The Prince of Punk Rock (21 page)

Tommy marveled at Jessi’s
remarkable strength and reassurance.
 
Their talk enabled him to let go of most of the resentment and
frustration he held inside, but he still felt guilty for loving Angel.
 
He resisted his feelings because he didn’t
want to hurt Jessi, and he ended up hurting Angel.
 
He didn’t know how to love them both.
 
There was no balance.
 
He was being pulled in opposite directions,
yet his feet were standing still.

Angel’s loverboy solved Tommy’s
indecision.
 
A relationship with Angel
was out of the question, now.
 
It still
burned whenever he thought about Angel in bed with someone else, but he decided
he needed to apologize to Angel for treating him unfairly.
 
He had no reason to be unrelentlessly cold
and standoffish when Angel was pleading for his friendship.
 
He was too harsh.
 
They had a couple of days off before they
were scheduled to shoot the video, and after it was done, he would apologize to
Angel.

Chapter Twenty-One

Angel must have spent a small
fortune on the music video.
 
There was a
producer, pyrotechnics, dancers and costume changes.
 
Making a music video was one of the dreams
Tommy and Angel shared, and he knew it was Angel’s way of trying to make
amends.

There were beautiful girls in
bikinis and hot guys with oiled, chiseled bodies.
 
The stage was alive with a delicious
assortment of tits and ass, brawn and beefcake.
 
And then there was Angel, with his tight leather pants and a bulge the
size of
Mount
Olympus
. It was a wonder the zipper
didn’t explode and take out the camera lens.
 
Angel’s ripped shirt exposed bits of bare skin and the hint of a deep
pink nipple. Tommy’s pants were bursting with excitement and he was thankful to
have his beloved Les Paul to hide behind.

Hours of filming brought back the
chemistry that disappeared between Tommy and Angel, which was probably Angel’s
well conceived plan all along.
 
They
needed to interact with each other. At first it was forced and uncomfortable,
but after a few takes their old sex-fueled antics returned.
 
Angel kneeled at Tommy’s feet and pawed at
his legs while he sang.
 
They pranced
around each other and stood with their back pressed together, grinding into one
another.
 
The sparks between them were as
vivid as the glittery fireballs that rained down on them from the fireworks
that showered the stage.

Six hours later, a kick-ass video
for the band’s most popular song,
Cyanide Sensation
, was ready to make
its debut to the world.

Tonight was a big night.
 
It was the premier of their new music
video.
 
It was Jessi’s idea to unveil it
at The Quadrangle, instead of on the band’s website.
 
She advertised its debut on every social
media site available.
 
It drew a crowd
that packed The Quadrangle to the hilt.
 
The band opened with
Cyanide Sensation
and as soon as they
started to play, two large screens lit up the room, broadcasting the video to
the masses.
 
The screams and foot
stomping that ensued almost overshadowed the sound system.

Angel jumped on top of the amp
directly in front of Tommy.
 
He threw a
few hip thrusts into the audience the turned his back to them.
 
Tommy had been busy watching Angel’s ass
swivel in the tight leather jeans that fit him like a second skin, until Angel
turned around to face him.
 
The swivels
and hip thrusts continued, but now they were eye level and directed at Tommy’s
face.
 
It was impossible to break the
invisible tie that held his eyes at Angel’s crotch.
 
The outline of Angel’s clearly visible
erection strained against the rigid leather, begging for freedom.

They made eye contact and he gave
Angel a naughty smile.
 
As soon as Angel
jumped down from the amp, Tommy stalked him with the end of the guitar all the
way to the other side of the stage.
 
The
magic between them was back, and the crowd erupted into a thunderclap of howls.

Angel’s voice was perfection. His
high notes reached new decibels and his low notes were sexy and
resounding.
 
The band was tight.
 
Jimmy banged the hell out of the drums, hard
and fast.
 
Damien’s bass growled and
Tommy ripped the melody to pieces with his guitar.
 
The energy in the room, both on and off the
stage, escalated with each song.
 
