GOOD MORNING, music man. I can’t stop thinking about you, I’m so relieved you’re coming back. Drive safe. Send me a pic of your mustang!
Colt blinked at his phone, wondering how long ago the text had come in. Lord. He’d just gotten out of bed, and Kyle was probably already in his studio. Such an early bird.
Except his bird had a bit of wing clipping happening, didn’t he? Poor cher.
He needed to see Kyle. He knew it was probably stupid, but, Lord, he hadn’t never once let stupidity stop him.
He slid from the bed and started packing his things.
Heading out now. Miss your face.
His phone rang immediately. “Good morning, lover.”
Colt blinked a little. Was he? Kyle’s lover? “Mornin’, cher. How you be?”
“Impatient to see you. And I’m cursing this fucking foot. I feel optimistic for the first time in weeks, and I need to dance. How… how are you?”
He put his earphone deal in and his phone in his pocket so he could pack. “It’s been a weird few weeks, huh? I can’t seem to sleep enough.”
“I haven’t been sleeping at all. You must be making up for me.” Kyle laughed, but it sounded off somehow, forced.
“I miss you.” The words slipped from him. “Bad.”
Kyle huffed out a breath. “I miss you so much. Drive carefully but drive fast, baby.”
The line went silent for a long stretch, neither one of them quite ready to hang up, but they didn’t seem to know what to say either.
“Colt?” Kyle said at last. “If I apologize, you’ll forgive me, won’t you? If I figure out how to… once I figure out how to put it all into the right words? You won’t just tell me it’s okay. You’ll really forgive me, won’t you?”
“Oh cher, you got all my forgives. Don’t you know that?”
“No, I don’t know right now. I don’t know anything. I need to see you. I want your music back.”
“I tried to—I don’t know what I did so bad. I want to touch you.” He shoved his drawers in his bag, his notebooks.
“I… I’m afraid we just got too busy to communicate. But… but I know….” Kyle sighed. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing over the phone. If I’m going to fuck it up, I want to at least do it where you can see I’m trying. I better go. Drive fast?”
“Uh-huh. Can I call from the road?”
“Please. I want to know where you are. How you are. I love you.”
Colt stopped short. Then he smiled. “I love you, cher. I’m coming to you.”
NEVER, EVER, ever had Kyle sat by the phone waiting for a man to call. Not once in his whole damn life. But with doctor’s orders to rest his foot, all he was doing was binge-watching shows on Netflix, napping accidentally, and playing games on his phone. He was bored.
He was bored, and it was four in the afternoon, and he hadn’t heard from Colt today. Didn’t Colt say he wanted to call?
God, was he okay? If he was driving too fast and got into an accident or something, Kyle would never forgive himself.
Ring, dammit.
His phone rang, the blues sounding, and he grabbed it.
“’Lo, cher! I got me a hands-free deal. Like one without a cord even. How you?” Colt was laughing.
Well, shit, his man was having fun. “Oh, fine. Super busy day watching Netflix, you know. What’s going on?”
“I’m tickled as a pig in shit. I got this damn thing working so I can talk with you!”
“Hands-free and you figured out how to make a phone call too! I’m impressed.” He smiled. “Where are you right now?”
“Outside of Spartanburg. I’m making time. Gon’ have to spend the night here in a bit. I’m ready to see you, huh? Get a hug.”
“I’ve got a couple waiting for you, baby.” Where the hell was Spartanburg? He’d have to google it when they got off the phone. “I hope you packed some long undies. It’s cold up here.”
“I didn’t. I’ll get some when I get there. I talked to my manager about money stuff.”
“Yeah? What did he say? Are you going to have to sell the Mustang?”
“He said stop living like I ain’t got a pot to piss in or a window to pour it out of, to get a massage, and pay cash for my car.”
Kyle laughed. “Pay up front for a Mustang! You’ve got a little cash, huh? I don’t want to hear any more moaning about how I’m too fancy for you.”
“I let Nathan deal with my money. I ain’t good with it. I just try to be careful.” He heard Colt sigh. “I never had nothing. Sometimes I forget.”
“I’m not asking you to live any differently. It’s just good to know you don’t have to worry about it, right?” Hell, even he couldn’t pay for a Mustang outright.
“Lord yes. It’s good to know I don’t have to take every gig. That I can breathe some, me.”
He liked that idea. Not that he expected Colt would breathe much. But maybe they could arrange to catch a breath at the same time once in a while.
“How’s your foot, cher? You hurting bad?”
“It’s sore. It’s better when I wear the boot they gave me. I’ve only got two more shows, tonight and tomorrow night, and then I can rest it for a while.”
“Poor foot. I hate it for you. It’s gon’ be all better, though, right?”
“With rest and a little more time, it should be good as ever. I’ll have to work back up into shape, but that won’t take long. Have you talked to Timmy? He told me he has work for you.”
“Sorta. He told me you canceled your show, and I hung up on him to call you. I needed to hear your voice.”
It was such a relief to know they both wanted to figure this out. He could hear it in Colt’s voice, in the honesty in his lover’s concern for him. It might be hard at first, but if they were honest, they’d find that magic again.
“I’m okay, love. I’ll be just fine. Even better when you get here.”