He Will Be Loved

Gerard sat in his car, staring down at the dashboard as the rain thundered down outside. His grip tightened around the steering wheel as he found himself fantasizing about punching his manger. How could he have been so stupid? Greg was a mess. It didn’t matter how long they had been friends, when it came to managing the band, he was hopeless and thanks to him, he had lost out on yet another record deal.

This was it.
He had officially given up on him.

Gerard sighed heavily, reaching for the door handle and stepping outside. The rain poured from the night sky, soaking through his clothes as he wandered towards the pub, its warm light almost enticing him inside. He didn’t care about the rain. In fact, he didn’t care about anything anymore. All he wanted right now was a drink.

He just wanted to pretend the past few years happened.

As he walked inside, he trudged up to the bar, taking a seat on a nearby stool before knocking on it booze stained surface. Glancing around, he noticed the bar was oddly quiet for this time of night. Normally, a pub on a Thursday night would be brimming with young boozers and locals who just wanted a quiet drink. Instead, it was just him and a waitress.

“What can I get you sir?”

Gerard turned his head and saw a young bartender cleaning a glass as he watched him intently. Gerard smiled; he hadn’t seen a man this attractive before. He wasn’t particularly tall man, standing no more than 5’6. His dark hair brushed to the side with a long black fringe hanging down his beautifully pale face. But it was his eyes, those dark mysterious eyes that seemed to draw him in, enticed him to find out more about the man before him. “Jack on the rocks” he replied, not taking his eyes off the bartender as he poured him a drink.

“You look like you’ve been to hell and back” the bartender said as he placed the drink back on the bar. Gerard laugh, taking a sip of the bitter whisky. He was never a lover of whisky, but on a night like this, he just didn’t care. “Do I really look that bad?” Gerard asked, raising an eyebrow. The bartender laughed, shaking his head as he picked up his glass. If he wasn’t mistaken, he would have thought the man was blushing. “I’ve seen worse looking guys in here” he replied.

Gerard looked down shyly, unable to meet his gaze. Why was he acting like this? It was just a bartender. Seriously, get a grip he scorned, taking another sip of his drink. “Well, as it happens I’ve had a pretty shit day. I lost a potential record deal because of my so-called best friend” he moaned, his voice almost as bitter as the whisky as he finished his drink, shuddering as he did so.

The bartender sighed, leaning against the bar. “If I was you, I wouldn’t give up so easily. If its your dream, you should keep at it” He replied, his voice grave as his eyes shot down to the ground. Gerard swallowed hard, not wanting to pry any further. The bartender looked like a man who had seen and experienced a great deal of things, not all of them good. He looked up, locking eyes with Gerard. There was a moment between the pair, as though for an instant, there was an unspoken emotion. Gerard felt his heart flutter in his chest as he struggled with his emotions. What was wrong with him? The man was a stranger, just a man who served him a drink. Maybe it was just the booze, maybe he was just a lightweight when it came to his drink.

That’s all it was…. Right?

A thin smile spread across the bartenders face. “I’ll tell you what, how’s about you do a few gigs in here. Come round tomorrow at 12:30 and you can audition” The bartender offered, linking his hands together on the wooden surface. Gerard stared at him in amazement, was he serious? It wasn’t a record deal but at least it would pay the rent. “Wow… thanks, I don’t know what I can do to repay you” He gasped, rubbing the back of his head. The bartender quickly held up his hands, grinning as he shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, we could do with some music to liven this place up… what was your name by the way?” He asked, folding his arms against his chest. “I’m Gerard, Gerard Way” He replied, rising from the barstool as he stretched out his hand.

“Nice to meet you Gerard. I’m Frank. I’ll be here all day tomorrow but if I’m not at the bar, speak to Carly and she’ll come and grab me” He instructed, shaking Gerard hand as he gestured over to the blonde woman who was cleaning tables. Gerard nodded, a broad grin forming on his face. “I won’t let you down” He said, walking out of the bar and back to his car.

But as he drove home, he realized it wasn’t the audition he was excited for
It was the idea of seeing that man again.

Frank watched him leave, placing his hands on his hips. His heart was racing, but he had to play it cool, for Carly’s sake. He couldn’t let her know who he really was, it would kill her if she knew. He had known about his sexuality for years but couldn’t bring himself to come out to his parents. So he took the cowards way out, married his best friend and pretended he loved her.

He had always been a good liar.

“Who was that baby?” Carly asked, suddenly appearing behind him and wrapping her arms around him. He snapped out of his trance, the thoughts of the musician dancing through his mind as he struggled to forget him, to keep him at the back of his mind. “Oh, just a client, he might be working for us soon” he said matter of factly. Carly shrugged, smiling as she kissed him on the cheek. “Wanna come to bed? This place is dead tonight?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. Frank grinned, smacking her on the bum as he walked around to lock the doors. He listened to her leave, before he rested his face on the cold glass.

He hated his life.

Notes