Love on the Rocks (Bar Tenders) (22 page)

The intro gave those familiar with the film time to catch on to which song it was. Cheers rippled through, and after the last note and a gesture from Tam, the DJ started their song. As the music began, they moved fluidly into the next position, smiling into the bright glare of the lights. Tam started the first line, and as they both swayed in time together, Justin sang the harmonies, one of his favorite parts. By the time the chorus came about, some enthusiastic crowd members had started clapping along, bellowing out the words.

Justin grinned. No one could resist ABBA.

He tried his best not to keep glancing down, to check that Yena was still watching him.
Concentrate, Justin. Concentrate. Finish the song
. Tam moved at the same time he did, and they weaved past each other languidly, the moves copied mostly from the film. Some girls near the front of the stage were dancing, clearly loving the song.

As it drew to a close, Justin’s eyes drifted back to Yena again. He couldn’t drag his gaze away. Yena watched him, a warm smile on his face. Justin felt his own smile in return, relief flooding him.

Tam was pulling him away before Justin realized the song was over. They had to leave the stage, but this was good; now he could get changed and find Yena.

“That went all right,” Tam said, and Justin nodded absently. “I suppose you’re going into the audience now?”

“Yep.”

Backstage, Tam helped Justin out of his ruffles, carefully packing them away. Justin set about doing the quickest wardrobe change ever, dressing in his street clothes once again. He was still covered in makeup and glitter, but he didn’t waste a second longer before grabbing his wallet and making a dash for the door.

Out in the venue, he was met with the press of bodies, tightly packed near the front of the stage to watch the show.

Dammit
.

It was gloomy here, too, as most of the lights were on the stage like a beacon. Justin cursed under his breath, debating what to do. He didn’t want to barge his way through the crowd during someone else’s act; it was bad manners, and Tam would kill him if word got back to the promoter, Mark.

Thinking fast, Justin decided to head for the bar. It was at the back, where the venue was higher. He could see from there, and hopefully Yena and Chi Chi would head there too. He edged his way around to the side, where he could pick his way past tables full of punters, some eating food as they watched the show, without too much disturbance. It was dark and he tripped over more than one handbag, annoyingly in the way.

The bar was in a section of its own, far enough away from the stage that one could order drinks above the noise. Lights of violet and pink lit the bar from above, giving the bartenders a tanned glow to their skin. They wore white shirts and black waistcoats, with bow ties. Very smart.

It wasn’t too busy, so Justin was able to find a spot straight away, leaning in on the bar to peruse the drinks. As he did, the mirrors on the back wall caught his eye; a girl wearing a polka dot dress had also leaned in.

Justin craned his neck, looking at Chi Chi. Had that been her, or someone in a similar dress? He gave up his spot and moved closer, shifting around other people getting their drinks or trying to do dances of their own.

Suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Justin looked to his side and was met with wide dark eyes staring at him, and tousled hair on a face he knew. “Yena,” he said stupidly, completely taken aback.

A shy smile was on that pretty mouth before he spoke. “Justin…. You were amazing.”

Justin moved closer to him, hands reaching out to hold him without hesitation. Yena adjusted his grip, fitting into Justin’s embrace. “You came,” he stated, feeling breathless. His gaze moved to Yena’s lips, as his feelings overwhelmed his senses, and he leaned in to kiss Yena before he lost his nerve. The warm press of Yena’s body felt good, and when his lips parted to accept Justin’s kiss, lust drowned out all else. Eyes closed, Justin tilted his face to deepen the kiss, and Yena’s tongue met his in an eager greeting.

Justin wrapped his arms tight around his man, and Yena clung to him. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of a bar, or even in a venue, all Justin wanted was to kiss and grind and take Yena home with him. His cock grew hard, and he felt a matching hardness nudge him as their bodies pressed together.

Then Yena broke the kiss, his hands on Justin’s shoulders. “Hey, slow down,” he said, though he was smiling. “We are in public.”

Justin wouldn’t relinquish his hold on his body. “I don’t care. Let them watch.”

Yena laughed, and it warmed Justin’s core to see it. “Justin, knock it off. I’m not an exhibitionist.”

Loosening his hold a little, Justin conceded. “I’m not either, I swear.”

“Says the man who just got off stage.”

“That’s different.” He gazed into Yena’s eyes and noticed the smudge of glitter across his cheek.

