Catch My Breath (4 page)

I
T
WAS
after dinner when they finished for the night. Elliot could barely talk by that point, let alone sing another song, but his cheeks hurt from smiling, and he’d laughed more than he ever remembered laughing in his life. They packed up their stuff and headed for the front door of the studio.

“What are you doing tonight?” Danny asked as they burst into the warmth of a late June evening.

Elliot shrugged. “I have a long drive home ahead of me. It’s like an hour at this time of night.”

“You wanna just crash at my place since we have that meeting in the morning?” He looked Elliot over. “You could just borrow some of my clothes. We’re about the same size.”

“Yeah?” Elliot had to admit he was relieved at the thought of not driving all the way home. And a bit terrified at the idea of a night alone with Danny. He hoped he didn’t act like an idiot with a crush.

“Sure. Just… yeah. Come to my place.” He turned. “Any of the rest of you guys have a long drive?”

Webb and Reece both shook their heads.

“I do, kinda,” Tate said. “But I’m going out to dinner with Felicia tonight, so I’m going to head home.”

He got a few light punches and Reece mumbled, “Whipped” before he laughed and punched Tate again.

“Hey, you jerks haven’t even met her,” he protested. “I’m not whipped. She’s cool.”

“Bring her to our next rehearsal. We’ll be nice.” Danny winked as he tucked his jean jacket into the straps of his messenger bag. It was a hot night. Nobody needed a jacket.

“Why does that scare me?” Tate asked as he waved with his keys. “See you guys in the morning.”

Reece and Webb disappeared into their own cars, leaving Elliot there, standing with Danny. Danny in his effortlessly cool plaid shorts and a perfectly white polo, easy smile, and that shiny auburn hair he flipped off to the side. “Ready, El?”

“Y-yeah. Sure.” Elliot tried not to feel awkward, but Danny
did
something to him. He wanted so badly for them to get along. “Let me text my mom real quick and tell her I won’t be home.”

“Cool. My car is over there.” Danny pointed to a shiny black BMW.

“Really?” Elliot slapped his hand over his mouth before he sounded any more like a dork.

Danny chuckled. “It’s just a car. Let’s go.”

E
LLIOT
tried not to be nervous in the cool expensive interior of Danny’s car and tried even harder not to gape openly when they got to his house, which had to be four times the size of Elliot’s. Danny didn’t seem to think it was a big deal—”It’s just a house,” he’d mumbled with a shrug.

A few slightly awkward minutes passed while they decided what to get for dinner, but then it was like something clicked, some little or huge thing, and all of a sudden being alone with Danny was the easiest thing in the world. Elliot forgot about his huge house and expensive car and
laughed
. He laughed more than he’d ever laughed before, talked a mile a minute, got trounced in every video game Danny owned, and flopped, grinning, onto a guest bed only a few hours before dawn. Even with everything that had happened lately, it was one of the best nights Elliot could remember.

D
ANNY
usually didn’t mind mornings. He’d never been much of a sleeper. But on those rare occasions where he’d managed to stay asleep for once an alarm blaring in his ear was less than welcome. He slammed his hand on it and was about to roll back over when he remembered. Sasha. The meeting.

Shit. Get up!

He bounced out of bed and grabbed his stuff for the shower before he remembered the second part.
Elliot.
Elliot was in the guest room down the hall. Danny had to make sure he was up too. Elliot. The kid killed him. It was like… like he didn’t know how much natural talent he had. Add the innocent little smiles and his killer looks? Man. Danny rapped on Elliot’s door.

“You up, man?”

A muffled “Yes” came from the other side of the door.

“I’ll stick some shorts and a shirt in the bathroom across the hall, ’kay? I’m going to hop in my shower.”

“Thanks, Danny.” Elliot’s door cracked open and he stuck his head out to smile. His hair was all puffed up on the side, unruly brown waves intermixed with curls smashed from his pillow. His eyes were big and brown and sleepy. Adorable. Danny reached out and ruffled his hair instinctively. Elliot simply smiled again, seemingly unfazed by Danny’s touch.

“I’ll stick an extra toothbrush in there too. We gotta leave in about a half an hour.”

