Caesar’s Flame returned to town at the end of June. Dorian was ecstatic to see his husband-to-be, and I was happy for him. Not so for me, though. I knew that wherever Laramie went, Chuck would be close behind. I didn’t have a great handle on my feelings where he was concerned. So I stayed out of the music store as much as possible, unless Dorian needed help with customers.
I glimpsed Chuck a few times when there was a show featuring one of the bands on his label. I was civil, and he was friendly, though we didn’t share many words in passing. Nowadays, he always had a guy on his arm, each one younger than the last. While it cut me to the core, I had no say in the matter. Pushing him away was my decision, and I needed to stick to it, even if it killed me.
One Tuesday afternoon, the phone o
