Always Eli by Charlie Novak
Chapter Nineteen
Tristan
Eliand I had gotten to The Court while it was still being set up, so I’d lurked backstage with him while he finished getting ready. I’d felt a bit awkward, but the other queens in the dressing room hadn’t minded, and most of them had flirted outrageously with me until Eli had snarled at them to keep their paws off.
As a result, I now had a very distinctive lipstick mark on my neck. It was virtually a stamp that said Eli’s.
He’d handed me a make-up wipe and said I could get rid of it, but I kind of liked it. It was hot. And it fit with the costume I was wearing.
I’d been a bit dubious about the outfit at first, but when I’d finished squeezing myself into the very tight trousers Eli had handed me and buckled the leather harness over my shirt, Eli had sat me down and started running product through my hair before lining up various bits of make-up. The eyeliner had felt a bit weird going on, but afterwards I’d looked in his mirror and barely recognised myself. My hair had been artfully tousled, and my eyes were surrounded by dark, smoky make-up and a little bit of silver glitter scattered across the outside that made them pop. Eli had added a soft gloss to my lips, and the whole thing made me look incredibly sexy.
I’d stared at myself in the mirror, not sure how to process what I was seeing.
I’d never thought of myself as sexy before.
But in dark make-up, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a leather harness with shining buckles, and skin-tight trousers, I couldn’t see myself as anything less. It was a heady sensation, and it made me want to kiss Eli senseless for giving it to me.
When we’d arrived at The Court, Eli had attached a pair of dark angel’s wings to the harness. “If I had a simple one, I’d have given you a collar as well,” he joked. “Then everyone would know you were mine.”
I laughed, but the knotted feeling in my stomach made it hard to deny I’d found that idea interesting.
Eventually, I’d had to leave the dressing room, giving Eli one final kiss before I left.
I made my way out onto the main floor, scanning the busy room for an empty table. The Court was fully made up for the occasion with cobwebs adorned with large plastic spiders draped from the rafters and skeletons hanging on the wall along with a ghostly mirror with smoked glass. There were fake pumpkins everywhere and candles with electric flames flickered on the tables. The bar staff were all dressed in their usual black, but most of them were also wearing elaborate skeleton make-up that shimmered under the lights, and there were smoking cauldrons placed at various points along the bar with glittering poisoned apples tucked around them.
It was already packed to the rafters with people in costumes—everything from the simple, the sexy, and the elaborate on display. I cursed myself for not having come through earlier because it didn’t look like there was going to be anywhere for me to sit without intruding on someone else’s table.
“Tristan! Over here!” I turned, frowning, in the direction I’d heard my name. “Tristan!”
Lewis was frantically waving at me from the other side of the room where he stood next to the same group of friends he’d been with last time. He was wearing a tiny nurse’s hat perched on top of his head and a short pink dress with a white apron over the top with a little round pin on the shoulder. It was a costume that was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
I walked towards him, picking my way through the crowd.
“I thought it was you,” Lewis said, beaming at me. “I’m glad it was otherwise I would have looked like a right banana. Are you here by yourself?”
“Sort of. My date’s backstage.” Eli had said Lewis knew, so there was no point denying it. And I didn’t mind Lewis knowing. He’d always seemed very sweet.
“I figured. Do you want to sit with us?” He gestured around. Everyone at the table was smiling at me. “I promise we’re all very nice!”
“Thanks, that would be great.”
Lewis grinned and indicated the chair next to him. “Let me introduce you to everyone. This is my boyfriend Jason.” He pointed to the man in the chair on his other side, who was wearing a beautifully tailored suit, dark make-up, and silver rings. “He’s a late addition because he didn’t have a show this week, and he cheated by just dressing up as his own character from his last TV show.”
“Hey,” Jason said with an indignant chuckle. “Nobody’s recognised me yet. They just said it was a good Ameus costume.”
“It’s still cheating.” Lewis grinned and shook his head fondly. “And this is Edward and his partner, Izzy. They’re my PA clients.”
“Charmed,” said Edward, the fae man I’d seen before, as he shook my hand. He was currently wearing a spectacular pirate costume complete with a red-and-gold frock coat and tricorn with an enormous feather sweeping out the side. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Izzy, who was the possessor of the curled moustache and flaming hair, grinned as he gave me a crushing handshake. He was wearing a white shirt, an embroidered waistcoat under a red-and-gold coat similar to Edward’s, except Izzy was also in possession of a spectacular top hat—the very picture of a vintage ringmaster. He also had a toy lion perched in his lap, which made me chuckle.
