El & Em: Two hearts, one band, a long slow ride

Chapter 10

When Emmett opened his eyes in the morning Luke was gone, which was unusual since Emmett usually woke first. He pulled on his clothes and stepped outside, then saw a blanket draped over a railing and understood. Inside the studio he found Luke in the kitchenette and slid an arm around his waist to give him a reassuring squeeze. By the time the others arrived they were as comfortable with each other as ever.

The next few weeks continued much as before. On most nights Luke and Emmett worked late at the studio and fell asleep almost immediately, but once in a while they'd finish up early and retire to the tent to talk and make out for a bit before going to sleep. If Luke reacted physically, though, he was more careful to keep it hidden and Emmett didn't need to help him out again, although it occasionally occurred to him that he wouldn't have minded.

In general, Emmett was still vaguely baffled by Luke. He didn't doubt their mutual loyalty or affection, and he suspected his own feelings verged on something more intense than friendship. But he still couldn't quite figure out what Luke wanted. Was it just curiosity that made him want to try new things with Emmett? Were they new things for Luke? Of course, experience with other men didn't necessarily mean anything; Emmett knew that first-hand. Luke seemed to like women – he'd been with many, as Emmett had seen for himself. He might have been with other men as well but he probably wasn't actually a homosexual. And if he was, Emmett didn't care.

Obviously society didn't approve of homosexuals, but Emmett had concluded years ago that society was bullshit. Society made up all kinds of rules that didn't make any sense and, if anything, were just used to keep certain people down. As far as Emmett could see, the only real difference between good and bad was how other people were impacted. Actions that hurt someone else were bad; actions that helped someone else were good, and everything else was up to you. Ray and José weren't hurting anyone else, so what did it matter who they slept with? But he and Luke weren't like Ray and José.

His 'boys' in college – they hadn't cared about him, they didn't want to be his friend; they'd only wanted one thing from him, and they'd only wanted it for one reason. Emmett had paid them back by taking what he wanted from them just as coolly, so in the end, none of that was good or bad but only a kind of fair trade. Was Luke curious about him the way those boys had been?

But Luke was nothing like them. Luke saw Emmett as a real person, a friend, someone he wanted to know and spend time with. His interest wasn't in Emmett's size or skin colour. Although he did seem to like those things.

In the end Emmett chose to just stop wondering about it all and enjoy the days and nights with his friend. Their time in the studio was finally coming to a close. With the title track complete, the rest of the songs seemed to come together more quickly and soon Luke had more than he needed for one record. He agonized over which tracks to include and which to leave out but that was a good dilemma to be in. After that there were a couple of last-minute overdubs, then final mastering and sending the finished reels off to the record company. By the end of June, it was all over.

Emmett and the rest of the band packed up their instruments and all the odds and ends they'd accumulated in the studio over the last eight months. They had a final toast and said their goodbyes to Sol and the studio folks who by this time seemed like family. As people started heading off, Emmett went out to the field to pack up his bedding and tent.

Much as he looked forward to sleeping in a real house again, he thought he'd miss the nights out here with Luke. Of course they'd be seeing each other soon, but it wouldn't be quite the same, would it?

"Hey, Em."

He looked up from flattening the air mattress to see Luke in front of him, smiling.

"Figured I'd find you out here." Luke picked up one of the blankets and started folding. "I got Leo to give you a ride home with all this stuff. I'll go with Jenny."