Your Love Is Sunlight

Eleven

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Mentions of prescription medication.

This chapter contains some Polish, as both Elio and his family are Polish and Jewish. I will put all single-word translations at the bottom of the chapter and all full-sentence translations underneath the paragraph.

—꧁—꧂—

There were a lot of things that Elio had sworn he'd never be in life, and a groupie was one of them. To be fair, he wasn't a groupie, he was the gay equivalent of a "rockstar's girlfriend", but it was just as unbelievable.

The point is, Andrew was playing the last of 3 live rehearsals in Dublin and had asked Elio to come with him. He'd get a guest pass and sit in the wings with Caroline, who Elio learned was Andrew's manager. It was the dream of every fangirl ever.

As usual, Elio was having a panic attack and a half trying to quietly find an outfit while Andrew took a nap in his bed. He'd been crashing at Elio's apartment for a few hours before the show, since he had to be up early to make sure the venue was in order, even though it didn't start until much later in the evening.

Andrew had come over around eight in the morning and climbed into bed with him, clinging to Elio like his own personal teddy bear and falling asleep almost immediately with his face nuzzled into Elio's hoodie. He didn't say anything, except for a mumbled "night" when Elio tucked the covers tighter around him.

Elio looked away from his closet and back to Andrew, who was hugging a black, stuffed dragon to his chest— the only way Elio was able to get away from him— and tucked peacefully under the covers. He couldn't help but smile, observing the way Andrew's hair fell into his face and spread out across the pillow.

He eventually decided on an outfit that did justice to the "rockstar boyfriend" title: a long-sleeved, sheer black shirt; half silver/half magenta, shiny bell bottoms with black zebra stripes; black heeled boots; guitar-shaped earrings; and his leather jacket.

After taking a picture of his outfit in his bedroom mirror to send to Isobel, who would also be at Andrew's concert that night, he took a piece of paper from his desk drawer, writing a note to Andrew and leaving it on the bedside table along with his spare key.

"Going to visit matka for a few hours, but I'll be at The Academy around 6, just like you told me to be. I left a spare key in case you need to get back in. Feel free to keep it and help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I'll see you soon! ♥︎"

The spare key was merely for practical purposes. They weren't moving in together or turning into one of those "domestic" couples who act like they're married within 5-seconds of knowing each other. Andrew was simply taking a nap in his apartment before a show and might need to access said apartment in the future without Elio being there. It meant nothing.

Or at least that's what Elio told himself as he walked to his truck. He checked his phone again before leaving to find a text from Isobel.

Isobel Ivers
September 4th, 12:07 pm

[Image attached]

Is that Andrew in the background?
He looks so peaceful.

Elio looked back at the picture he'd sent Isobel, and she was absolutely right. In the background, you could plainly see Andrew curled up in his bed. For a man who was regularly referred to as a "bog man" by his fans, Andrew looked so sweet.