The
Quadrangle was on fire.

When the last song of the night
rolled around, the fans wouldn’t let the band leave the stage.
 
Their deafening screams demanded an encore.
Four extra songs that the band didn’t plan on performing, unleashed uncensored
talent.
 
It was one of the best shows
they played.

They all ran to the room backstage,
but somehow, Tommy found himself alone with Angel.
They
looked into each other’s eyes without saying anything for several seconds.
 
Their newly rekindled friendship was quickly
forgotten and their strained romance hung between them.
 
It was the first time they were alone since
the fight, and Tommy wanted to leave the hostility and bitterness behind.
 
He was ready to talk about it.

Angel’s
eyes held so much pain and sadness that it made Tommy want to cry, but he still
had his own broken heart to deal with.
 
He wanted Angel more than ever, even though he vowed to forget about
anything more than friendship.
 
He
swallowed hard and spoke softly.
 
“I’m
sorry I was mean to you these last few weeks.
 
You didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

A glint
of a tear appeared on Angel’s lower lids.

Tommy
steadied his voice, but it was barely a whisper.
 
“I was jealous.
 
I’m sorry. I know I don’t have any right to
expect you to—”

“I’ve
been trying to tell you something, mi amor, but you wouldn’t listen.” Angel
placed his hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

Tommy
grew weak under the warmth of Angel’s touch.
 
He rested his cheek on Angel’s hand and gently nuzzled it with his
chin.
 
He exhaled a shaky breath and
barely had enough strength left to speak.
 
“I missed you so much,” he whispered.
 
“I can’t bear the thought of you with someone else.”
  
When Tommy opened his eyes, Angel’s mouth
was curled into a tiny smile.

“I never
slept with that guy.
 
That’s what I’ve
been trying to tell you.
 
Do you think I
could do that to you?
 
I care about you
too much.
 
I could never be that
spiteful.
 
I’m so sorry.
 
Please forgive me.”

Tommy
collapsed into Angel’s arms.

Angel
held him tight and pressed a kiss into his hair.
 
“I was so mad.
 
I wanted to do something to force you to tell
me how you felt.
 
I care about you so much.
 
Do you know how much it hurts when you
constantly push me away?”

Tommy
couldn’t answer.
 
His throat was closed off
with emotion.
 
He squeezed Angel tighter
and kept his cheek pressed against Angel’s chest.

“I don’t
know what I’m going to do with you, Tommy.”
 
He stroked Tommy’s hair.
 
“I can’t
go on living my life in limbo like this, and I can’t imagine living it without
you.
 
But, if I don’t stand a chance, let
me know, because it not fair.
 
You’re
playing with my heart.”

Tommy had
been beating himself up for months.
 
He
put himself through hell, and dragged Angel and Jessi with him.
 
The second he heard that Angel was faithful
and loyal, clarity filled his mind.
 
The
answer was there all along.
 
He just
needed to listen to his heart.
 
He
couldn’t deny his feelings any longer.
 
He would find a way to love both Jessi and Angel.
 
He would find the medium. They’d work it
out.
 
He looked up into the most
beautiful dark eyes on the planet.
  
“I’ll be there for you, A.
 
I just
need a little bit more time. I promise.”

Angel
held Tommy’s face in his hands and looked deeply into his eyes.
 
“
T
e
necesito.
 
Te amo.
 
Quiero estar contigo para siempre. Eres el
amor de mi vida.
”

Those romantic Spanish words,
again.
 
They were a mystery, filled with
sentiment and passion.
 
“That’s so beautiful,
but what does it mean?”

Angel slowly shook his head, still
withholding their translation.
 
“One day
I’ll explain, mi amor, but, right now, just know that it means, I’ll wait.”

Tommy
didn’t get any sleep last night, and he spent the day in a haze.
 
He wasn’t going to risk losing Angel
again.
 
He didn’t have a clear cut plan,
but he knew something was going to happen after tomorrow night’s show.