“Okay, I’m up, I’m up. Sort of.”

They’d stayed awake way too late the night before, talking and playing video games in the living room. Elliot had been shy at first, but after a little while, it was like they’d hung out alone a million times. It was hard for them to shut up and go to bed. Danny smiled at his new friend.

“If we leave in twenty minutes, we can stop for coffee.”

Elliot looked relieved at the prospect. “I’ll hurry.”

S
ASHA
’
S
office was just as intimidating as it had been the first time. But at least Danny didn’t feel so alone. The guys, who’d been faceless competition in the casting room that first day, were quickly on their way to becoming his closest friends. They had to be friends if things got any more serious.

“Morning, guys. Please sit.” Sasha gestured at the chairs lined up in front of his desk. They all looked at them apprehensively. Sasha chuckled. “Listen, it’s good news, guys. Sit.”

Danny could’ve sworn he heard a collective sigh of relief. First Tate, then slowly Webb, Reece, and Elliot sat. Danny took the end chair next to Elliot. They waited while Sasha shuffled a pile of papers.

“I’m sure you boys know this is a tough business, or at least you have an idea. Nobody ever really knows until they’re in the middle of it. A lot of times it sucks. It’s hard work, long hours, not seeing your family much….”

There was a round of agreeing noises.
What’s he doing? Trying to talk us out of wanting this?
Danny wasn’t sure he got the technique.

Sasha continued. “I’m risking a lot putting five untried guys out there and hoping you’ll make it into something with me, but from what I’ve seen and what Keller says, we think you have what it takes.”

Wait, is that a yes? Is it really happening now?
Danny exchanged glances with the other guys. He could tell they were all trying not to look too excited, too scared. Just like him.

Danny couldn’t take it anymore. “What does that mean?” he asked.

Sasha nodded. “Blue Horizon is going to offer you a recording contract—”

He was interrupted by a whoop from Reece who high-fived Tate and hugged Webb on his other side. Elliot jumped in his seat and grinned at Danny who couldn’t help his loud “Yes!”

Sasha laughed. “Wait, guys. There’s more.”

“More?” Reece asked. “How can there be more?” The others calmed down, and they looked expectantly at Sasha.

“I’ve been in contact with Tanner Media. They’re putting together a new series that they’re calling
Band Camp
. It starts filming in a few weeks. It’ll be a bit like the old
The Real World
from MTV, but with different musicians trying to make it big, recording their first albums, learning about the business.”

“And they want
us
to be on this?” Tate asked. His eyes were wide. “Television?”

“Right on channel six. Prime time.” Sasha nodded. “I proposed adding a boy band to the mix, and they agreed it would be great for ratings. I think it will also be potentially great for you guys. You could have fans before the album even exists.”

Danny couldn’t believe it. Them. On TV. He was nervous already.

Sasha put five thick packets of paper in front of them. “Contracts. I suggest you have a lawyer look over them. I’ll give you a week to get them back. The show starts in three.”

Beside Danny, Elliot reached out, hand shaking for his contract. “Three weeks? It’s so… fast.”

“You guys were a last-minute addition. Good news is it’s filming here in Los Angeles. Santa Monica, actually. You won’t have to go far.”

“Cool,” Webb said. Danny noticed that Tate looked relieved too. He wondered why he didn’t feel more relieved too, and that’s when he realized it was the first thought he’d given to Katie in over twenty-four hours.

Katie. His girlfriend. Shit.

You’re such a jerk.

All it took was a new friend at his house and the possibility of, well, not just a possibility anymore. It was really freaking happening. Danny vowed to call Katie on his way home.

“So, guys, take these home, have someone look over it, get it back to me by next Wednesday. Cool?”

Everyone nodded.

“Fantastic. Keller wants to see you in the studio tomorrow, but he says to take today off, do whatever you need to do. Oh, and you’ll need to come up with a name. Start thinking.”

