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This wasn’t the usual bar Ray frequented to scout new talent. Or someone to make his creative partner, as he had been chasing for ages, for that matter. But it was good to look out for new stars he wanted to sign with. He had gotten the tip from Hank to try to find another star, as Hank had found Art and become great partners in the making of Art’s music career. That’s how Ray went with Hank for the first time and found Collie Parker, a great singer who just needed an extra push that Ray was willing to give.
That’s what Ray was doing again here tonight, waiting for Collie to perform at his usual open mic night while nursing a drink at the bar. Garraty wasn’t a drinking type of guy, something that had come up pretty early on between Collie when he had offered Ray to buy him a beer while they talked business. With a little scolding from Collie at Ray for not liking beer, but he could enjoy a light cocktail.
The bar Mile 321 had started to gain its own following, thanks to the way people could see the artists quite up close and in a very intimate and personal setting. And Collie had gained quite the audience with his pretty face and sweet voice. Becoming the perfect spot for him and his colleagues to find new talent.
Stebbins, as annoying and cryptic as he might be, had found his own creative collaborator, Harkness, a short man with glasses who seemed to have an incredible talent for playing the piano as a side hobby. Which wasn’t more than just playing for some other stars under contract that the company they all worked for had. And if their dynamic seemed to be too personal to just be collaborators in music, who was Ray to judge?
It had seemed as if the bar was bringing everyone luck, but not Ray. As the production company Stebbins, Olson, and he worked at didn’t allow the liberty Garraty had been looking for. It was stable enough that he could continue pushing the ideas of the artists he had hired, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. He had felt tired of it all for a while, which is why he kept looking for a partner in all this. To finally make the music he had been dreaming of with someone who understood him.
When Collie finally reached the small stage, Ray had enough of the other people who had played an instrument or sang before him. He just wanted to leave, as it didn’t seem to be the night for him to find the new face. Go back to his regular bar, where Hank and Art frequented with him, and leave Collie to his bar.
Maybe he was feeling off after Jan decided to end things, which he had felt coming for a while. It ultimately became a mutual feeling of no longer being understood. Ray appeared odd and out of place, a feeling he was not familiar with. Some emotions he didn’t want to dwell on.
As he kept swirling his drink, he saw a man standing next to the stage with a guitar in his hands, waiting for his turn after Collie finished. There was something about him that transfixed Ray and drew him in. Maybe it was the scar across his face or his instantly charming smile directed towards Collie as he introduced him on stage.
“Thank you, everyone. I appreciate you coming out here to have a little fun. I want to give a warm welcome to a new acquaintance to the stage, Peter McVries.”
As the other man got up on stage, Collie shook his hand and said something to McVries that Ray couldn’t quite decipher. And Ray couldn’t stop staring at Peter, everything about him calling straight to Garraty in a way that he hadn’t felt before when searching for new artists. Something that made him feel enchanted by the man even before McVries sang in front of everyone.
“Thank you for that, Collie. I appreciate the invitation to sing in front of all of you tonight. I’m Peter McVries, but you lot can call me McVries.” With that, he started to play a soft melody with his guitar. It was all captivating; it felt soothing and enthralling at the same time. Ray knew he had to get McVries as a client, and even the partnership that Garraty was persistently looking for. As something kept telling him, this beautiful man could be it. Everything Ray has been looking to build with someone.
“I wrote this song thinking about the future, a poet’s wishful thinking, a few might say,” gaining a slight chuckle from the audience. “Here goes nothing.”
Not only can he sing and play a guitar, but he also writes his own material. Ray knew he had to get a closer look. Picking up his drink and looking for a spot closer to the stage where he could see McVries sitting on a wooden stool illuminated just right by a soft light on the roof of the bar. He looked ethereal as he sang softly about his future sweetheart, building a home with a lifelong companion, someone to hold the weight of life with.
And as Ray approached the stage as close as he could get, McVries decided to look up exactly at that time and look in Ray’s direction. It was an instant click when McVries’ deep brown eyes decided to lock path with Garraty’s, a knowing glance saying it all. As if it were written to be that Ray meant McVries in this bar, held each other's gaze, and knew something unwritten. It might have been an eternity that passed between that glance, but it was mere seconds, as McVries winked at Ray with a small smile playing on his lips as he let his fingers expertly play this song. Ray blushed slightly under the attention the other man put on him.
