Embers

The next few weeks were chaotic, to say the least—rehearsals after rehearsals, press conferences, and costuming. We never had this much work back home. We would rock up to a pub and play some music.

I think my schedule was so packed because Stephanie decided I wouldn’t have any time to spend with Marco if we were busy with Solstice events.

I mean, I managed to see him quite a lot at the events anyway, so maybe it was her way of compromising. Not that it was a particularly good compromise.

Whenever we weren’t doing a Solstice event, Stephanie decided to keep a keen eye on us, making it difficult to meet up with Marco. Thanks to our Sostice family, I managed to arrange some time alone with Marco.

Perhaps the most tiring and full-on event was the Pre-parties. They were a stripped-back version of our performance, which was a way of connecting with the fans. We had to travel across different countries and cities. Amsterdam and London. It was also the first time since the National final that we performed in front of so many people. After each pre-party, I was absolutely pooped.

Speaking of which, I had one today to plan for. Thankfully, it was the last one before the actual contest. Madrid.

Other acts didn’t worry about their costumes, but given our gimmick—a crossdressing band—we had to sit in the makeup chair for extended periods to prepare for each event. Poor Darcy looked like she was about to drop.

“How’s everything going? You all ready for the performance?” Stephanie asked.

“Almost done,” Darcy replied. She had finished Noah, Luca, and myself and only had Jet to go.

“Excellent. Well, I have to go make some calls. Stay out of trouble, and good luck with your performance.”

With that, she left.

“Alright, the coast is clear. You can summon Marco now,” said Noah. Without even a moment of hesitation, I messaged the group chat that the coast was clear.

Yes, it felt sort of wrong to use schoolyard tactics, but they wanted to treat us like children, so why not act like children?

A few seconds later, Marco replied that he would be on his way shortly; he was finishing getting changed. I couldn’t help but imagine Marco’s strong physique in his boxes. I had to be careful not to get a nosebleed.

In the meantime, while I waited, I shifted my attention to the show today.

“Are you all ready for the performance?”

“Yeah,” Luca replied. Noah nodded, but Jet didn’t dare move because Darcy was applying makeup to his lips. If he caused a smudge, Darcy would kill him.

“It’s pretty surreal seeing so many fans out there,” I remarked.

“Why?” Luca asked.

“I mean, why would they see us?”

“My shlong,” Jet interjected before Darcy deliberately stabbed him in the cheek with the eyeliner pencil.

“Whoops, I slipped,” She verbally commented.

“They come to see us because we are pretty good,” Luca replied while snacking on a bag of chips.

“And don’t forget we are one of the favourites to win,” Noah added.

“I still can’t believe that,” I replied. The anxiety was twisting in my chest as it did whenever I heard about our odds from others.

Darcy finished the last of Jets costuming by placing a collar around his neck. Although I knew this was always part of his outfit, I couldn’t help but think Darcy had some ulterior motives. She was the one who designed the costume, after all. I would have to have a serious talk with her later.

Just as Jet got up from the makeup chair, the door opened and Marco entered. He was wearing a tight-fitting black tank top that looked like leather. It showed his large biceps and his perfectly toned chest.

I had to wipe my mouth because I was drooling.

“You took some time. It’s almost time we go on.”

“Sorry, it took a bit to shake Valentina.”

I had learned from Marco that Valentina was indeed a second Stephanie; she may even be more intimidating than Stephanie. She was also not too thrilled about our relationship. I hoped I wouldn't run into her. So far so good.

“Sorry, we couldn't spend more time together. Good luck out there.” Marco leaned in and kissed me.

My nerves about the performance turned to embarrassment as I went on stage with a beetroot-red face.

─── ༻ ☼ ༺ ───

That evening, we crashed. I wanted to sneak out to see Marco, but I knew Stephanie would be watching. Besides, there were other things I wanted to catch up on. I decided it was finally time to discuss things with Darcy. The last few weeks had been so busy that we hadn’t had a chance to give each other relationship advice. With the pre-parties behind us, we had one less stress and could now afford such a conversation.

“Hey Darcy, can I have a word?”

“You can try, but I may not hear it.” She pointed to her ears.

I sighed.

“Real funny.”

“Glad you thought so.”

“Look, I want a serious discussion.”

"About Marco?"

"Actually about you and Jet."

"What about us?"

“Sometimes, you seem to be quite extreme with him.”

“He just wasn’t used to being dominated before. Once he got a taste, he could never go back.”

“Yeah, I sort of feel sorry for him.”

“Maybe because you are used to being dominated.” She stuck her tongue out.

“Ye… hey wait!”

What did sh mean by that? Just because Marco seemed to always take the lead in our relationship.

She began to laugh as Itried to look away, unable to deny her assertion.

“Look, what I'm trying to say is like, maybe treat him kindly. There is nothing worse than you turning into Jet. No offence."

"Don’t worry, I may sometimes treat him cold, but it’s because he likes it. I also treat him gently when we are alone. He’s a wonderful guy."

"Alright." I resigned, ready to go to bed when Darcy quickly added.

"Hey, Blake..."

Yeah?

“Do you want some tips on how to peg Marco?”

I could feel my face turn red as I pulled a pillow over it to hide my embarrassment. Secretly, I considered it, but I would be too scared when it came time. Darcy was a beast, like Marco—Dingos, whereas I was nothing more than a scared little possum.

─── ༻ ☼ ༺ ───

End of Chapter 27