“And this is Jay and Leo,” Lewis said, gesturing to the last two men at the table. “Jay runs The Lost World bookshop on Steep Hill, and Leo owns Wild Things.”
“I’ve had some flowers from you before,” I said. “They’re always gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” Leo said, giving me a gruff smile. He was wearing chef’s whites, which had a restaurant name embroidered on the breast. He must have seen me staring because he grinned. “I pinched them off my brother. He runs a restaurant over near Nottingham.”
“I think that’s probably cheating too,” said Jay with a wry grin, straightening his top hat. He’d gone for something that resembled a Victorian adventurer with a steampunk flare.
“No, it’s called being resourceful.”
I laughed. “Well, I can’t say anything because I just brought a shirt and Eli did the rest.”
“That sounds like him,” Lewis said. “Did you get any choice?”
“None whatsoever.”
Lewis laughed, and I felt myself relax. The group conversation slowly dissolved into smaller ones, and then Izzy procured a couple of bottles of wine before drawing me into a very interesting conversation about history and steampunk with Jay. We’d gotten so sidetracked I barely noticed the lights dimming until an unearthly howl filled the air, nearly making me jump out of my seat.
“Welcome, darlings, to this year’s Halloween Spooktacular,” said Violet, sweeping onto the stage as the Bride of Frankenstein with an enormous black and white wig and a white, sequined gown. Everyone cheered and clapped. “And may I just say, you all look hideous. Are you ready to have some fun? Well then, you’re in for the perfect treat…”
The show was incredible.
A full on two-and-a-half-hour spectacular complete with dancing, lip-syncing, singing and circus acts, including a man who twirled fire fans and breathed fire across the stage. Eli was amazing, as always, doing a couple of amazing lip-syncs and then singing several songs from various films, including a wonderful re-enactment of “Remains of the Day” from Corpse Bride with himself as the skeleton singer, a queen called Eva Nessence as the Bride, and Robin Heartz as the mysterious stranger who murdered her, followed by a rock version of “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
My voice was hoarse by the end of the show, my hands ached from non-stop clapping, and my wallet was significantly lighter. There’d been a couple of charity buckets passed around, which we’d all donated generously to. We’d also drunk quite a few bottles of wine, although I was the most sober of the party alongside Jason. He currently had Lewis perched in his lap, his hand resting on his thigh. The only reason I wasn’t completely wasted was because I wanted to stay up all night with Eli, and alcohol tended to make me sleepy. I normally got quite excitable for about half an hour, then I fizzled out and crashed like a damp firework.
The performers came onto the stage to do a final bow, and we all cheered again. Eli stood on our end of the stage, and when he saw me, he winked and blew me a kiss. I grinned, another knot twisting in my stomach.
The lights lifted slightly, and the staff began to swarm the floor to clear the tables away, but this time there was still music playing. They were doing a straight transition from show into club night. A dance floor quickly formed with a couple of blocks being dragged out to make platforms for people to dance on.
“Come on,” said Lewis, grabbing Jason’s hand. “Let’s dance.” He pulled his boyfriend towards the dance floor and growing crowd, pressing himself flush against Jason’s chest. Edward dragged Izzy onto the floor near them, and Leo and Jay stood quietly off to one side, Leo’s arms wrapped around his boyfriend almost protectively.
“Is my brother grinding on his boyfriend in public again?” Eli appeared behind me, peering over my shoulder to watch Lewis. “Typical. And I’m always the one who’s accused of making a spectacle of myself in public.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning in close to brush his lips against my ear. “You look spectacular, but I think it’s time to lose the shirt.”
I turned my head, kissing him. “Your wish is my command.”
“Good. Come with me.”
Eli led me backstage where there were still a few people getting changed and wandering around. “Typical,” he muttered. “Fucking typical.”
“It’s okay,” I said, realising any plans Eli had for dressing room fun had been derailed by the fact that Bubblegum sat there in her underwear bitching to Eva about some guy on Grindr. “I can change later.”
He grinned at me. “You’re so fucking cute, but that’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” I kissed him and raised an eyebrow in what I hoped was a suggestive manner. “But we’ve got all day tomorrow.”
