"What a dick," Aiden grimaced as he took a sip of beer. "What sort of dumbass does Jared think he is?"
"The kind who doesn't get drunk before a big show like this," Rain said as she snatched the bottle from his hand and placed it on the table. "I don't need to worry about you messing up."
"Like I could. If anything, the alcohol will make me better."
"Yeah, right."
"Seriously, let me show you," he insisted as he reached for the bottle, but Rain slapped his hand before he could touch it.
"If you begin a dependency on alcohol before performing, it just means you're on your way to becoming an alcoholic," Heather said as he rolled up her dress shirt sleeves. "You don't need to go down that road."
"He's right," Blue agreed, shouting from inside the bathroom. "We need to be sober enough to remember this."
"I never thought we'd actually be playing here,"Liam said as he packed his bass. "We may be playing at bigger clubs, but I didn't think anyone from a book party would know who we are."
"It wasn't about who knew us, rather who we know. And thanks to Blue, we now know quite a few people," Aiden teased.
"Maybe we can get a bigger recording studio, or even a record deal-"
"You're thinking too big," Blue stated. "I want all that one day, too, but I know people in the book publishing business, not music. I don't know who they know, but I'm sure this will be good for us. We're playing for people in the big leagues tonight. We are playing for actors and movie business representatives. Who knows where this could lead us?"
"To bigger things," Rain said as she held Aiden's beer bottle in the air.
"Bitch, that's mine!"
"Come get it, pretty boy," she smirked, dodging his attacks.
"Don't break each other before a show!" Liam exclaimed, laughter ringing through his words. "We need our guitarist."
"What about your singer?" Rain gritted.
"We have Blue."
"Leave me out of this," they demanded. Stepping out of the bathroom, they crossed their feet and spun around for their band with a smirk. "How sexy am I tonight?"
"Ooh, sexy as hell," Heather hollered. "You certainly know how to rock a suit."
Black, fitted dress pants, maroon blazer reaching down to their midcalf with crimped sleeves, a loose black t-shirt underneath and white close-toed heeled boots. They were a catch, everyone knew it. Aiden was dressed in his black suit with a violet outline and tie. The two were asked to be guests to represent the band performing while everyone else waited backstage until 8:15 when they would perform the song.
It was no surprise Blue was asked to attend since they were dating Andrew. And since Aiden was part of the original band and Blue's best friend, it was for the best that he accompanied them to the party. Though they wished everyone could join, they didn't want to seem ungrateful for the chance to perform.
"Well, we'll see you all out there. Behave yourselves. If I get even one call-"
"Bye, Blue," everyone sang as they closed the door on the two.
"How rude," they muttered as they headed to the elevator.
"Is Andrew already there?"
"Yeah, he was one of the first to arrive. Had to be. Poor guy. He hates these parties so much," they sighed.
"At least once the night is over, you'll get to spend an eventful weekend in a hotel room with him. You know you want to do it on a hotel bed," he teased.
"Which way?" they smirked.
As the elevator doors opened, Blue let out a loud groan as Jared stepped off onto the floor. The moment he saw them, he smiled. "Ah, Blue. Lovely to see you again."
"Screw you," they snarled as they pushed past him to enter the elevator.
"I do hope to see you again soon."
"I don't," they quipped, and the doors shut.
"Is that-"
"Yup."
"Hate to say he's attractive."
Blue glared at him.
"What? It's true. Have you seen him?" With ruffled brown hair and gray eyes enlarged due to his glasses, Jared was what was referred to as nerdy chic. It didn't help that he also had a lanky figure, sharp jaw, and straight white teeth that clearly were fixed with braces.
"Yes, I helped him, remember?" They groaned. "Great, he's on our floor. I don't need to deal with him. This was supposed to be a fun weekend, and now I'm going to be paranoid that he can hear us down the hall or through the walls. I hate this. Why did we come?"
"We-"
"I know, I know," they grunted. "This is all for the band and Andrew. Gosh, I hate being a good person."
Aiden shoved their shoulder. "You know you're letting him win by getting in your head. I'd say have the loudest sex possible and hope he hears you."
"I'm not loud during sex."
