Half Notes and Highlights (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Happily sweeping the studio floor with his new electric broom, Tyler danced to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus blaring from the Bluetooth speaker hanging on the wall, thanks to the cute handyman next door. A deep, raspy voice suddenly boomed through the hair studio, singing along with Miley, and Tyler jumped so hard he dropped the electric broom. He spun around toward the door. “Ethan! What are you doing here?”

“I missed you, baby!”

Tyler got so excited that he ran to Ethan and jumped into his arms. Wrapping his legs around the rock star’s waist, he gave his lover a kiss that set his heart, and other parts, on fire. “Aren’t you supposed to be performing somewhere?”

“I don’t have to be in Albuquerque until tomorrow morning. Why ride all night on the bus when I can fly here, spend the night with you, then fly back. I didn’t even need to take the jet.”

A shocked grunt left Tyler’s mouth. “You’re taking a commercial flight like a regular Joe? What’s happening to you?” He snapped his fingers in front of Ethan’s face. “Are you under some kind of spell?”

Ethan gave Tyler’s butt a squeeze. “I think I am. Since I met you, I’m doing crazy things like cutting off all my hair. When I was performing this morning, I swore I saw you in the audience. I almost skipped a lyric and had to do a doubletake. But it was just a cute boy who had long brown hair and was wearing a rainbow fluffy vest.”

“I love that your hallucination gave me such a fabulous wardrobe. I don’t have a rainbow fluffy vest.”

Ethan leaned over so Tyler could climb down off him, then turned to pick up a gift bag off the floor and handed it to Tyler. “You do now.”

“Give me that.” Tyler snatched the bag, praying to the unicorn gods that it contained exactly what he thought it did. He let out an excited squeal as soon as he saw the bright colors through the tissue paper. “I don’t believe it!” He immediately put the vest on and admired himself in the mirror. “This is perfection! Thank you so, so much! I can’t believe you picked out such an amazing gift. It’s so me.”

“You’re a very easy person to shop for.” Ethan glanced at the floor and picked up the electric broom, which Tyler dropped in his excitement. “Are you done here, Cinderella, or do you still have clients coming?”

“I can’t believe you just called me Cinderella. I love it.” He took the broom and placed it on the charger. “I can clean up tomorrow morning. What did you have in mind?”

“A boat ride and dinner on the Pacific Ocean.”

“A boat ride? Don’t tell me you have your own yacht.”

“No. I don’t have time for a boat. I like boats, though, so I thought I could rent one.”

Tyler did feel like Cinderella. He sauntered up to Ethan and slowly traced one finger down the center of Ethan’s chest while he wrapped his free arm over Ethan’s neck and played with the back of his hair. “You really know how to wine and dine a wannabe princess.”

“Princess?” Ethan displayed a playful grin. “You’re the biggest queen I ever met.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, sweetheart.”

When they left the salon, two bodyguards were standing outside, but no one lingered on the sidewalk, so they safely snuck away without fanfare. The boat Ethan rented was huge. Not a yacht, but certainly not the average boat a person rents on the pier. This thing was more like a party boat. The bodyguards accompanied them but stayed far away, while the captain led them through the beautiful Pacific Ocean with breathtaking views of nature all around.

Tyler breathed in the salty air, snuggled into the cushioned bench seat next to Ethan and watched the ocean pick up bright shades of yellow from the gorgeous sun in the sky. They sat quietly as the boat navigated without a destination in mind, just staring at the horizon and one another without saying anything. The warmth that transpired between them enveloped Tyler’s heart like a hug. He felt safe, secure, and . . . loved. Although they both confirmed that they wanted things to be strictly casual, whatever was going on between them was definitely more. He could feel it, and surely Ethan felt it as well, but neither talked about it. Maybe that’s why they were both quiet right now.

Fingers gently clutched Tyler’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.

They both smiled at one another, and the look in Ethan’s chocolate brown eyes melted Tyler’s heart into a puddle of mush. This guy was doing things to him that scared the hell out of him. He thought he was done taking chances with that fragile organ in his chest. He wanted easy and fun, but he got a whole lot of complicated. Somehow, he didn’t care. He wanted to be with Ethan, and he was going to have to deal with the consequences because Ethan was worth the risk. But that little voice in his head wouldn’t let him totally forget that things could end badly. Ethan might be downplaying his feelings for his bass player, and it could leave Tyler alone and out in the cold. He could be just a temporary fling. The idea made his heart drop to the floor and shatter into a million pieces, and he wanted to throw up.

Ethan turned toward Tyler, worry crinkling his brow. “Are you feeling seasick?”

“No,” he answered quietly, with his eyes lowered.

