Page 15 of Tumbling Hearts

He gets up from the bed, leaving Gene undisturbed, and he looks for some clothes in the suitcase. Finding his unused pajamas lying carelessly on the floor, he decides to just shove them back in. He grabs some fresh underwear, a tank top, shorts, and changes into them. They could be either his or Gene’s, but they share clothes anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

He heads into the bathroom to relieve his bladder and give himself a quick shave. As he stares at his reflection in the mirror, he continues reflecting on his circumstances. A thought startles him, shaking his core, almost making him cut his face—what if I simply left Carol?

He steadies his hand, rinsing off his razor in the sink.

No, I can’t do that.

As much as he cares for Gene, he does care for Carol, too. He’d absolutely hate to break her heart. Not to mention how she’s also living with them all; if they broke up, would she have to go back to her parents’ house? He can’t do that to her. Granted, she is starting a modeling career of her own now, and if that keeps going, she could likely find her own apartment…

I can’t just force her out, though. That would be shitty.

And even worse—how bad would it look to break up with her after spending a romantic weekend with Gene? It’d be too obvious that the reason for the break up would be because of his feelings for his best friend. That would make Carol furious. She’d know for a fact he’s been cheating on her. Furthermore, would her rage at such a situation cause her to gossip? What if she told the press that he and Gene are nothing but a couple of queers?

It would ruin the band. No way in hell could he risk such a thing, when the Dusty Brooms mean the world to him. Not just to him, no, but to Gene and every other member as well.

But maybe, if no one finds out his true feelings, they can keep on this way. He wouldn’t need to break up with Carol. No one would ever know what’s been happening on this vacation if he never tells them, right? It’s just like Gene had said last night: ‘It can be our little secret, this… thing between us.’

Such a thought calms him, and he exits the bathroom, finding Gene still sleeping on the bed.

Or, he thought he was asleep, until he speaks up.

“Oh, Ray… there you are,” he says with an incredibly raspy voice. He must’ve just woken up. It’s so intimate; butterflies flutter in Ray’s chest.

“Hey babe,” Ray says. He sits on the edge of the bed, facing Gene.

“You got up before me.”

“Well, you just looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to wake you. Besides, you tired yourself out pretty hard last night. I felt you could use a few more minutes of rest.” Ray gives him a smirk, and Gene chuckles at that.

“I guess so. You’re right, I am still pretty tired,” he says with his head still resting on the pillow.

“Say, what if I got us some breakfast? You can stay in bed and I’ll bring it back here.”

“That sounds—wait, where? How would you get breakfast?”

“I figured I could find a place in town. Bound to be somewhere, right? I could drive⁠—”

“Drive my car?” Gene abruptly sits up, the blanket falling off his shoulders and into his lap, revealing his sexy, hairy torso.

“Yeah, what other car is there?”

“Fuck no, you ain’t driving my car!” Gene frowns, his brows furrowing. “I just got that Thunderbird earlier this year.”

“Aw, come on! It’s so pretty.” Ray bats his eyelashes. “How does that one song go? And we’ll have fun, fun, fun⁠—”

“Till Daddy takes the T-bird away. Yeah, I’m taking it away before you even get your hands on it,” Gene chuckles.

“But what about breakfast, then?”

“I’ll get up. Let’s just go together, alright? I’m driving.”

Ray laughs. “Well, if you insist.”

After getting some breakfast in town, they drive around—Gene at the wheel, to Ray’s dismay—looking for exciting spots to take photos. Castle Rock is one of the places they stop at: a giant rock formation standing about 195 feet above sea level. It’s a beautiful lookout point, yet Ray feels a little sick to his stomach as they climb the ramp. Gene seems courageous though, and he holds Ray’s hand to calm him as they make it to the top.

Gene takes some photos of the vast, azure blue lakes and the towering Mackinac Bridge in the distance with his simple point-and-shoot camera. They ask a passer-by to snap a few of them together, too, with their arms over each other’s shoulders, the gorgeous scenery in the background.

After that, they find another scenic rock: St. Anthony’s Rock. This one they can’t climb, which Ray is thankful for; he’s had plenty of heights for the day already. Gene snaps some more photos of the majestic, giant stone—and some shots with both Ray and Gene in the foreground—and once they’re done, it’s already time for lunch.