A New Musical

30

"Mason, where's the bow tie you got me?" I yell.

Mason comes out of the bathroom, with only a towel around his waist, water still dripping down his skin. "On top of my dresser, under the TV."

I stare a second longer at him. "Huh?"

Mason grins. "Ha ha, we don't have time for that," he says, walking seductively toward me. Once he's near my ear, he whispers, "But come back to my place tonight, and maybe we can work something out."

I let out a groan, wishing that we didn't have somewhere to be tonight. If I didn't have Mason right now, I'd probably be shitting my pants from anxiety. There's something about when I'm with him that helps bring me some peace. I want to wrap my arms around him, but I don't want to risk getting my new tux wet. So, I kiss Mason on the cheek, saying, "Yes, sir."

Now Mason is the one groaning. "You're mean."

"Don't give the heat if you can't take the burn," I laugh, kicking my leg in the air behind me as I walk away.

Mason finishes drying off, and I try my best not to watch as he does so. Of course, I fail miserably. He gets his clothes on, letting me help him with his tie. "I should really learn how to do this; I usually had my assistants help me."

"Well, now you have me here to help you," I smile.

Mason kisses me. "Thank God. Maybe I won't learn just so you can do it for me every time."

"Why?" I laugh.

"I'll get another excuse to look at your beautiful face."

"Yuck," I sarcastically say, rolling my eyes.

Mason finishes styling his hair, and I get the rest of my suit on. Once we're both ready, we give each other one final look down. Well, that's what we both say we're doing. I think we wanted another excuse to check each other out. It's not often we get to see one another like this, all dressed up. We go downstairs and exit to the outside of Mason's apartment, waiting for his limo to arrive.

We ended up coming to Mason's apartment tonight for the sole reason that there were no animals at his place. Then we didn't risk getting fur on our new, and may I add, expensive suits. I know what I'm wearing is a tux, but I don't know if I can still call it a suit or not. Mason has yet to correct me, so I assume that I'm not wrong whenever I flip between the two.

The limo pulls up, and Mason opens the door for me, sliding in after me. I can feel my stomach turn a little bit, knowing that in just a few minutes, I'll be standing outside of Radio City. Of course, I've been outside of it and even inside before. Just not in this context, where I'm nominated for one of the awards. I'm very grateful and still can't believe this is real life for me.

Our show will be performing, and we've already been at Radio City earlier this week rehearsing the performance we'll do. Usually, shows will try to fit 2 to 3 songs from their respective scores to best showcase the performances of their company. Our creatives decided we would perform our opening number and then merge into the finale. The typical move for shows, but I think it works great in our case. It shows off solos from both Mason and me and includes our entire ensemble.

It's crazy that a year ago, I was praying that I would get ensemble for this show. Now I'm a lead player, and being recognized for my hard work. I'm getting to attend an award show that means so much to so many, alongside some of Broadway's best. I never thought a guy like Mason Pierce would fall for someone like me. I thought this show would just get me by, but it's brought me more than I could've ever dreamed of.

We pull up to the theater, which is bombarded by people. Mason gives my hand a squeeze. "Are you ready, love?"

I nod. "Yes."