CHAPTER 24 SING ME A SONG

Chapter 24 – SING ME A SONG

They had decided to meet at one of the many small clubs in their part of the City in Motion as the locals sometimes called it. Javi had been asked to play there on Friday night and there wasn’t much that he liked doing more than entertaining, singing, and making people feel good. Adam and Ethan were going to be there, too; secretly, he thought he might be more excited about the prospect than even Kurt. Adam had been true to his word and revealed nothing about what he knew of Javi’s past and told Ethan to do the same. So many people knew him there, he didn’t know how Kurt was going to avoid finding out, but he wouldn’t be hearing it from him. Even though they’d only known each other for a week, just like he and Ethan, Kurt actually seemed alive again and he was not going to say or do anything that might jeopardize that.

Kurt had most of Friday free and Javi had some appointments and errands to occupy his day so they texted back and forth a bit, but mostly left each other alone. By some sort of mutual agreement that had originated somewhere in the stratosphere, as much as they wanted to be together every waking moment (and if they were totally honest, the hours they weren’t awake), they both knew that if what they wanted to achieve in this relationship was going to happen, they had to give each other space.

Kurt was still curious about the inner workings of Mateo and watching their videos also gave him a chance to see Javi without really being in his presence. He still felt a little guilty about that, but Javi seemed okay with it. He wanted to watch Javi from the start of his career. His desire to devour everything he could find about Javi was tempered by his absolute sense of fair play. He was seeing him sing live tonight anyway.

As he continued to watch Mateo in action, this time he chose some live performances that weren’t quite as intimate. Coleccionista de Canciones remained one of his favorites. He’d looked up the lyrics and could sort of sing it in Spanish, but knowing the depth of those words only fed his own soul. After watching them sing it in concert in Buenos Aires, watching the unspoken eye contact between Antonio and Javi, he decided to move on to some of their rockier performances.

He no longer felt a stab of jealousy watching them relating to each other, trading lyrics as if their minds and bodies were so attuned to each other they didn’t even have to think, and coming together in those powerful harmonies as if they were the only men on Earth, even in a stadium full of fans. He had looked into those steady, deep brown eyes himself and only hoped that as time went by, Javi would come to look at him, not exactly like he had looked at Antonio, but that he and Javi would develop their own silent communication. After studying Mateo, and Javi in particular for a couple hours, he looked up and realized he needed to get ready for tonight.

He’d spent some time after work at the Boutique Magnifique shopping for something interesting to add to his wardrobe…or maybe replace his wardrobe, now that he had some tips on what to look for. He’d talked with a couple of the guys he’d met at Cam’s party and they’d been very helpful and lots of fun to discuss fashion with.

He knew Javi would probably be at his bold and flamboyant best so he decided to go with what seemed to work best for him no matter what the situation. He pulled out a new black silk shirt with muted gold zippered pockets on each side of his chest and rolled up the sleeves to just below his elbows, then examined himself in the mirror with a critical eye from all angles. He contemplated his scarves and ties, pulled out five scarves and four ties and decided that the tie with the narrow stripes with a splash of sparkle to go with the gold zippers was what he liked best, and the tie was just narrow enough that he could wear it with the buttons undone, and went boldly where Kurt Hummel had not gone for probably two years. He unbuttoned the fourth button on his shirt and decided it revealed just enough chest hair to grab some attention, but not scream, “I’m too sexy for my shirt!” Besides, there was only one person’s attention that he wanted to grab….there were so many things about that person he wanted to grab….pants and shoes, Kurt! He had some flashy gold pants, but that would clash with what he was positive would be Javi’s clothing ensemble, so he reached for a pair of black moleskin pants, form-fitting naturally, and ankle boots to match. He searched through the earrings he’d replenished in his shopping, and held up a tiny black heart with an even tinier gold heart dangling from it. So far, so good! And while he was into new, he decided to wear his hair a bit differently. Sometimes he liked this look and sometimes not, but tonight his hair was cooperating, so he parted it in the middle and let the highlighted strands fall to either side of his forehead. He’d even bought some Versace Dylan Blue, his favorite. I’m ready! He thought, Look out, San Diego! He hadn’t felt so light-hearted since forever!

When he got to the club, named You Are Here revealing a yellow arrow pointing down on the door, he saw Adam and Ethan were already there, huddled in a cozy corner, their foreheads touching like they were in a conversation that Kurt didn’t want to be a part of. He waved to them, and they gave him a half-hearted wave to come over, but he just smiled and sat at the bar. He had just barely settled himself when he felt a pair of arms encircle his shoulders and heard the voice that had invaded his dreams every night for a week say, “Te ves y hueles a cielo, mi amor!’ He liked the “mi amor” part for sure, but the rest was…well, all Spanish to him! He turned and gave Javi a questioning look, “You look and smell like heaven,” he said just loud enough for Kurt to hear. Then, he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek as Kurt reached around and lightly wrapped his arm around Javi’s neck, and really got a look at Javi. His eyes widened and he didn’t know what to say, so he just put his hands together, his mouth forming a happy O revealing his dimples.”Javi! You look fabulous!” He wore a dusty blue and white summer suit jacket and pants to match in a leaf pattern, revealing his muscular build as usual, a bright white mesh shirt underneath with several very long silver chains that hung from his neck to his waist. He wore wide black and silver spiked bracelets on both arms and shoes that matched his suit perfectly. The hat was understated compared to some he had seen him wear, but it worked magnificently with what he wore and who he was. He gave Kurt that big Javi smile, and posing, asked, “You like, Kurtito??” He laughed as Kurt gave him another puzzled expression, “Oh, we Latinxs add -itos and -itas to everything I guess, but it’s a Spanish term of endearment, “My little Kurt!” Sort of like babe or baby in English.”