"You can be if he-"
"Shut up!" they screamed before the elevator doors opened. "I don't need to reminisce in our past sexual encounters. That stuff will never happen again."
"Glad to know you think of it as stuff," he snickered.
"If it weren't for the band, I would murder you."
The two checked in for the party and clipped on their nametags before entering. The banquet hall flourished with colorful people in enticing suits and dresses. There were a multitude of familiar faces to be seen, and while Aiden was starstruck, Blue was preoccupied with finding Andrew.
Their relationship was still secret to the public, and Blue wasn't sure how the two were supposed to interact, but Blue needed to talk to him before the show. If they could receive a simple kiss on the cheek for good luck, it would be perfect, but just seeing him would be enough.
Blue came to support Andrew, and they intended to, but they were unsure as to what they were supposed to do in order to support him. Stand by his side all night? Just be within eyesight? The only reason he agreed to attend the party was because he wanted Blue's band to perform, but Andrew needed them more. Wanting to be a good partner, Blue was set on finding him.
"Ah, Blue, good to see you. You look very...rock n' roll," Marcy smiled politely. "Then again, I shouldn't have expected to see you in a fancy dress, not when you're going to be performing. Anyway, I see you checked in. Everything good so far?"
"Yes," the two stated.
"Great. Then I will lead you over to Mr. Parker before your set. I'm sure he'd love to meet the musicians performing tonight," she said with a wink.
Blue and Aiden followed after her, wondering if they were supposed to pretend they didn't know Andrew. The moment he glanced up at the two, he stepped away from Martin. "Hello, Blue, Aiden," he greeted. "Pleasure to see you both."
"You too, sir."
Andrew held out his hand to Blue and leaned down to kiss their cheek in a professional greeting. "Good luck," he whispered before stepping away with Marcy.
As Blue began to take a step to follow him, Aiden held them back. "I don't think you should follow him."
"Why not?"
"Secret," he sang under his breath. "People don't know his face right away, because he's an author, not a celebrity. But those who do don't need to know about his partner." He led them over to a table with hors d'oeuvres and asked, "But what's going to happen when we become famous?"
"We'll still be together. Why wouldn't we?"
"People will know your name, your face. They're going to want to know all about your personal life. Who you're dating and all that. And if you two walkdown the street together, there will be people who'll recognize you and take pictures and videos. There's not much you can do to keep it a secret. Are you going to go public with your relationship?"
"You see, I don't think it should be anyone's business. It's my life, and I'll do my best to keep my private life private. Not everything I do will be on display for everyone to see. I'll be like Sia, just...without all the face hiding," they insisted. "And we're going to keep our relationship private, and if it comes out, it will come out. There's not much else to say about that."
"Except that Luke will find out via a magazine article or something and not from his emmer. Don't you think you should tell him? He deserves to know."
"And we'll tell him...just not right now. I'm terrified to tell him the truth. We've been dating for over a year. Luke is going to be pissed that we didn't tell him, and I don't blame him. I want to avoid the inevitable at this point."
"Might as well tell him now. He's not going to force you to move out, anyway. He knows he can't force the two of you to stop being in a relationship."
"But what if I'm the cause of their life long friendship ending?" Inhaling a deep breath, they cracked their neck and fingers and popped their shoulders before saying, "I don't want to think about this now. I have to focus on the show and make sure we do well." Blue stared into Aiden's eyes. "We are going to do well. We'll rock this performance, continue to perform, hopefully at better clubs now, get signed, and then, hopefully, go on tour and become famous rock stars. Then we'll be able to open our music school. This performance has to go well."
"I thought this didn't mean much to you."
"How could you say that? We're performing for big shots. They can make or break us, and we need to be made. We're doing this," they stated and took a sip of water. "I want my music school."
"We'll get it. Promise," Aiden assured. "We're going to rock this show."
Marcy sauntered up to the two, smiling as she explained how she was going to introduce the two of them to some of the guests. For over half an hour they mingled with rich and famous executives, actors, and others in show business. When it was finally time for the show to commence, Aiden and Blue met with the band in the back, said a quick prayer for luck, and walked on stage.
Everyone was so accustomed to walking on stage with screams and cheers that the polite applause almost seemed condescending. But everyone knew their worth, and everyone intended to play with everything they had.
