“I don’t hate you, Nick, I just…”
“Shh. I know. I’m an asshole. But I’m gonna be better. Haven’t I always taken care of you? It’s just because of this past week. There’s been Pearson and Oscar, and no food, and…fuck! That first night in the theatre… Look, I ain’t so good with words, but everythin’s gonna be okay, just don’t worry about nothin’.”
Nick let go of Jack’s hands, lowered his leg and pulled Jack close. He hugged him tightly, stroking and squeezing his back and shoulders.
“Oh, Nick,” Jack murmured, his arms wrapped around Nick’s waist.
Nick pulled away, then kissed the top of Jack’s shaggy golden hair, holding his face in his hands.
“How about a nice breakfast? Sound good?”
Jack’s face lit up, then dropped. Nick let go of Jack, and took a step back.
“What? What is it?”
“That’s okay, Nick. We need to save our money.”
“Fuck that. Let’s go get somethin’ to eat. We’ll both feel better. Besides, I need my strength to go in there today and demand our wages from that no-good Pearson.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. You’re my man, right? I gotta take care of you, right?”
Nick brushed stray pieces of hair out of Jack’s eyes, and stroked his cheek with the back of one hand. To Nick’s surprise, Jack blushed.
“Yeah. Right. Your man.”
“All right then. Let’s get out of this dirty, frozen alley, and fill our bellies with them hotcakes and bacon.”
“Thanks, Nick. For everything.”
Nick found himself fighting his own blush, so he just turned away and headed out of the alley.
“Come on, kid, I’m starvin’ over here.”
But food was the last thing on his mind. All he really cared about was the wonderful kiss he had just shared with Jack. He wasn’t sure how he felt about giving into his feelings for Jack, letting himself go like that. The only thing he did know was that the next time they were alone, and it was dark, there would be a lot more than kisses between them.
Chapter Four
Jack was in a great mood. He couldn’t remember a day that had been any better than this one. It was a dream come true for him to be kissed by Nick. But it hadn’t just been any old kiss. It had been passionate and demanding, and it showed Jack just how much Nick wanted him. And he’d said that he was going to take care of Jack.
That I am his man.
His stomach got all funny and fluttery thinking about it. Then the day had got even better because they had a big, filling breakfast, and Nick had splurged on a pack of Lucky Strikes. Now if Pearson paid them tonight, maybe they could even get a room again, then he and Nick could kiss and play all they wanted to in their own beds.
Oscar was ignoring him as usual, and Jack stole a few furtive glances around at some of the cast members, the costume mistress and the rag-tag bunch that made up the ranks of their musicians. Had any of them been paid? Now that the first week of the latest show had gone by, attendance was falling off as it typically did. Not only was it difficult to get money out of Pearson as it was, but the rate things were going at the theatre, Jack doubted it would even be around for very much longer. He needed to really listen to Nick and trust his judgement. California was obviously the best thing for them to do.
He had been waiting for what seemed like forever for Nick to get out of Pearson’s office. It was two hours to curtain, and some of the players were there to go over some last-minute programme changes to try to save the mess that hit the stage every night.
What’s taking him so long?
Nick appeared from the wings, a ridiculous grin on his face. Jack had never even seen Nick with such a satisfied expression before. It could only mean one thing. They’d got paid.
Nick sidled up to him and whispered in his ear.
“Go get our duffle, and meet me out front. Don’t let anyone see you.”
“But…”
“Jack. Please. This is important. You said you trusted me, remember? Now hurry.”
Jack’s heart thumped and he could swear that everyone could hear it. He tried not to seem suspicious, but he was afraid that everyone could tell exactly what he was about to do, that they all knew that he and Nick had been staying there for the last week. But a thought crossed his mind just then. All he had to do was act. Like the people who did plays on the stage, they all pretended to be something or somebody else when they were up there. Or Douglas Fairbanks, his hero. Jack had always envied actors, loved the whole idea of being able to be someone else—even if it was only for a little while.
