Glee: Race to the Finish (the fifth book in the Glee series)

Chapter 67: The Question

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it, if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it, don't be mad once you see that he want it, yada yada, blah blah da da da. Oh oh oh, whoa oh oh oh oh oh, whoa oh oh. 

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"What is this place?" asked Alex as John led him and Tyler into what he said was one of the best clubs in town.

"Layla's Bluegrass Inn," John sighed. "Sam loved coming here when we toured the area in the beginning months and... It's just a pretty cool place for live music."

They walked through the doors and saw that he wasn't kidding. A live band was already playing a song on a stage for people who were either dancing or sitting around tables eating and drinking. There was a bar across the room from the stage and Alex said, "There's alcohol and country music. I already love it."

He walked to the bar and took a seat, already talking to the bartender and flirting his way to a drink. Tyler laughed and hit the dance floor for the ladies, while John just sat down at a table and listened to the music, taking a moment from the craziness of the tour to just relax.

***

Travis was sitting in his rented Lima apartment flipping through the channels of his television when the front door opened and he nearly hid behind the couch. It was just Sebastian, however, a serious look on his face.

"Don't you knock?" Travis asked, turning his attention back to the television screen.

"I called you several times," Sebastian responded. "You didn't answer any of them. No date tonight? I figured you must be with your girlfriend since you didn't take my messages either."

"I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Watching a rerun of Grey's Anatomy? Because you sure as hell aren't writing like you should be doing."

"What does it even matter to you?" Travis asked. "It's my album."

"Which I'm responsible for you finishing on time," Sebastian said. "You're one of my biggest acts. And you just finished a tour that was bigger for Santana than it was for you. You need to get out of town and go—"

"Oh, I see what this is," Travis said, turning off the TV. "You want me on the road again, by myself, so that I won't have time to have a boyfriend. Is that it?"

Sebastian scoffed, "Seriously? You think I care about that? Between your beard lawyer and your mystery guy, all I know is you're putting yourself at risk."

"At risk of what?"

"Of someone exposing you. These days it's not a very big deal for you to be a gay artist but you've made yourself out to be this sex symbol and I get why you don't want that to change. You're a ladies man, you're a heartthrob. Fine. I'm not telling anyone. Julie isn't telling anyone. Santana isn't telling anyone. But who else have you gone around telling? Which hook-ups and boyfriends do you know wouldn't sell this information about you to the press? You're getting more famous every day, Travis. And with that fame, comes a loss of privacy. I do care that you're seeing someone but not because I'm jealous. I'm looking out for you..." He walked towards the door but then stopped and turned back around. "Write something. Please." Then he left for good.

***

"So you're thinking of sticking around for a while?" Stefan asked Shea as they finished their desserts.

"Yeah," Shea said with a smile. "I mean, if that's what you want. I wouldn't stay here if I wasn't wanted."

"Of course you're wanted," he said immediately.