Satin and Saxophones

A Little Bit of a Heartbreaker, With a Heart of Gold.

The smell of food hit me quicker than I expected, causing my stomach to twist into itself. a familiar feeling of being so hungry I was nauseous making me face twist along with my gut. I couldn't help but look over at all of the plates of food as we walked through. Trying to make my brain make a choice of what it wanted, so I didn't blurt out "one of everything" when the waitress walked up to the table. All of these conflicting, and hectic thoughts made me almost forget that Frank's hand was perched on my lower back, and my shoulders were crowded with his coat. The touch of another human being that was seemingly 100% pure took me off guard, but I knew better than to dwell on the feeling. My mind was already rattling around, and if I lingered too long my knees would start knocking. Sliding into the red vinyl booths I finally got a well lit look of his baby face, that didn't seem to match his overwhelming confidence. His face was smooth, with remnants of teenage marks, making me reason with myself that he was no older than 25. Frank just had the confidence that surrounded him as if he had had a life of experience, a whole other world. Almost like he has done life before, and was just going through the motions with this grace that I wish I could locate within myself. His eyes were the same color as mine, but much brighter the lights hitting them making the flecks of green and gold shimmer. He just seemed so full of life, and happy a contagious kind of happy that made me unconsciously smile to myself as we flipped through our menus. Readjusting myself in the booth the toes of our shoes clashed together making us both blush as we locked eyes and his lips turned up into a smirk.  My lips falling into a clumsy smile that made my blush, and wish I could be as smooth as he seemed. Instead around him I felt the remnants of the 15 year old boy tripping over his own feet, and stealing bras out of his mother's drawer. 

"What're you thinking, gorgeous?" he asked as his finger ran down the menu his eyes rolling up in their sockets to look into mine as I feverishly tried to pick something to cover the fact that I had spent the last 5 minutes subtly staring at his face. 

"I think just cheese burger." I smiled back at him as he nodded his toe hitting mine once again as he propped himself up into his booth. "Frank, what made you start doing music?" I asked without thinking my cheeks igniting to the point I knew it was overshadowing my rouge. His mouth truing up into a toothy smile. His teeth were imperfect in a perfect way the tooth right beside his left front one pointed the way a horror characters would be. The smile so wide his eyes closed halfway pushing the dark circles of maintaining the hours of musician showing more than they had before, but making it to where I was almost certain it was impossible to quit looking over him. I wanted to study his face forever, the facial expressions it produced fascinated me. He fascinated me, I finally admitting to myself. As I wondered silently if my secret would come between us. If it would end this little slice of heaven that was towering over me in the best of ways. Like the way I towered over the crowd when I first looked out, and gradually I came down to earth. Finding the rhythm to move my hips to the beat as I belted out every note. 

"My Nonna was a drummer, and my dad he's a musician too. I never knew a world without music, ya know?" he asked pausing as I nodded his fists curling together as he flexed them. "When he passed away, and left the club to my father and I it felt right to start playing there every night. to carry on his memory. The stage he built was only used by him a few times, but I still feel him up there. Like he's behind me clapping to every beat. I can hear him still saying stronzo when I mess up just to come behind me and show me the right note and just how to hit the way I need to back up the rest of the band, and it's sound." his smile turned into a bittersweet one making me eyes fill slightly. I could see the passion swelling out of him all over this room flooding me into a sense of creative stardust. The honor of being on that stage amplifying in my head. "He passed away going on two years now. It was hard, and I still struggle. I mean he was my best friend, taught me mostly everything I know about music. When my folks split it was easier to hang around him then their messy little spats. He never judged them for never marrying the way my mom's parents always do. He just loved me unconditionally." he sighed as the waitress approached our table almost making me jump. I was so engrossed in his words the rawness that he was so open with this close to meeting me threw me off. The way he spoke about his father to pureness in it made my heart swell, and sink all at the same time. I missed my family, mostly my brother and grandmother. I wished they could just accept the person I had become, I knew I was probably alone in the world, but in the time that I had been Gerard to the mindset of being Gee i had found so much to live for. A whole new life to look forward to.

"What can I get for you two night owls tonight?" the mousy waitress asked us smiling at Frank, and avoiding my glance. 

"Hey J, meet Gee. She's our new singer since Daisy ran out on us a few weeks back." FRank said smiling at me as the waitress looked over with a small wave almost sizing me up before looking back at Frank her pen perched on her note pad as she waited for our order. "A burger for Gee, and i'll take the baked ham dinner, oh and two pops please" Frank said dazzling both of us with his perfect smile as J wrote it all down, and walked away. "Ignore Jamia, she's still sour I wouldn't take her out. I'm just not into that type." he shrugged picking my menu up from in front of me tucking it into the holder against the window. 

"I think it's amazing that you were so close with your grandfather, and that you're carrying on his legacy like this." I smiled reaching for his hand laying my long pale fingers of his slightly darker ones. "And don't worry, she doesn't bother me. Tell me Iero, are you a little bit of a heartbreaker?" I said half joking and half serious as my heart started to race in my chest as his fingers slipped between mine.

"I can't break what I don't want, but when I get ahold of something I don't let it go." he winked as Jamia brought out glass bottle pops and slid them onto our table flouncing away noticeably making me laugh as I took a large sip.