Danny was disappointed. He wanted to stay and sing, hang out with the guys. The thought of going back to his parents’ big empty house sucked. If it didn’t seem really weird, he’d have asked Elliot to come back with him. But that would be weird, right? They were about to see each other nonstop for
months
. All the guys stood and shook Sasha’s hand, contracts clutched against their sides. It wasn’t until they were standing in the parking lot staring at each other that it really started to hit.

“Shit, guys.
Shit
.” Reece’s pale skin flushed a little. He looked around the group, grin growing.

“We could really do this. Make it big,” Tate added. His eyes were wide. They all had to be feeling it. Terror, wonder, with a big dash of “Holy hell, is all this really happening to me?”

“I think we can do it.” Elliot smiled slowly.

“All for one, one for all, right?” Webb asked. He stuck a fist into the middle of their little circle. One by one, the other four of them joined until their fists were connected at the knuckles.
All for one, one for all.
Danny had one of those moments, one of those few times when you become aware that everything is changing. His
life
was changing. And these guys, they would become a part of it. Tate, Webb, Reece, Elliot. They were his new family.

E
LLIOT
practiced what he was going to say on his way home. “Mom, Dad. I have a recording contract. I met these guys and we sing together. I’m in a… boy band.”

He laughed at the last one. His habit of blasting Pearl Jam and Muse in his bedroom probably wouldn’t have led either of them to believe he wanted to be the next Backstreet Boy. It probably would’ve been better if he’d told them where he was going the past few days. He’d had to get as much sun as possible during their short breaks, so his story of going to the beach with Sara would be convincing. He’d already known his dad wasn’t going to like it. Even his mother, supportive as she usually was, probably wouldn’t like it too much either.

He was right.

“W
HAT
about college, El? You’re already all signed up for classes.”

“Mom, if this works out, I could make so much more money than I ever did from any job I got after college. Nobody gets chances like this.
Nobody
.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, son,” his dad added. “This contract is extensive, and it’s for two years. That’s a long time.”

Elliot was exasperated. “What else would I be doing? Going to class? Drinking beer in the dorms? C’mon, guys! This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and you know it.” He was getting to the point where he was tired of talking about it. “Can’t you just have Uncle Kevin look over the contract and tell me if there are any inconsistencies?” Elliot’s uncle was a lawyer in the city. As far as Elliot knew he didn’t specialize in entertainment, but he had to know a typical contract when he saw one.

His parents both hesitated.

“Listen, Dad. Mom. I’m going to do this. I want to sing. I just need to be smart about it.”

Elliot’s mother had tears in her eyes. She stood and walked around to Elliot’s side of the table and wrapped him in her arms, squishing his face into her abdomen. “I just don’t know if I want this for you, sweetie. It’s going to be so much pressure.”

“Business school isn’t pressure?”

“It is. Just… there are so many people in the music business out for nothing but their own gain. It’s not a nice place.”

“I know, Mom. I’m not that naive. I just want to see where it goes. If it doesn’t work out, college is still there waiting next year. Can you please just call Uncle Kevin?”

“Okay.” She petted his hair, tangled from the long drive home with the window wide open to combat his crappy air conditioner. “You’re still my baby, okay? If this isn’t what you want, you can always come home.”

Elliot sighed and pulled away. “Mom, I’m not going to war, just Santa Monica. I’ll be fine. And I’m not leaving for a few weeks. I just have to go to rehearsals with the guys during the day.”

“Do we get to meet these guys?” she asked.

His stomach dropped at the idea of blending his two worlds. He didn’t know if he wanted to bring his four new friends back home where he was baby Elliot whose mom still made him breakfast every morning.

“Maybe soon, Ma. We’re really busy.” It was the best he could come up with.

She sighed. “I’ll call Kevin and see if he can come over tomorrow night. You’ll be here, won’t you?”

“Of course. Yes. I’ll be here.” Elliot grinned. “I’ll definitely be here.”

D
ANNY
opened his front door as soon as the doorbell rang.
Katie
. It was Katie. He felt so bad about how little thought he’d given to her over the last week. Other than a few cursory texts they hadn’t had much contact at all.

“Hey, babe,” she said as she walked through the door. They kissed familiarly. Hell, it should’ve been familiar. He’d been with her for years. Danny gently tugged on her ponytail.