A New Song [mxm]

10. A-Flat

Alex listened to his feet hitting the pavement, ignoring the burning in his lungs or the sweat dripping from his body. His pace was steady, following his own beat. At the beginning of his run, he was able to hum a tune, but now two hours in, he couldn't spare an extra breath.

He approached the familiar alleyway and nodded to one of the security guards as he slowed down gradually.

"Alex, you look like shit." He said while gesturing at his body.

Alex gave a tired laugh. "Over... estimated... run..."

The guard laughed. "Seems like it. Go on it and get some rest. You don't want to pass out on Francis tonight."

Alex patted him on the shoulder and then walked into the dark hallway. His smile fell almost instantly when no one else was around. He was still frustrated about the situation, feeling completely useless in this life. Preston Green didn't need to rely on a competition before. He could have waltzed onto any stage and had the world bow to him. Luke would have never opened his mouth. Just his presence would have silenced them all. And LuxStar? They would crumble under the weight of Eclipse.

But now, he was Alex Lee. Unknown, unrepresented, and unable to figure out his next step.

He paused in front of the practice room and decided to enter. He knew that he wouldn't get any sleep in his state. 

He sat at the piano bench and stared at the keys, but all he could hear was his own breath.  No songs came to him, only frustration.  He questioned his past success. Preston Green fell into addiction, and Remy found him singing on the streets.  What kind of shit luck was that? 

He pressed on the keys, hoping that something would come from them, but it only made him groan as he closed the piano lid.  He pulled off the sweater, revealing his damp muscle shirt, and tossed it to the corner. He turned off his notifications on his phone and plugged in an aux cord to connect to the speakers.

He had been practicing the more complicated dance routines from Preston's old videos to build up his stamina. The routine he had been working on particularly was a cardio-heavy dance that required constant movement and break dancing moves.

As Preston, he started as a dancer, but once he became popular for his singing, he left it to his backup dancers to do the most work. Looking back, he felt this was a shortcoming and should have focused on his physical endurance.

He flipped the music on his phone until he found a fast-paced instrumental with the right BPMs, and put it on repeat. He started to go through the motions, sometimes stopping and slowly going through the moves to ensure every piece was perfect before he started all over again. He strained himself, trying to position himself carefully, making his body a work of art and part of a show. 

He didn't realize that the missed calls and text messages were building.

In the office above the club floor, Nick was sharing lunch with Jaxon when their meal was interrupted by a phone call. Nick looked at the unknown number and answered it.

"Nick Wallace."  He answered with a stern voice.

The other voice was out of breath. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Mr. Wallace. This is Chen, Alex's agent."

Nick grinned. " Chen! How's our boy doing it? Stealing all the hearts of the talent agencies?"

Jaxon sat a little straighter, listening in, and Nick placed the call on speakerphone. Nick's eyes flickered with curiosity when noticing Jaxon's reaction.

Chen seems to hesitate. "Well... about that... LuxStar was a little underhanded."

Nick's smile dropped. "What do you mean?"