“Then, what is it?”

How was he supposed to answer that without turning their lovely boat ride into a disaster? “Nothing,” he said in a voice so low he didn’t think Ethan heard it. But he did.

“It’s not nothing, Tyler. You’re upset about something. What did I do wrong? Is this too much? Are you mad that I just showed up without calling? Did you have other plans tonight?” Ethan sat back, a look of realization on his face. “I’m sorry. You had plans with someone else. I had no right—”

“No. I didn’t have any other plans.” Tyler hadn’t been with anyone else since he moved to California. Granted, it had only been about a month, but he always had a prolific sex life. It’s not like there weren’t any opportunities. He fought off two possible one-night stands the other night when he hit the Sunset Strip, which was a first for him. Maybe he wasn’t looking for the playboy lifestyle anymore. The idea of coming home to one man was starting to sound a little appealing. He let his mind play with the idea of sharing a bed with the same person, night after night, waking up together, having breakfast and spending the day together. It sounded nice, as long as that person was Ethan. “I’m not mad that you showed up unexpectedly. I’m very happy you did. And this.” He motioned to the open water around them. “It’s perfect.”

“Then why do you look so sad all of a sudden?”

Tyler blew out a breath through his nostrils. I guess we’re gonna have this conversation after all . “I’m just worried I’m setting myself up for heartbreak. I’m falling for you, rock star. I know we said we want this to be casual. And I’m not saying I want something more. I don’t. Not right now anyway. I’ve had my heart smashed to pieces before, and it’s not fun. I never expected it, and I was blindsided.” He shrugged and sighed again because he had no idea what the hell he was trying to say. “I don’t know. I think I’m just afraid we’re not on the same page.”

“Let me clear things up.” Ethan cradled Tyler’s hand between his palms and caressed it. “I’m crazy about you. Why do you think I do insane things like jet off from my tour to see you for a couple of hours? But—”

“I knew there was a but.” Tyler shook his head.

“It’s not a bad but.”

There was a joke there just waiting to be made, but Tyler didn’t have the energy.

“We said we wanted casual from the beginning and that’s where my head’s at,” Ethan said. “My life is crazy. I’m not ready to settle down. Are you?”

“No.” Tyler wasn’t sure the answer was entirely true, though. He wanted to ask Ethan if he meant he wasn’t ready to give up his bass player, but he refrained.

“Good. Let me know if anything changes, and I’ll do the same. Good or bad. Let’s just be honest and upfront. Cards on the table at all times so no one gets hurt. Deal?”

“Deal.” Tyler smiled but his heart wasn’t as happy as he thought it would be. Maybe it was a sign that he really did want more.

The rest of the boat ride was breathtaking, and they had an amazing seafood dinner courtesy of a picnic basket. Their little talk put some ease in Tyler’s heart, but he still cautioned himself not to fall headfirst. “When did you plan this?” he asked when the boat was heading back to the dock.

“This afternoon. We had an interview and short performance this morning. When we were done, the guys were talking about what to do for the rest of the day since nothing was on the agenda. Everyone threw out suggestions, but I was thinking about what you were doing. I decided I wanted to spend my free day with you, so I had Zoe, my assistant, take care of the arrangements. It was just a lucky coincidence that I showed up at your salon when you were just finishing up.”

“I guess today was my lucky day.” Or, maybe, this whole move to California was the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Movement in the water caught Tyler’s attention, and he stretched his neck to get a better look. “Oh my God!” He jumped up and leaned over the side of the boat, pointing like crazy. “Look! Dolphins! Dolphins!”

Ethan joined him, smiling like a lunatic, with a finger stuffed in his ear. “Are you speaking native dolphin?”

Tyler realized his voice had gone up several octaves in his excitement, and his words came out in a high-pitched squeal. “Sorry. I can’t help it. In all the years I’ve been coming to California, I’ve never seen a school of dolphins. Look at them. They’re majestic.”

“That they are,” Ethan agreed, holding onto Tyler as if he were about to fall overboard.

They watched the graceful mammals slice through the water in perfect arcs, all swimming as a group until they were no longer in sight. “That was so beautiful.” Tyler sighed, then turned to Ethan with a grin as an idea filled his head. “Titanic me!”

“What?” Ethan asked on a laugh.

“Titanic me!” Tyler repeated, running to the back of the boat.

“Slow down!” Ethan called as he chased after Tyler.

Tyler stood on the first wrung of the railing, spread his arms out to the sides as far as he could reach, turned his face up to the sun, closed his eyes, and breathed in the ocean air. Ethan’s arms were suddenly around his waist, squeezing the life out of him. “Easy, Hulk. I break.”

“Be careful. You’re not wearing a life jacket.”

