Free Love on Stage by Neil Plakcy Page A

said.
    “You’ll have plenty of time to admire tonight,” Miles said. “You’d better get in the shower unless you want every customer to know what you’ve been up to.”
    He swatted Gavin on the butt as he walked over to the closet. Gavin grabbed his shoulder and stopped him, then leaned in for a long kiss. “Call me when you’re finished with work,” he said when they had pulled back. Then he walked into the bathroom, conscious of Miles watching him move.
    By the time he got out of the shower, Miles was gone. Gavin pulled on the linen shirt and tight jeans he hadn’t spent much time in the night before. He checked the handle after he pulled the door to Miles’s apartment shut and made sure it was locked, then hurried down to Lincoln Road, arriving at Java Joe’s just in time to clock in for his shift.
    “You are very happy this morning, bwoi,” Careful said after watching Gavin hop around behind the bar, flirting and grinding beans and pouring coffee.
    “I’m just a happy kind of guy,” Gavin said, grinning.
    “Well, whoever this man is, you can tell him he’s very good for business.”
    Gavin spent the day in a delirious haze, thinking of Miles and anticipating the evening. His spirits plunged, though, when he got a text from Miles late in the afternoon. Session running long. Have 2 reschedge . At least he’d ended the message with a little red heart.
    When he woke on Sunday morning, he found an e-mail Miles had sent at two a.m. Sorry about last night, but PB is a big client and very demanding. Just got home a few minutes ago, and I have to be back there all day tomorrow. I had a great time Friday night and can’t wait to see you again. Can you come to the studio after your shift on Monday?
    Well, that was something, Gavin thought. He typed a message in return. Of course they need you, because you are awesome in every way. I’ll see you Monday at two.
    He hit Send and then sat up in bed with the book Miles had given him, learning about meter, rhythm, and the values of notes and rests.
    Monday morning, he was copied on an e-mail from Alan in LA to Miles, confirming their agreement. Gavin nearly hopped up and down in his excitement at the chance to spend time with Miles in Wisconsin, and he was still jazzed by the time he burst into Miles’s studio that afternoon.
    “Everything’s set, isn’t it?” he asked. “We’re really doing this!”
    “Yup. I worked it out with your dad’s attorney in LA, and he’s been in contact with the concert promoters too. They want you all to sing three songs: ‘Apple Cider Time’ for sure and then two others. I’ve been listening to every recording I can find, and I have some ideas what you guys should sing, but I figure once we get up to Wisconsin, we’ll try out a bunch of choices and see what works.”
    “Maybe we can fly up together,” Gavin said.
    Miles shook his head. “I have a lot of equipment to bring. I have a friend in Nashville, and I’m thinking I’ll drive up there, stay for a few days, and then head to your family’s place.”
    “What kind of friend?” Gavin asked, trying to sound casual.
    “A straight one, from music school,” Miles said. “Don’t you worry. But if I’m going to be away for a few weeks, I have a lot of work to do, which means I can’t see you much.”
    Gavin was disappointed but tried to cover it. “We’ll have Starlit Lake,” he said.
    “For now, we have some time to work on your voice,” Miles said. “After that, if you don’t have any other plans, we can grab some dinner and then…”
    “I like the ‘and then’ part,” Gavin said. “Let’s get to work.”
    It seemed like Gavin couldn’t sing a single note without Miles stopping him. “Again, Gavin,” he said often. “You can do better. I know you can.”
    Gavin was frustrated. Couldn’t they just skip this part and get right to the sex? That’s what he’d always done in the past. But one look at Miles reminded him that Miles was different.