Page 55 of Tumbling Hearts

“I think we were talking about what we were gonna do in New York,” Gene says.

“Oh yeah, right.”

On the road to New York, Ray is sitting with Gene on the bus. It’s still rather early in the day, but Carol wanted to catch up on some rest for her gig tomorrow, so she’s taking a nap in the back on one of the bunk beds, the curtain to the area drawn shut. Ray is fine with that. It gives him some time alone with Gene. Well, not really alone—the Brooms and their crew are still scattered all around the bus—but Ray doesn’t need to share his time with Gene with Carol.

Maybe that sounds bad, but I guess I haven’t been feeling up to spending time with her much at all lately.

Yet Ray has been more than eager to write songs with Gene again. He’s been trying to think up something new in his downtime, hearing tunes in his head when he’s alone in the shower or before he drifts off to sleep at night. Finally, he can share what he’s been creating with Gene, who’s sitting on the couch next to him. The windows of the bus are cracked open to let in some fresh air, warmer than average on the last day of September. The breeze blows the curtains around, but also Gene’s hair, the long black strands whipping around his handsome face. Ray watches closely as Gene lifts a hand to curl a lock behind his ear, showcasing one of his sideburns. Even such a simple movement gets Ray’s heart beating faster.

Gene sets his hand back down, resting it on the acoustic guitar in his lap. He smiles at Ray—oh, how that smile makes Ray’s cheeks burn. “So, you had a song idea?” Gene asks.

“Yeah. I was thinking of a folksy ballad, like I told you before. Like something that would sound good just acoustic. I got some lyrics that could maybe be the chorus, or the pre-chorus or something. But either way, I wanted to tell you.”

“Yeah, for sure. Lay it on me.”

“Alright.” Ray sings the first part aloud a capella, “Livin’ life and travelin’ all around, and it’s you who finds me where I am.”

Ray nods to the beat, and so does Gene, as he continues⁠—

“Ain’t it funny how a girl like you, and a guy like me, could be so good.”

“Wait, I love that. But maybe we could make it better. If you don’t mind me changing some of the words a little,” Gene says. He strums a chord on his guitar that matches the key Ray was singing in—instantly knowing the notes, with his damn perfect pitch—and sings a variation on the last line Ray just sang, “Ain’t it funny how someone like you, and someone like me, could be so good.”

Ray nods. “Man, you’re right, Gene. That is way better. Changing it from ‘a girl’ to ‘someone’.”

“You think so?” Gene stops strumming.

“Yeah. It makes it more vague, not talking about a specific gender. So you don’t know if they’re singing about a girl, or even another guy…”

“A guy singing about another guy?” Gene chuckles.

“Well, maybe, but that’s why I like how you changed the lyric. It’s not clear who. Anyone could sing it, then. Isn’t that what you’re going for, changing it that way?”

“Okay, you got me. I just… felt a little embarrassed admitting that. But you said it all for me.”

“I know you, Gene.” Ray smiles. “But yeah, that’s good. Wait, what if we sang this like a duet?”

“What do you mean? Don’t we already sing together?” Gene chuckles.

“No, I mean I sing one verse, you sing the second verse, and we sing the chorus together. And maybe we trade off on the bridge. That sort of duet, not just harmonizing.”

“Oh, yeah, I like the sound of that.” Gene nods. “And if the lyrics are vague, that works out great. Two guys just singing about their relationships… Not more specific than that.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinkin’. I got some more lyrics, too, if you wanna hear them.”

“Sure, go for it.”

“Alright.” Ray takes a deep breath, and sings a cappella again, “But that’s just how it is… I know it to be true… I love you.”

He looks in Gene’s eyes as he sings the last lyric.

It’s honestly adorable how Gene’s cheeks flush red after that. What may have been some random love song in Ray’s head now feels peculiar when sung aloud, directly to his best friend—the man he can’t stop thinking about.

It’s like he’s saying it to Gene.

He has told Gene he loves him, but only once, when he was wasted in Las Vegas. Ray still remembers. Of course what he said is true. He loves Gene. He is his best friend, after all. But the kind of love one feels for a friend and the kind one feels for a lover are different.

The lines have been blurred, and he’s not sure what he’s feeling anymore.