That was what he would do. He would pretend to be some notorious bootlegger who was trying not to get caught with his stash. Or maybe the duffle was filled with all of his money—thousands of dollars—and he had to sneak it past the coppers.
Jack set about doing what Nick instructed him, noticing that Nick was busy chatting up a confused-looking Oscar and the costume mistress. That was it. He would pretend that Nick was his partner who was trying to distract the cops so that he could get away with their ill-gotten gains. He snatched up the duffle from where they had hidden it behind the flats. He nonchalantly took one of the side aisles into the lobby and went straight out the front door. It was terribly fun, and kept Jack from getting too nervous about what they were doing.
What are we doing?
A few minutes went by, and Jack really began to get concerned.
“Pssst. Jacky—over here!”
Jack could see Nick peering around the corner of the alley on the other side of the theatre.
“How’d you get over there, Nick?”
“Never mind, come on!”
Jack hurried over to where Nick was. Jack was surprised, yet elated, when Nick grabbed his face and planted a big smooch on his lips.
“I climbed out the window of the john. We gotta get the fuck outta here before Pearson catches on.”
Jack gasped. “Did you rob him?”
“No! Let’s go and I’ll explain when we get somewhere safer.”
They took off at a fast clip down the street, Jack using all the energy he could to keep up with Nick, especially whilst toting the duffle along. Once they’d huffed and puffed their way a few blocks, they stopped at a taxi stand on Broadway. Jack was honestly shocked.
“We never take no cab. What’s goin’ on Nick?”
There was no one else waiting, but Nick looked around as if he were checking that they really were alone.
“I know, but we don’t have time to mess around. We gotta be outta this city as soon as possible.”
“Oh, God, Nick, are you sure you didn’t steal from Pearson?”
“Calm down, kid. All I have is what he owes us, and he gave it to me freely.”
“Then why…”
“Would ya let me explain already?”
“Sorry, Nick.”
“Here’s what happened. I went in there, and very calmly told him that he could either pay us right then and there, or we was walkin’ out. I said it didn’t matter to me either way, but I just needed to know if he was gonna give me the money or not. He said he would pay me, but that I had to understand that he might not be able to pay us again until the next show started up in a few weeks. I said that would be fine. So he went to his safe where he stores up all his greedy cash, and gave us two weeks’ wages…”
“Oh, Nick—that’s great! We can get our own place…”
“Nope. We can get to Hollywood.”
“Wait—how? And what about Mr Pearson? You said if he paid us we wouldn’t walk out.”
“That’s not what I said at all. I said we was walkin’ out if he didn’t pay us—which was true. I just neglected to mention that we was walkin’ out anyway.”
“Oh no, Nick, he’s gonna kill us! He has all those toughs that hang around the theatre all the time.”
“Now do you see why we can’t stay here no more?”
“But it’s not the two hundred like you
said we needed. It’s not enough!”
Panic rose in Jack’s throat. They were screwed really good, and Nick was the one who had got them there. Jack didn’t have Nick’s smarts—there was no way he would know what to do.
Nick leaned in close to Jack.
“Listen, Jacky boy. I told you everythin’ was gonna be okay. We have exactly a hundred and thirty-seven dollars. It’ll be plenty if we’re careful and cut a few corners. We’re not that far, but I want to get to Grand Central Terminal as soon as possible, so let’s go.”
Jack was confused, scared and thrilled all at the same time. It was all so much too fast. But they were finally off on their adventure, and more than anything, he had Nick—and Nick wanted him.
* * * *
Jack had never been on a train before, and he had never been in such a huge, beautiful building. It seemed like a palace. He could see why it was called ‘grand’. It was also wonderfully exciting to think that they would be taking a train all the way to the coast. But now it was late, and the man at the ticket booth was saying something to Nick about there being only one more departure that evening, and it wasn’t the one Nick wanted.