When the song ended, everyone at the bar erupted with claps and whistles. McVries rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, a bit nervously, at all the attention.
“Thank you, everybody,” he said as he exited the stage, looking a bit shy at the reception and praise for his natural talents.
As soon as he got off the stage, Ray ran after him. He felt like a madman trying to find the truth behind something unknown, and before he could reach McVries, he was already having a conversation with Collie.
“Here he is, the man of the hour,” Collie said, extending a hand out to Ray when he saw the other man closing in on them.
“Hey, Parker.”
“I was just looking for you, Garraty. I wanted to introduce you to McVries here before he went on stage, but I saw you mopping at the bar and didn’t want to interrupt,” Collie replied, making McVries chuckle at the slight comment and Ray blush a bright red.
“Leave him alone, Parker.”
“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. But never say I never did anything for you, McVries,” Collie added, shaking McVries' hand and nodding to Ray before leaving the two of them.
“Hey, I- I’m Ray Garraty.”
“Pete. Pete McVries.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ray replies as he shakes Pete’s hand. They start moving towards a table with two chairs opposite the stage, which is empty as the angle is not right to see the artists performing on stage.
“I wouldn’t have guessed that you knew, Collie,” Ray said once both of them sat down, “I hadn’t seen you perform before today, and this is his usual spot.”
“Well, he had to convince me to come today, actually. Said something between the lines of the guy who manages him being here today, and that I should meet him.”
“And here you are.”
“And here I am,” Pete added with a chuckle.
“Even without Collie’s push, I would have tried to contact you, Mr. McVries,” Ray added, trying to keep things formal, even as the connection between them felt more real than anything Garraty had felt in a long time.
“You can call me Pete, Mr. Garraty,” Pete replied with a smirk.
“Ray is fine, Pete. Mr. Garraty is my dad,” Ray said, rubbing the back of his neck a bit awkwardly.
Pete just stares at Ray with delight in his eyes, the same warmth that he had when he first locked eyes with him on stage. He loved that even when Ray would get embarrassed for the simplest things, he was always straightforward to make the first move. Everything about this meeting felt right to Pete, as he had been writing in his songs for a while. A prayer to the moon and stars to bring him a possible sweetheart. Someone he clicked with instantly.
“I can see that your songs are quite personal, Pete. That definitely helps when creating an image for yourself as an upcoming artist. I don’t know if you had the chance to speak with Collie at all? Regarding the type of management, I was able to assist him with. We released his first EP with a few cover songs to try to get some other people to collaborate with him. And so far, it’s all been great for both of us,” Ray finished explaining. Not wanting to look desperate, but at least explain the ways his decision-making had helped out Collie’s career so far, which had a chance to go out even further with working with the right people. But a weird nervous feeling kept creeping on Ray just by being in front of Pete at last. It didn’t help that Pete was probably the most gorgeous guy who had wanted to pay attention to Ray first, without actually knowing he was a producer, as most people usually tried. It all felt… right.
“Yeah, Parker did mention all that. But I wanted to get to know you, Ray, not only your work. You seem like an interesting guy, and I feel like we could become good friends,” Pete replied, somehow reading what Ray had been thinking while explaining his work to the other man. And it was a lonely profession in some ways, always trying to fight for the artist's wishes while also looking out for what was best for his own company. It was tiring and bleak. And Pete was just giving him the opening to get close. A kindness that he hasn’t seen in anyone else, to converse about something other than work. They did say that friendships always ended up making the best partnerships in the end, Ray simply thought.
“Yeah, yeah. I feel the same way, Pete.”
The prospect of having more than one friend in the industry to be right by his side, not only by helping them out with their career, but also to see what Ray had to offer artistically, was all he had been hoping for a while.
“So compadre, tell me more about yourself. Why did you decide to become an indie producer? From what I tried to get out of Collie, he doesn’t know much,” Pete asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Ray replied, lightly laughing. “I didn’t see myself becoming some sort of producer, not after I dropped my major in political science, but my dad had always said that life leads you right where you need to be. I already had a minor in producing music, which is an odd combination, I know, but I didn’t want to give up my dad’s dream of making a change in the world, whichever way possible. Perhaps not by studying politics, but by helping others create music that can bring about change in the world. Something I feel like I don’t have, that creativity, to make art. But I can help other people make it.”
It was too honest for a first conversation, especially with the person Ray felt like was what he had been looking for. The answer to all his wishes, the artist who has enough liberty to dream in his own art about a future. A light that Garraty could no longer see since his dad passed away.
