.”
He signed it, A Longtime Fan.
Will set the envelope aside and dressed in black sweats and a black pullover and grabbed his black hoodie out of the closet. He slipped the envelope and his room keycard in separate pockets of his sweatpants before checking the courtyard once more. It was still empty, so Will stepped out of his room, leaving the desk lamp on. His heart beat fast as he walked quickly down the hall.
He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. His brain seemed to be arguing both for and against the idea, but his heart urged him onward.
Forgoing the elevator, Will took the stairs to the first floor, where he slipped unnoticed through the lobby and down the adjacent hallway. It was quiet along the hall, just some muted sounds of late night talk shows making their way through the heavy room doors. Will kept his eyes fixed on the red EXIT sign at the end of the hall, hoping no one stepped out of their room.
He reached the far corner of the hallway where the EXIT sign buzzed overhead. A door on one side of the hall led to the parking lot, while another door opposite opened onto the courtyard. Will cupped his hands to either side of his face and peered through the glass into the courtyard. It was empty, and he carefully pushed the door open and stepped outside.
A cold wind stung his cheeks and tousled his hair. He shivered and
pulled his hood up, then made sure he could get back inside before letting the door click shut behind him. Will glanced up at the lamp in his window, glad to see the sheer curtain really did block a lot of details. Using his room window as a guide, Will walked quickly through the courtyard until he reached the patio outside Rex’s room. The windows were dark, and Will took a cautious step onto the patio and set the envelope on the table.
The wind immediately snatched the envelope off the table and tossed it to the concrete.
“Dammit,” Will whispered, squatting to pick up the envelope.
He dug into the snow at the edge of the patio and found a stone the size of his palm in a tiny, barren flowerbed and used that to weigh the envelope down. Satisfied with it, he looked up at his own window once more, then hurried to the door and ducked back inside the hotel.
Thoughts fluttered through his brain, not one of them stopping long enough for him to be able to focus on it. His heart pounded, and his face felt flushed.
There was no going back now.
4
After very little sleep, Will got up the next morning and looked out the window. The stone he’d used to keep his note in place had been moved to a far edge of the table, and the envelope was gone. A flutter of excitement went through him, and Will hurried through his morning routine and out the door to breakfast.
Rex sat at one of the tables with Earl, the man Will had seen him talking with a couple of times. There were no other guests in the breakfast nook at that time, so Will listened to their conversation as he fixed himself a plate.
“I’m telling you, Earl, if you’re the one who put these fucking lyrics out there, I’ll kill you,” Rex said.
Something inside Will clenched tight at the anger in Rex’s tone. Oh shit. Had Rex misunderstood Will’s gesture?
“I didn’t do it,” Earl said. “I swear, Rex. That note did not come from me.”
“You didn’t have somebody else leave it?”
“Nope. That came from someone neither of us knows.”
“Well, shit.” Rex sounded put out, and Will risked a glance at their table, seeing Rex slouched in his chair and staring at the note lying open before him.
“They’re good lyrics,” Earl said.
Will blushed a bit before turning away to hide his smile.
“I know they’re good lyrics,” Rex said. “But who are they from?”
“You’ve got a secret admirer here in the hotel, apparently,” Earl said. “Come on, eat up. We’ve gotta get to that photo shoot.”
“Yeah, all right.”
Will had been listening to Rex and Earl and not paying attention to what he was doing. Because of this, he’d piled way too much food on his plate. He carried it and a cup of coffee to a table on the other side of the breakfast nook from Rex and Earl and sat down.
“I do like them,” Rex said, then quietly sang the lyrics.
One stocking hangs by the fireplace
But I’m lonelier by far this Christmas Eve
Will thought he might pass out.
“See? Now you’ve got someplace to start,” Earl said. “Come on. We need to leave.”
Will watched them drop their trays off and walk out into the lobby. When they were gone, he let out a breath and laughed as a rush of joy surged through him. Rex Garland liked his lyrics. Rex Garland had sung something Will had written!
This was crazy and exciting, but mostly crazy.
“You didn’t!” Carter shouted.
He once again wore a headband, this one bright red, and his hair puffed up over it like a mushroom cap. His eyes widened to a comical size, and spots of pink burned in his cheeks.
“I did!” Will said with a laugh. “Can you believe it?”
Carter blinked rapidly and looked away as he put a hand over his mouth.
“Wait, are you crying?” Will asked.
Carter continued to look away as he waved at the phone. “I’m fine.”
“What’s going on?” Will said, lowering his voice. He was propped up by pillows in the bed and brought the phone closer. “Are you okay?”