“Hold on a sec,” he said to the ticket seller. He pulled Jack aside.
“Look. Here’s our situation. The only train left that’s leavin’ tonight is goin’ to Philly.”
Jack fought to keep from falling apart. It had never occurred to him that they might go anywhere near Philadelphia. He’d actually never thought at all about the places they would need to go through to get to California—that had all just seemed like a blurry line that would lead them to their ultimate destination of Hollywood.
“Stay with me on this, Jack. Trust me. I can’t reassure you the way I would like to here in the station—in public—you get what I mean?”
Jack nodded, but he was still fixated on the whole Philly thing. They were so close to their dream. Would Nick suddenly decide that it was time to go live his life with a woman? Had what happened earlier scared him off?
Nick grabbed Jack by the shoulder. “We need to get out of the city right now. It’s late, and we don’t have a lot of options. I promise you that nothin’ will get in the way of the two of us goin’ to Hollywood together. Understand?”
Jack nodded again. It was all he could manage. He understood more than anything that they couldn’t get caught by Mr Pearson, or any of his cronies.
“Once we get to Philly in the morning, we’ll have to figure out our next move. I’ve been lookin’ into a few things that will help us save money, but let’s just get the fuck outta here first.”
They bought two tickets, which ate into thirty dollars of their precious money. Jack was immediately concerned that they wouldn’t even have enough to get to California, let alone have anything to live off once they got there. Nick seemed tense, and was quiet. Jack didn’t think it was such a good idea to start prodding him for information, especially where the money was concerned.
Jack looked up at the great big clock in the station. It was almost nine-thirty, which meant that their train would be leaving in about ten minutes. There was a loud screeching sound that echoed throughout the enormous terminal, and despite his fears, he felt the anticipation and excitement of leaving New York on a genuine train. It really was a true adventure. He was going all the way to the other side of the country—how far did Nick say—something like three thousand miles? That was practically to the moon. He couldn’t believe it.
Nick stood up and motioned with his head for Jack to follow. They made their way to the track number that was printed on their ticket. There were a couple of other long sleek trains on other tracks that were empty and still, as if they were sleeping. But the one they were getting ready to board was full of life—steaming and hissing, waiting to take them on the ride of their life.
Nick came to a standstill on the platform, and Jack almost ran right into him. Nick was staring intently at the ticket with a questioning look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Nick?”
Nick looked up and frowned at him. “Nothin’s wrong. It’s just… Well I only ever went on the train one time when I came here, and my dad took me to the station…”
Jack had never seen Nick look lost before. Jack was usually the one who had no idea what was going on. Instead of scaring him, it comforted him in an odd way. It was if he was a regular guy, just like Jack. It made him feel closer to Nick.
“All aboard!”
“Come on, Nick. We don’t wanna miss it!”
Nick grabbed Jack by the sleeve of his shirt, and dragged him towards the steps leading to the nearest car. The porter stopped them, and took the tickets from Nick.
“You’re back three cars, that way,” he said pointing.
Nick jumped back down and Jack followed him. His heart was fluttering with such excitement. If only they could just get on the damn train and settle in. Nick made it to the car the porter had indicated, and they boarded there. They had barely settled into their cushioned seats when the train lurched forward. As it slowly pulled away from the station, they grinned at one another, patting each other on the back, both still a little out of breath. Jack wasn’t sure if it was the running or the excitement, but he didn’t care. They were on their way to Hollywood.
Goodbye, New York.
Chapter Five
“Jacky boy, wake up. We’re here.”
Nick hadn’t been able to sleep all night. His nerves were frayed. He had been anxious to get away from New York and Mr Pearson, but not so keen on getting to Philly. It was too close for comfort, and he knew it was upsetting Jack. Something about what happened the day before had changed Nick. Where he’d been concerned for and protective of Jack before, ever since he’d crossed the line and kissed him, he was now also fiercely possessive of him. He didn’t want anything or anyone getting in the way of the two of them.