Yena’s lips were shiny, too, and he rubbed them together thoughtfully. “Are you wearing lip gloss?”

“Er….”
Oops
. “Yes. Sorry about that.”

Dark eyes scanned his face. “And… are you wearing glitter?”

Justin chuckled, guilty. “The question should be, are we
both
wearing glitter?”

“I’m not, am I?”

“It’s okay, I’ve got wipes backstage. Always prepared, remember?”

Yena shared his smile. “Well, that’s a relief.”

A moment of quiet settled on them, and Justin blurted out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you… on the phone. I’m sorry about that.”

Yena blinked in surprise and then looked away. “Justin, don’t apologize. I should be apologizing to you. I let Eric’s bullshit get to me, and it was only because I was upset about my dad that I even called you about it.”

Justin squeezed him once and then found his hand. He gently pulled Yena after him, into a quieter corner of the bar, against the wall. “How is… I mean….” He stalled.

Yena held on to his hand, not letting go. “My dad? He’s okay, recovering. God, Justin, it’s been awful.” He looked at him, eyes blinking rapidly. “He was about to go into surgery, even though we were waiting on more test results. He was in the hospital gown, in a bed and everything. My mum and my sister….” He shook his head, looking away again. “They’ve been arguing badly, taking it out on each other. They were at each other’s throats the whole time. Dad needed this surgery, on his heart, or so the doctor told us, because they didn’t know
why
his heart kept stopping, and it seemed like heart attacks but it
wasn’t
.”

Justin listened, rubbing Yena’s hand to offer comfort.

Yena swallowed and said, “They told us he needed surgery. The whole lead-up to this, it’s been awful. I’ve spent the last three months thinking that, any day, my dad might have another attack and die. I’d have to move back in with my mum, just to stop her and my sister from fighting…. But then on the day of surgery, they suddenly said one of his tests showed it was a heart stutter, and he didn’t need surgery after all, just medication. After
all
that worry. He’s on pills now, and… that’s
it
, after all that, they just sent us away. But he–” Yena’s voice hitched, but he kept speaking. “He seems okay now, he said he felt better, like he wasn’t breathless all the time. I just can’t believe how useless the doctors have been. My sister’s writing a complaint about it all.”

Justin pulled him into a hug, his arousal fleetingly forgotten as he tried to offer comfort. “Yena, I’m so sorry. You should’ve told me.”

“I’m sorry too,” he said into Justin’s shoulder. “I couldn’t… I didn’t want to face up to it. I still can’t believe he’s going to be okay, that he doesn’t need surgery. We’re hoping it will be fine now.”

Justin squeezed him, placing a kiss on the side of his head, amongst the soft curls of hair. “I hope so too.”

Yena pulled back, looking at him worriedly. “And then I tried to call you, but your phone’s not picking up, and Chi Chi found out through your friend you’d gotten mugged, and….”

“Shit.” Justin winced. “I’m sorry to worry you. And I’m stupid for losing my phone. I wanted to speak to you. I didn’t get mugged, either. Some bloody kids just….” He snorted a humorless laugh. “Some kids just took it out of my hands on the street and ran away. I got off pretty lightly, really. It was only ’cause I was using the maps on my phone. I should’ve been more careful.”

“Oh.” Yena smiled at him, still holding on to Justin’s shoulders. “I see. Either way, I’m relieved you’re all right. I got back home two hours ago, as Chi Chi had told me about tonight. I wanted to see you.”

“I’m so glad you came.” Justin pulled him close, kissing him softly. Lust clouded his mind again, his cock reminding him how horny he was. Before he could even get the words out, Yena whispered it for him.

“Justin, come home with me. Please.”

“Mmm.” Justin allowed a groan of pleasure, thrilled at the prospect of sex with Yena. Then his eyes snapped open as he remembered, and a groan of annoyance escaped. “Shit. I…. Shit. My parents are here. I completely forgot.”

Yena tensed, shifting away from Justin as he glanced around. “What? Where?”

“I dunno.” Justin released Yena. He hoped his parents weren’t close enough to have witnessed them playing tonsil tennis. “They’re probably at a table somewhere. They came to see the show, and after, they’re staying for a drink.”

“Oh, right.” Yena nodded stiffly. “I’ll… I could see you another time… couldn’t I?”

“Yes, but….” Justin reached for his hand, thinking fast. “Or you could stay and meet them?”