“I’m not gonna fall in. I’m nimble.”

“Nimble? You’re crazy. Do you know that?”

Tyler spun around and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s neck. “Crazy about you, rock star.”

“I’m crazy about you too, baby.” Ethan kissed Tyler so hard he almost lost his balance. “Let’s get you away from the edge of the boat.” He led Tyler back to the bench seat and they sat down. “You’re a lot of fun, Tyler. That’s one of the reasons I like you so much. You’re not boring. At all. My life is crazy. It’s nonstop, and there’s never a dull moment. So, when I meet someone, sometimes they’re underwhelming. Not you. I never know what to expect when we’re together. But I know, whatever it is, it’s going to be fun and entertaining. You really know how to enjoy life.”

“I try. We only get one life, so I’m trying to make mine the best it can be.”

The two bodyguards came out from inside the boat, fingers pressed to their ear coms like in the movies. “Paparazzi is waiting at the dock,” one of them said. “Someone must have spotted you when we left. Backup is meeting us there.”

Ethan frowned. “How bad is it?”

“We got it under control.”

Tyler didn’t know what to expect, but he could see a crowd with cameras at their faces as the boat navigated closer. When the boat reached the dock, a line of security guards opened a path for Ethan and Tyler, and the paparazzi started shouting questions at Ethan as soon as they stepped off the boat.

“What are you doing in Los Angeles?”

“Why did you leave the tour?”

“Are you going to make tomorrow’s show in Albuquerque?”

“How long are you going to be in LA?”

“Are the other members of Wolf Pack also in LA?”

It was a whirlwind of questions that had Tyler’s head spinning, but Ethan just kept walking and never looked in the paparazzi’s direction, while security tried to shield them as much as possible.

Then, Tyler heard someone shout his name.

“That’s Tyler Kennedy! The famous hairstylist!”

Tyler beamed and stood a little taller. Someone recognized him! He’d never been approached by paparazzi before, so he couldn’t help the bounce in his step and the excited smile that lit up his face. Everyone was looking at him now. Cameras were pointed at him and phones stabbed at him from all angles. He couldn’t look away as questions were hurled at him.

“Are you Ethan’s personal stylist?” someone asked, the question heavy with innuendo.

“Is this a date?”

“Are the two of you lovers?”

“What about Wolf Wheeler, Ethan Jones’ longtime boyfriend? Does he know you’re stepping out with his man?”

The flattered smile on Tyler’s face turned into a scowl with the last question, and jealousy raged inside him. One of the bodyguards must have seen his face because the behemoth moved closer to him and brushed the paparazzi away with one long sweep of his musclebound arm. A minute later, Tyler and Ethan were safely inside the SUV speeding away.

Tyler wasn’t only jealous. He was hurt. He wasn’t stealing anyone’s man. He wasn’t anyone’s side piece. Afraid to speak because he thought he might explode with a series of expletives, he just glared at Ethan, his nostrils flaring like a fire breathing dragon.

Ethan lowered his eyes and frowned. “I’m so sorry they said that to you.”

“Why didn’t you set them straight and tell them we were on a date and that I wasn’t stealing you away from anyone?”

“It’s complicated. The fans and the media think me and Wolf are a couple. We’re not. But the hype around it drives the band’s popularity up. It’s entertaining. That’s why we get a little frisky on stage. The fans love it.”

Tyler folded his arms across his chest and clenched his jaw. He wasn’t about to hide in the closet or be anyone’s dirty little secret. “We’re together. Let them get excited about that,” he blurted out, much louder and more hostile than he intended.

Ethan closed his eyes momentarily and sighed, a look of exasperation on his face. “It’s not that simple. I can’t tell the media we’re on a date. The label would have my neck if I did that.”

“Why? It’s the truth.”

“Because I have to run everything I say by our PR rep.”

“You mean you can’t answer a simple question without getting an OK first?”

“No. Not to the paparazzi. Everything has ramifications. It sucks, but that’s the way it is.”

It sounded horrible. Tyler thought about everything Ethan said, and by the time the car got to his apartment, he realized that none of this was Ethan’s fault. It was their first little fight, and it was stupid. They had a beautiful day together, and he wasn’t going to let the paparazzi ruin it. And there was no way in hell he was letting Ethan go back to the tour, and to Wolf, with animosity between them.

“Can you come in for a little while or do you have to go back already?” Tyler asked, meekly.

“I have time.”

“Good. Because we aren’t ending this lovely date with this stupid thing hanging over our heads. We’re going inside my apartment. I’m going to rock your world. And you’re going to go back to your tour in an inebriated state of sexual bliss.”

And that’s exactly what happened.