The moment the lights rose on the stage, Rain belted the first note. Everyone entered at their respected cues, passion flowing through each note. Not a single head in the hall could peel their eyes away from the band, the music capturing everyone's attention while the lyrics touched their hearts. Precision and effort shined through their performance, almost making it seem effortless. But everyone knew just how much it took to make a performance like that, and the band's dedication shone through.
Tears gathered in some of the patron's eyes while others swayed their heads and danced in place. The moment the song ended, it took a moment for people to gather their bearings and applaud loudly and excitedly. Blue and Aiden smiled at one another, both knowing they were on the path to their dreams. The band bowed, waved to the group, and exited the stage.
"Hot damn, that was incredible. You know everyone is going to want to talk to you after that performance," Rain smirked.
"Are we allowed to go back to the party?" Aiden asked Marcy, who headed backstage with the band.
"Yes, if you'd like," she nodded. "You're all welcome to come out if you'd like at this point."
The band exited the greenroom and entered the party. A handful of people walked up to each member and congratulated them on a job well done. Rain was at the center of attention, and a few people Blue recognized from Andrew's company walked up to congratulate them.
"You were quite incredible. It's no wonder Andrew talks about you all the time," one of his editors giggled. "He must be quite proud of you."
"He is."
"Such a great friend, wouldn't you say?"
"The best," Blue chuckled. "After being friends for a decade, it'd be weird if we didn't support one another, right?"
"Absolutely." The editor leaned close and asked, "Since you are close to him, do you happen to know if he's dating anyone? He's so secretive around the office about it."
"I keep my mouth shut when it comes to his private business," they stated. "Please don't ask anything personal. If he wants to share, he'll share. Plain and simple."
"Because I know Tamara Adams would love to date him."
"Who?"
The editor pointed to a woman with dark skin and curly hair. Blue recognized her from Covergirl ads and a few movies. She held a bouquet of pink roses out to Andrew, who graciously accepted them.
"Tamara Adams. She's playing the best friend in the film adaptation of Blue Moon."
Tamara leaned up to kiss Andrew, and he kissed her back. Cameras captured the moment, and no one looked away until the two broke apart.
"I bet if those two dated, your band would have a lot of connections. I'm sure she knows a lot of people who would love to work with you," the editor responded.
"I guess," Blue mumbled, unable to look away from the group surrounding Andrew.
"I'm so sorry, would you mind excusing us for a moment?" Aiden asked. The editor shook her head politely and smiled as she walked away. He led Blue to the refreshment table and rubbed their shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"I'm going to be sick," they gagged. "Do celebrities seriously kiss each other like that?"
"It was tame. Friendly, even. And I saw him look at you the moment he pulled away. He's not into that woman."
"I don't care. I'm being ridiculous. It doesn't matter."
"You're being ridiculous because you care," he stated. "You love him. Nothing you can do to stop the jealousy."
"Bitch, it's about trust. I trust him, and now I'm behaving like I don't. Like I said, I'm being ridiculous." They ran a hand through their hair. "I need some fresh air. I'll be back in ten."
"You want me to come with?"
"No. I'll be back in ten. If Andrew needs me, stay by his side and call me. Just...call me if you need me," they insisted as they exited the hall.
I'm being ridiculous, Blue thought. There was no reason for them to be jealous or worried. Andrew loved them, and Blue trusted him not to cheat or lead them on or anything. They kissed people on stage before, and he had to kiss an actress in a friendly way. They knew it was nothing but friendly. It didn't matter if the other person liked him, because Blue trusted Andrew to come back to them any time someone tried to make a move on him.
They blamed themself for it. Since Blue wasn't ready to be public about their relationship, people would obviously think Andrew was single and flirt. They hated seeing it, but they were comfortable living in a world where people weren't butting into their relationship. It was all about each other.
Cool air felt like the perfect mechanism to relax their body and ease their mind. The moment Blue stepped back into the hall, they intended to be a supportive partner for Andrew. He needed them. He was always there to support them at their concerts. They had to be there to support him at his event as well.
Before they could step outside to the back gardens, a hand grabbed their arm and spun them towards him. They groaned. "What do you want, Jared?"
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