“I’m so proud,” Carter said and finally looked back at the phone with a big, bright smile. “All the lessons I’ve taught you over the years have not been wasted.”
Will rolled his eyes. “All right now.”
“I was so afraid you’d end up sad and alone, your anus closed up so, so tight.” Carter held up a tightly clenched fist in demonstration, making a face of extreme exertion.
A laugh exploded out of Will despite the fact that he knew better than to encourage him. Carter laughed along with him, and when Will finally got himself under control, he glared gently at the phone’s camera.
“That was uncalled for.”
Carter closed his eyes and nodded. “Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Maybe not to you.” Carter smiled.
“And my anus will never be able to close that tight again after I slept with that cop you introduced me to.”
Carter widened his eyes. “Oh my God, same!” He thought a moment. “I wonder if he’s on Grindr.”
“You’re going to need a bigger bottle of lube,” Will said.
“You’ve got that right.” Carter turned away from the phone and shouted, “Alexa! Reorder lube.”
Will laughed and shook his head. “You’re a mess.”
Carter gently touched the tips of his poofed-up hair. “Who? Me?”
“Yes, you. And I love you for it.”
“I love you right back, mon ami.” Carter brought the phone closer to his face. “Now tell me all about it once more.”
Will explained it all again as Carter listened with rapt attention.
“Astounding,” Carter whispered once Will had finished.
“It’s really not that big of a deal—”
“What?” Carter shrieked. “It is absolutely a big deal! You took it upon yourself to sneak song lyrics to Rex Garland. The Rex Garland, whom you have already talked with at the breakfast buffet. This is a major gigantic massive huge deal! I’m aghast. I’m totally aghast.” Carter shook his head and wiped away an imaginary tear. “It’s unusual for you to do something like this. I’m so proud of you. How do you feel about it?”
“Completely freaked,” Will said. “I mean, what the hell was I thinking? I’m no songwriter.”
“Sing it for me.”
“What? No!”
“Come on!” Carter whined. “You’ve been singing it to him in your fantasies for days now. Sing it to me just once.”
Will blushed and looked away from the phone. “I don’t sing well.”
Carter made an annoying buzzer sound. “Wrong! I’ve heard you do karaoke. You crushed ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ at Tuneless Mary’s.”
“You were drunk.”
“So were you,” Carter said, then affected a privileged air and said in his best Bette Davis impression, “I know talent when I hear it, William, and you, sir, have it in spades!”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Will said, “just so you’ll stop massacring Bette Davis impersonators worldwide.”
“I shall take afront to that comment at a later time since I’m currently all aflutter for your performance.”
Will cleared his throat, took a breath, shifted his gaze away from the phone, and sang the words he’d only been humming up to that point.
One stocking hangs by the fireplace
But I’m lonelier by far this Christmas Eve
Carter was silent, and when Will worked up the nerve to look back at the phone, he found him smiling with a hand against his cheek.
“It’s beautiful,” Carter said.
“Stop it.”
“I mean it.”
Will lifted his eyebrows. “You do?”
Carter nodded. “I really do. I love the lyrics. Oh my God, in my head, I can totally hear Rex singing them.”
Will sat up on the bed. “Right? Aren’t they, like, the perfect Rex Garland lyrics?”
They laughed together. Then Carter asked, “What made you do it?”
Will blushed and shrugged. “I have no idea. I sat here and listened to him play that tune, and when I tried to go to sleep, the words just came to me. I really debated whether or not I should give him the lyrics. I mean, I thought about all the legalities of it and the royalties and all of that—”
“Of course you did,” Carter said through a chuckle. “But the important thing is you did it. You took the risk, and that is a huge step for you. Now, what’s your plan?”
Will frowned. “My plan?”
“You’ve made an anonymous introduction and gotten his attention,” Carter explained. “You need to plan your next move very carefully. You don’t just want to walk up and introduce yourself and tell him you’re his mysterious lyricist because that would be crazy.”
“Right. So crazy,” Will said, nervousness curling into his stomach. What was he going to do now? He hadn’t really thought about an endgame for all of this—he’d just followed his impulsive heart.
“So have you given it any thought?” Carter asked.
Will shook his head and pressed his lips together before saying, “Nope. I just sort of went for it.”
“Okay, that’s not a bad thing,” Carter said. “But you should try to come up with some kind of plan. I mean, since you took the chance and made this first step, you should be ready for something to come next, right?”
“Right. Yep.”
Carter looked at him a moment. “You a little bit freaked out now?”
Will gave a single nod. “Yep.”
“Want to talk about this later?”
Will nodded again. “Yep.”