“Sorry,” Ray immediately responded, feeling stupid for sharing so much, “I got carried away, you probably didn’t want to know all that.”
“It’s okay, compadre. I asked you, and you responded with all your honesty. Which is a new one for me. Every time I get told about a new producer, it's always the same stuck-up asshole who doesn’t want to make genuine art but what can sell best. Nothing about authenticity, but pure lies that sell. You’re different, Ray. And your dad seems like a smart man with the advice he gave you.”
“He’s the best person I know,” Ray quickly replies, missing his dad more than he had in a while. “So, Pete. Are you that much of a poet as I heard you today? ‘Cause that was probably the best I heard in a while, it’s honest and beautiful.”
“You sure do have a way with words, Ray.”
“I’m not the poet here, but I know how to appreciate talent when I see it.”
“Aren’t you a dear boy, Ray?”
Ray sighs, looking at Pete sheepishly. He hadn’t felt this instant connection to anyone before; Ray knew he had to find a way to work with Pete and make him the star he deserved to be.
“Do I pass your test then, Pete?”
“You sure do, compadre. What do you say, we meet up again, and I can show you what I have been working on?”
“Sounds great, Pete. Just give me your number, and we can set a time and date.”
After exchanging phone numbers and saying their respective goodbyes, Ray felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Pete :)
hey
All Ray could do was smile at the message as he walked back towards his small apartment. He didn’t want to reply right away, for fear of looking desperate to continue having such a nice conversation with the other man. He would reply once he got home.
But once Ray got home, he didn’t know what to reply with. He kept writing hey, hi, and hello in different ways, but couldn’t seem to get the guts to send them to Pete. Embarrassing enough that Pete could probably see the typing bubble come up from Ray’s side, but nothing came back. While rubbing his thumbs back and forth, his phone vibrated again.
Pete :)
i had fun today, compadre. maybe we could meet up this week if you aren’t busy with any big clients of yours ;)
Ray
Sure! Is Wednesday okay for you?
Pete :)
it’s a date, then
we can meet up at a café near mile 321, i know firsthand that they have great coffee
Ray
Sounds fun, Pete. See you then :)
Ray was freaking out. Reading over and over again the text Pete had sent him. It’s a date, then. It had become ingrained in his brain from how much he had read it repeatedly. Had Pete been openly flirting with him all night? Ray would think he had noticed it, but after thinking back on his conversation, it felt like it. And Ray didn’t seem to mind.
Everything with Pete felt simple in a way he hadn’t experienced before with anyone else. The way he came about his art with such passion and heart made Ray feel more fascinated with the other man. Not only his gorgeous face, his strong arms, and charming smile, which Ray hadn’t been thinking of, obviously. It was just facts that he could use to jumpstart Pete’s career. Making an EP with 6 songs, all written and sung by Pete, and produced by Ray, of course. And it was starting to sound too good to be true, but a man could hope.
It was all Garraty could think about throughout his week, as they had met on a Sunday, and the other two days before Wednesday seemed to pass impossibly slow compared to other weeks when time flew by. And don’t get him wrong, he loved his job. He found it stimulating to create something new with someone else, especially the clients he had signed, but there was something about Pete that kept calling to him. It was as if he held all the answers to his decisions since changing majors in college.
So when Wednesday finally arrived, Ray was angsty. He couldn’t wait to get off, and it seemed that Hank had also taken notice.
“What’s gotten into you, Garraty? You've been acting weird since the weekend. Did you finally get laid? If that’s true, Art and Collie owe me a beer,” Hank said.
“What?”
“Well, Collie had made us all a bet that he could get you laid this weekend with this acquaintance of his. That he could introduce the two of you at Mile 321?”
That certainly made more sense of what Collie had said when introducing the two and leaving them alone so quickly, and as to why Pete was wondering about Ray’s personal life more than his work. Even if he seemed interested in working with Ray, it had been a setup to stop Garraty from mopping as he was.
“Christ, no Olson. Nothing happened between us.”
“Dammit, Garraty. Now I owe Art and Collie a beer.”
“You wouldn’t owe either of them anything if you didn’t interfere with my love life, Hank,” Ray added, feeling further mortified that his friends felt the need to get involved in his gloominess about his breakup with Jan.
“But did you at least sign him then? ‘Cause Parker would not shut up about this guy McVries being good.