Yes! This was Javi, the entertainer, the singer, the man who was definitely on full power. He could hardly wait to hear him sing without a TV screen between him and his audience. As Javi got their drink orders, Kurt turned his attention to the stage. There was a guitar resting on its stand and two wooden stools on either side of the guitar. This place had a very cozy, almost homey feel to it, low lighting but not so low that you couldn’t see everything and everyone clearly. The small stage had soft backlighting to it and there was a small dance floor.

When Javi returned he said, “I have about 15 minutes, and I’m so glad you came!” For once Kurt was glad he didn’t work much on the weekends. The boutique employed several people, mostly because so many people liked working there and it provided an even better customer base with the employee discount. As in all retail, the weekends were busier and with commission you made more money, but those with seniority had their choice of the weekend hours if they wanted them. Kurt looked around and saw a crowd of about 75 to 100 people, guys mostly, but women as well. He looked at Javi and exclaimed, “You know all these people??” “Yeah, most of them live in the neighborhood. I get an occasional fan, but I don’t always advertise when I’m playing in town, unless the place I’m working at wants to. This is fun for me. I really don’t want to spend the night signing autographs. These people are my friends.” He looked over at the bartender who gave him a nod and Javi almost leapt from the bar stool as he said, “Showtime!” He kissed Kurt ever so lightly on his cheek and then he kissed the hand he’d been holding and walked to the stage.

As he got comfortable, another man joined him and picked up the guitar, taking a minute to make sure it was in tune. As the duo began to sing and play, the whole room went quiet. Now that was something Kurt rarely saw in any club, at least in New York, even with great music. Maybe it was the atmosphere or Javi or both.

As the hours slipped by, Javi would talk to Kurt during his breaks, and he introduced him to his guitarist, Julian. Julian was clothed in a solid blue shirt and cream-colored pants. He also wore a hat similar to Javi’s, but off-white compared to Javi’s blue. It was obvious they’d been doing this a while.

Javi and Julian had no set list, they just took requests, and they never lacked for what the crowd wanted to hear. Javi was finding it humorous and gratifying all at once that as he watched Kurt from the stage, occasionally, some poor soul would try to get him interested but it was obvious Kurt knew how to politely get rid of his admirers. Kurt loved what he was hearing and seeing; his attention rarely wavered from the stage.

Towards the end of the evening, after a bit of karaoke, Javi not minding sharing the spotlight at all, he looked up at Kurt and announced, “We have a couple of new friends among us, Adam Crawford and Kurt Hummel, who abandoned the warmer climes and ambience of New York City to join us here in San Diego!” Everyone laughed. Adam waved from the table in the corner and Kurt gave a half smile and waved.

“I happen to know that one of Kurt’s favorite Mateo songs is Coleccionista de Canciones, so if you know the words join us!” As Julian and Javi crooned the haunting song, Javi’s steady gaze never left Kurt’s lithe frame. When they’d finished, the hush of the room was palpable, and Javi finally said, “Most of mi amigos and amigas here know that that song has a very special place in my heart and always will, but it’s time for this Latinx to move on.”

“This is a song I wrote for my first solo release, but I never had anyone special enough to sing it to. I’ll sing it in English, which as most of you know does not always translate well into Spanish, but our new friends have not mastered the fine art of Spanglish, so….” he motioned for Kurt to come up to the stage. Kurt’s face literally froze as he looked around at the waiting audience, but shocked as he was he managed to walk to the stage. Julian moved from the stool next to Javi and he and his guitar moved to the foot of the stage.

As Julian began strumming the opening notes to whatever song Javi was planning on singing, Kurt felt like every ounce of air had been sucked from the room. Javi said, “Most of you know the name of the song in Spanish, but in English, the title is Nothing Around, a fine example of the elusive art of translation. He nodded at Julian and gently reached for Kurt’s hand.

The silence that followed was almost expectant. As Javi let go of Kurt’s hand and slowly took his eyes off of Kurt, he turned to the audience and quietly intoned, “Almost everyone here knows how long it has taken me to find my way back after the past 8 years, to find the right person to sing my love songs to, and maybe even with. This amazing man was not expecting to be the object of my song tonight, but that Latinx blood of mine found its way into my impulsive nature.” He turned to Kurt and sighed, “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable…”

Kurt was overwhelmed, but not unpleasantly so. He took Javi’s other hand and simply mouthed, “Thank you.”

And as if someone had announced some momentous event in history, the whole crowd erupted in claps and cheers; Javi had discovered someone to revive his broken heart, his broken life that he’d tried to hide for so long. The ghost of Antonio was vanishing and he was almost sure he could see him smile.