“Good.” He reached for the harness, helping me carefully remove it along with the wings. “Now, take off your shirt.”
“You realise,” I said with a smirk, “that I can’t go to McDonald’s dressed like this.”
“Pfft. I’ve been in there in less. It’s Halloween. Nobody’ll care.”
“It’s true,” said Eva from her chair on the other side of the room. “I went in there once in booty shorts, Pleasers, and body glitter. The boy behind the counter gave me a free McFlurry.”
“Proof you’ve always been a ho,” Eli said, blowing her a kiss.
“You should know.”
“Hey,” I said as I unbuttoned my shirt, “I’m not knocking a free McFlurry. Especially if it’s one of the Galaxy ones.”
Eva laughed. “I like this one, babe. He’s fun.”
“He is.” Eli leant forward to kiss me, and I felt warmth flood my chest.
“So are you,” I whispered. “I’m very lucky.” I’d never felt like this with anyone before. Eli made me feel things I’d never felt before, cheesy as it sounded. All my previous relationships had been safe, steady, and predictable. I’d even go so far as to label them boring. Eli still made me feel safe, but he also made me feel more alive than I had at any point in my existence. He was funny, and clever, and sexy, and I couldn’t see life with him ever being dull.
My thoughts screeched to a halt. Life with him. It was too soon to be thinking like that, wasn’t it? After all, it wasn’t as if we’d been together for that long. And relationships were meant to take time.
But there was just something about Eli, something that told me that deep down I would never find anyone else quite like him. That it was always going to be Eli because nobody else would ever come close.
“Aww, you two are adorable,” Bubblegum said, clapping her hands, then sighing dramatically. “Why the fuck can’t I have that?”
“Because you send strangers photos of your butthole and think it’s a romantic gesture,” Eva said acerbically. “Your butt might be cute, but it’s not that cute.”
“Hey, don’t knock it,” Eli said, reaching for the wings and harness to slide them on over my shoulders. “That’s how my roommate met his boyfriends.”
“Are they coming tonight?” I asked. “Orlando and company.”
“Not sure, but I hope so.” Eli grinned. “He hasn’t let me meet them yet. Can’t imagine why.”
“If I see them, I’ll message you so you can come and annoy them.”
“You truly are the best.” He kissed my cheek dramatically, then stepped back. “And you look fucking gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly. “Do you want to come dance for a bit? Or have you got to set up?” I wasn’t the best dancer in the world, but even I could manage a little bit of club dancing. Especially if it involved Eli.
Eli looked me up and down, heat burning in his eyes. “I think I can spare ten minutes. Just for you.”
He took my hand and said goodbye to the others before we headed back out to the dance floor. The party was in full swing, and we found the others, not far from where we’d left them.
Lewis launched himself at Eli when he saw him, drunkenly chattering nineteen to the dozen and then gesturing at me. Eli laughed and said something that sounded like “Calm down, Nurse Joy.” The rest of the group appeared, and we all danced together for a while. Eli grumbled a bit about the music, saying it was monotonous, but there was a wicked glint in his eye that suggested he had something planned for his time in the booth.
When he left, he kissed me deeply. “See you later,” he murmured. “Be good for me.”
The kiss left me dizzy, my head spinning, and when I recovered, he was already gone. A few minutes later, when the song ended, a familiar voice flooded the speaker system.
“Hey, bitches! Let’s cut that crap. It’s time to have some fun.” The familiar first notes of “Livin’ on a Prayer” burst through the air, and the whole crowd cheered. I’d never heard a club perfectly harmonise the entire song while drunk, but it was amazing. But then Eli followed it with “Bohemian Rhapsody” and nothing would ever top that.
I couldn’t remember the last time a night out had ever been this fun. Maybe one never had been.
Lewis and his friends were incredibly welcoming, adopting me into their circle as if I’d known them for years.
We danced, we drank, we sang, and we danced some more. Time passed, but I wasn’t marking it.
“Hey,” Jay said at one point when we were all taking a quick break and drinking the glasses of water Jason had pressed into our hands. “Is anyone else starting to get hungry?”
“You know what we should do,” I said, thinking about what Eli and I had talked about earlier and Eva’s comments about freebies. “We should go to McDonald’s!”
“That,” Lewis said, “is the best idea I’ve ever heard.”