“We’re meeting later today, Hank. To discuss a possible signing,” Ray replied, rubbing his temple. His friends just had to be nosy enough about his love life and work.
“So there’s still a chance for you to bang him.”
“Shut up, Olson.”
“Or he can bang you, whatever you like, but I can’t lose this bet, Ray.”
It wasn’t embarrassing enough that his colleagues and friends knew that he had become a mess after breaking up with Jan. The constant familiarity of having her in his life, to now knowing that he wanted Pete in more than one way.
“Isn’t it weird to either of you how nosy you can get?”
“What can I say, Ray, we like to keep things interesting.”
“Whatever keeps you happy, Hank. But nothing will happen, we will just meet up and see if we can work something out.”
“Just keep in mind that he didn’t just mean to meet up to sign a deal, but to see you, Raymond.”
And the conversation about Ray’s love life wouldn’t end there, but it will continue to come up every time Art shows up to say hello to Hank in the next few hours before Ray decides that it was enough office work that he had done at the studio before meeting with Pete. With much teasing from both of them, Ray didn’t necessarily rush as Hank and Art said to get out of there, but he didn’t want to give Pete a bad impression.
Ray arrived at the café Pete had mentioned, and he saw that the other man was already waiting for him there in a corner with his back to the door, writing something down in a tiny notebook. And it just hit Ray that they never agreed on an hour to meet up, making him seem like a total asshole to show up so late.
Approaching the table at the corner of the café while rubbing his thumb slightly on his jacket, a nervous tick that he couldn’t seem to get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.
“H-Hey Pete, sorry for showing up so late,” Ray announced when he was close enough for Pete to hear him as he wrote in his notebook.
“Hi there compadre, you're all good. I forgot to ask you the time to meet up, and I can assume how busy you can get, so I preferred just to come here early and get some writing done.”
Ray laughed at Pete’s comment, “Okay, Pete, if you say so. Can I get you anything to drink? I was just about to order something.”
“Such a gentleman, Ray,” Pete replied fondly, “An iced coffee with almond milk would be fine, thank you.”
“Coming right up, then,” Ray joked back.
As Ray got up to order their drinks, he kept thinking about what Hank had said before he left the studio. On how Pete hadn’t just agreed to meet him to sign with Ray, but to see him as a casual date at Mile 321, to get to know him, and whatnot. A fluttering feeling kept appearing in his chest when he thought about Pete agreeing to see him again, not feeling opposed to sharing a drink back at the bar, and the winking on stage while he sang a love song about a sweetheart without knowing him. Ray was fucked.
The barista had called out his name a few times before he reacted that their drinks were ready. Feeling awkward at not noticing his surroundings when thinking about Pete. And said man was looking his direction with a smile on his face, trying to hide his laughter at Ray’s reaction.
“Rough day at the office?” Pete asked when Ray sat at their table, teasingly.
“You can say that,” Ray answered, with a shy smile and a slight blush on his cheeks.
“Anything exciting that you been working on, Ray?”
“Nothing much, I think I might be running out of ideas by now,” Ray confessed, a weird sense of honesty wanting to come out every time he talked to Pete.
And the conversation wouldn’t stop flowing from there, as if a simple piece of openness from Ray was all Pete needed to be genuine about his own struggles with his craft. Not only does the way Pete’s voice sounded keep Ray enthralled in their conversation, but the passion with which he discusses having tried to get a producer who wanted his vision to come to life. It wasn’t as easy as Pete thought it would be, having created all the lyrics and the base of a melody.
Time went on as Pete showed some of the recent lyrics he had written and some other snippets he had come up with before Ray had shown up.
“I really like this one, Pete. I think we could start working on it if you like. There is something so,” Ray pauses, “honest about it. It gives me a weird déjà vu feeling. It’s beautiful.”
Pete pushes Ray a bit in his chair, looking a bit shy himself at Ray's compliment about his writing.
“I’m being serious, Pete. This is some of the best I have read in a long time.”
“Well, thanks compadre. I’ll take it.”
Comfortable silence was met after Pete accepted Ray’s praise. It wasn’t the slightest awkward or uncomfortable, it just felt natural in their conversation. They kept staring at each other with something unknown in their eyes, a glimmer of hope. It would have gone on longer if Pete hadn’t broken the quiet with his question.
“You got a girl, Ray?”
“I used to. We broke up a while ago. Things no longer worked between either of us, so we decided to end things mutually.”