Jack rubbed his eyes sleepily. He’d had to push Jack off him a couple of times in the night when Jack’s head had lolled over to rest on Nick. Jack had even tried to snuggle up to him. All they needed was trouble before they’d even made it a fourth of the way to their final destination.
Jack looked around, then leaned over Nick to look out of the window.
“Aw, I wish I coulda seen the city when we pulled in. What next, Nick? Do we get another train to Hollywood?”
“Yeah, kid. Somethin’ like that. Come on, let’s grab our stuff.”
“Geez, I’m starvin’. We never ate nothin’ last night.”
“Yeah, but ya ate half a Manhattan yesterday mornin’, remember?” Nick elbowed Jack like he often did.
Jack smiled. “I guess I did. Gee, Nick, that sure was great. I know we gotta be careful, but if we’re really smart and don’t spend our money foolishly, can we do that again when we get to Hollywood? To celebrate?”
Nick snorted. “Don’t worry about no foolish spendin’. I’ve got that covered. We’ll see how it goes, Jacky boy. But right now I need some smokes and coffee.”
They jumped off the train onto the Philly platform, and Nick tried not to think about how close they were to the prison his life could become if he gave in and married Penelope. It wasn’t as if it were a high society arrangement. They were second cousins, and it had always been expected that they would marry one day—their families had it all figured out a long time ago.
Too bad nobody ever gave a shit what I thought about it.
Sure, he’d agreed to it originally, but it had only been because he didn’t care one way or another which girl he married. They were all one and the same to him—the only difference being that he had grown up around Penelope and knew her, and thought she was all right. And it wasn’t as if he’d wanted a certain guy either. That hadn’t happened until New York. And Jack. All he’d wanted before was to make a decent living so that he could live a decent life. But Jack had made him want to dream and to reach for something more. Something real.
They stopped at a newsstand just inside the station. Even though they
still had some Lucky Strikes left, Nick wasn’t sure when they’d have the opportunity to pick more up again—what with his plan. Nick opted for the Chesterfields. They would have to make the cents really last now. They had just a little over a hundred dollars left, and they weren’t even off the East Coast yet. He was a little worried how Jack would take the news about the rest of their travelling arrangements. But it was the only way without the full two hundred dollars. Plus, the ukulele player back at the theatre had said he did it all the time, and it wasn’t so bad. He gave him some tips on what to do, and what to watch out for. Now to break it to Jack. Maybe he’d soften him up a bit first.
“Hey, Jacky. Let’s say when we get our coffee, we grab a doughnut? It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those. We could even get a bag for the road. Whaddya say?”
Jack hesitated, a questioning look on his face. “Are you sure we can afford it?”
“Listen to you, Mr Stingy. And you complain about me. Yeah, the way I’ve got things figured out, we can afford it.”
They asked around for a nearby place, and headed to a little shop just a couple of blocks from the train station. They purchased a dozen glazed doughnuts and two coffees, and gobbled down two pastries each.
“That was swell, Nick, but between the smokes and this, we’re down almost a whole dollar already.”
“Jack, I’m proud of ya. You’re learnin’ to keep track of stuff, gettin’ smarter. But we’re okay, I promise.”
Jack looked around as if he were surveying the place.
“So…shouldn’t we be seeing which one is our next train? Get tickets? Hangin’ around here is making me nervous.”
Even though Jack didn’t say why he was nervous, Nick couldn’t deny he was feeling the same way. It was sort of silly, but after avoiding his hometown for so long, it seemed strange to be there, but not going home. A part of him worried that they would somehow know he was there, swoop down on him and take him away from Jack.
“Yeah, kid. Good idea. Come on.”
As they approached the station, Nick knew he couldn’t put Jack off any longer. He would have to tell him the truth. Sure enough, Jack started to head in through the doors, and Nick grabbed his shirtsleeve and pulled him back.
Hollywood Bound Page 4