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

Chapter 16

For the next week or two nothing happened, and Emmett almost might have been able to convince himself Luke's idea had been abandoned. But he'd underestimated Luke too many times before to do it again. The other shoe would drop eventually.

There were no late-night visits or phone calls during that time. Emmett thought about initiating something himself, if only to show they could just continue on as before if they wanted, but he noticed a change in Luke that made him think twice. At first Luke seemed as friendly and comfortable as ever, just focused on work and planning for the end of the tour. Gradually, though, he grew quieter and more withdrawn; a sure sign he was steeling himself up for some kind of intense pressure. Emmett knew what it meant, and left things alone. Luke could take whatever time he needed to sort out his choices.

They moved on from Detroit to Buffalo and then to Boston, arriving the night before the start of a four-show stint there. Emmett had dinner with some of the crew and then, as usual on the first night in a new city, went up to his hotel room alone.

Luke called soon after he got in, barely masking the tension in his voice. "So...you got company?"

Emmett understood. "No. You can come by whenever you're ready."

So this was going to be the big night. He waited beside the door, wondering again if he should try to put a stop to it. But when had he ever prevented Luke from doing what he was set on?

There was a soft pad of footsteps outside on the carpeted hall floor, and a quick tap on his door. Emmett opened it and stepped back, taking in Luke's expression – serious, but smiling.

Luke shut the door behind him carefully. "Hey, Em." He leaned up to peck Emmett's cheek. "I know it's a bit early."

"That's okay." Emmett wrapped both arms around Luke's shoulders and squeezed briefly, then let go and waited, watching him. Luke gave a little grin – half wry, half winning – that Emmett recognized as his defense against vulnerability; a way of saying that he trusted he was too charming to want to hurt. He used to give new audiences the same look, at the start of their earliest shows.

"So can we...do this?" Luke said, in a bit of a rush.

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure." Luke kicked off his shoes, revealing bare feet, and took an uncertain step back against the wall beside the door. "But how do we start? Should I, like...kneel?" A half-laugh, quickly aborted. "Do I call you sir or something...?"

"It's up to you." Emmett paused for a second, then resolved. "I'm going to get ready for bed." He forced himself to walk away, into the bathroom. This would be the hardest part for Luke; he needed time to adjust, to get himself into the groove of what he was doing. Some of those boys in college had been so cavalier, flippant even, when they started out, and then fallen apart when reality hit them. Emmett had learned to give them time.

He took off his clothes and got into the shower. If Luke lost it, the way those boys had, he'd shut the whole thing down, no matter what. But would he have to? Luke had always been a risk-taker; he pushed himself through whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. He'd get through this one way or another. And Emmett would too, even if he wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

He got out of the shower, dried off, and pulled on his long silk robe, tying it slowly, trying to shake off the feeling of dread. When there was nothing left to do, he opened the bathroom door and started to walk out, then halted abruptly. Luke had undressed completely and was kneeling against the wall beside the door, where Emmett had left him.

It took Emmett a moment to adjust to the sight. He thought about how long he'd been in the shower and was grateful for the coarse hotel carpeting that might have made Luke's wait slightly more comfortable. At least he seemed calmer now, holding himself still, his head bowed; he didn't look up even when Emmett approached him. Emmett brushed the back of his hand against Luke's cheek. "Good job, Lukey."