Yena looked at him in surprise. “Wh-what? Meet your parents?”

Nervously, Justin smiled. “Sure. Unless, of course, you’re not ready to meet The King?”

“The…?” Yena frowned in confusion until realization dawned. He grinned. “Oh, gotcha. Is he dressed as Elvis tonight?”

Justin’s stomach flipped. “I bloody hope not,” he muttered. He held firmly on to Yena’s hand. “You want to meet them? I’ll understand if… y’know, it’s a bit much after everything recently.”

“No.” Yena smiled at him, holding his hand. “I want to meet them.”

Chapter Nineteen

T
HE
SHOW
was still going, and it dawned on Justin that if his parents were seated somewhere, he didn’t want to bustle over to them while there were acts onstage. Yena also remembered that Chi Chi was at the bar, buying him a drink. They hurried back to her first, and found her looking around, two drinks in hand.

“Justin!” She beamed a smile, holding the drinks aloft as she tilted her cheek for a kiss. Justin leaned in and kissed her once and then on the other cheek because he was so happy. “Ooh, continental?” She laughed, then handed Yena his drink. “If I’d known you’d be out so early I would’ve got one for you.”

Justin assured her he was fine, but Yena offered him one of the straws from his drink anyway. “I’m well on my way to being tipsy, but okay,” Justin said, taking a slurp.

“Are you guys hanging out for a while?” Chi Chi asked. “My boyfriend is coming here soon.”

“Yeah.” He glanced at Yena with a smile. “We’ll be here a while.”

They watched the remainder of the show together, from the elevated vantage point of the bar area. Chi Chi whispered to Justin about one performer she recognized, and her “bloody annoying props.”

Yena shook his head, smiling. “Because ten million Hula-Hoops aren’t the same thing.”

“Hey,” Chi Chi retorted, holding up a finger. Her arms, all the way down to her knuckles, were also tattooed. “I carry all those hoops onstage and offstage with me. I don’t make the stage manager break his back.”

“Good point,” Justin agreed. “I’ve seen some ridiculous props around lately. Some won’t even fit through the doors.”

Dolly came onstage again to announce the final act. As they clapped, Justin said to Chi Chi, “I was surprised you weren’t performing tonight.”

“Think I’m on the next show,” she said.

The final act was a group fan dance, three girls in fringed underwear, floating around the stage in sync to a jaunty jazz number. Justin wasn’t terribly interested, but Yena watched avidly. After they’d finished, Justin watched him smile as he applauded.

“You liked the show?” Justin asked.

Yena looked at him, his smile still in place. “Yeah! I mean, I’ve never been to anything like this. I’ve seen some cabaret before, but not girls dancing about with fans. It’s like
Mrs.
Henderson Presents
or something.”

“That club’s near here,” Justin said. “It’s not the same now. These burly nights we do, like this one, are probably the closest to classic peep show acts you can get.”

Chi Chi laughed. “Peep show. Thanks, Justin.”

“What?” He laughed along too. “Come on, it is a bit. My mum calls it ‘posh stripping’.”

“Whatever.” She put her empty glass on the bar and said, “I’m going to go backstage and say hi to Dolly.”

“Okay, we’ll probably be around the bar.”

“Cool.”

They said their good-byes, and Chi Chi disappeared through the throng. More people came toward the bar, and Justin seized his chance to dive in before it got too busy. He pulled Yena in close. “I’ll get a round in now, otherwise we’ll be queuing for ages.”

“Let me pay.”

“No, no.” Justin brandished his wallet. “I’ve got this.”

“Let me go halves with you, at least.”

They debated payment until a bartender appeared, and Justin ordered drinks for them, and also guessed what his parents would have. He chose a bourbon and Coke for his dad and a virgin mojito for his mum. It seemed more exciting than just getting her the regular lime soda.

Holding the drinks, they edged their way out of the bar. On the tiered seating the next level down, Justin spotted them immediately. It was helpful of his dad to wear one of his eye-catching, and somewhat horrendous, Hawaiian shirts.

Justin smiled to himself. “There they are.” He led the way, picking his way around tables. Most other punters were now either headed toward the bar, or the lower level near the stage where the DJ was mixing up the pop tunes, encouraging them to dance. His parents watched the dancing, perhaps waiting for Justin to appear from backstage. Hopefully they hadn’t spotted him in the bar earlier, snogging Yena’s face off.