“Well, at least it wasn’t as bad.”
“Yeah, you can say that,” Ray says before asking, “What about you, Pete? You got a lady?”
Which is met with a funny glance from Pete, a second of silence that kept on stretching before he replied.
“No, Ray. No, I don’t.”
The air became tight in Ray’s lungs for some reason, even after all the teasing he had endured all day from Hank and Art before coming here; it felt surreal.
Ray tried to recover from being swayed by Pete’s response and keep the conversation on track. After further back and forth, Ray and Pete came to a slight agreement. Ray invited Pete to come by this Friday to the studio to try some sounds with Hank, Art, and possibly the cryptic Stebbins. With an EP in mind, Ray was certainly sure it would be what Pete had been searching for. Saying their goodbyes with a promise to text later the address of the studio, so Pete could come by.
It left Ray having to deal with more teasing from Hank and Art as he texted them about meeting up with Pete on Friday. That way, the next day, they could start working on some sounds Ray thought Pete might like before he came by. After texting his annoying friends, Ray found himself feeling brave enough to text Pete right away.
Ray
It was nice seeing you today. I had fun!
Pete :)
me too, compadre. see you on friday then? ;)
Ray
Yeah!
Here is the address: xxxxxx
That was met with a heart reaction from Pete. And if Ray believed in anything, he would have prayed not have a heart attack right there, and for him to stop blushing so much due to Pete.
Once he got into the studio, he went to say something to Stebbins, who only responded with a grunt that Ray assumed was agreement. As he would need Stebbins help with getting Harkness to play a soft melody for Pete tomorrow.
Not only having to need Stebbins’ help, but also asking for Hank’s was torture enough, cause the shorter man wouldn’t stop teasing Ray all day long as he set things up in the studio. Calling him a lover boy for agreeing so fast to meet with Pete at the studio and not waiting for what he usually did with other talent. And Garraty didn’t care one bit how it had sounded coming from Olson, who had brought Art the same they met to the studio to meet Ray and Stebbins.
A part of Ray just wanted this to go right, get everything he could set up, and send a couple of things to Pete via text so he could be able to listen to them. Causing more teasing from Olson for how much Garraty kept smiling at his phone instead of helping him.
Sparks of freshness and inspiration kept popping for Ray in a way he hadn’t felt in a long while. As if Pete had come into his life to end the drought of creativity that he had experienced for so long. Ray was certain that this man, who had appeared in his life not by fate but by a little meddling from his friends, was the right person he needed to meet.
Friday rolled around a lot sooner than he had expected, and when Ray got into the studio, he had everything set up inside the recording booth as well. Pete had agreed to bring his guitar, as he wanted to keep everything to his own charisma that he had with it. Only adding sounds from Harkness piano after convincing Stebbins to bring him around, as he had a main job as a writer in a niche magazine about music and Art, who could complement Pete’s guitar with his own. And probably Collie’s voice in another song that Pete wanted to try. Keeping Ray’s optimism at its fullest with the ideas that kept flowing so effortlessly between the two of them. It kept coming up in his mind how Pete was the person he had wanted to make his partner in crime, the perfect creative collaborator he needed.
When Pete texted Ray that he was right outside the building, he went to get him to pass through security and the mess of elevators that were to get to their studio.
“Here we are. Welcome to Walker's studio,” Ray mentioned to Pete as he walked with him to the main entrance before getting to the studio, where all the others were waiting for them.
“I would also say that you can ignore anything cryptic that Stebbins might say; he might be the owner’s kid, but he can still be annoying as hell,” added Ray before they entered the room. Which Pete only replied with a small laugh and a nod.
And it was once Ray entered the studio with Pete in tail, that he understood that this was meant to be. Introducing Pete to everyone hadn’t gone catastrophically as he had expected it to be, as it was obvious that they started to build a mutual understanding. It was evident that Pete leaned toward liking Art and Hank more than he did Stebbins; even Harkness seemed to pass the test.
Such a session wasn’t what Ray used to do, it was as if a couple of friends just got together to make music. A wish Ray kept asking for, that no matter how much he tried to help Hank or Art, or even Collie, he couldn't get until today. But one thing Ray did realize was that no one but him seemed to call Pete just Pete, as when he introduced himself, he said that they could call him McVries, just as he had done the other night at Mile 321. Developing a funny feeling in his chest as he stared at Pete working on something with Harkness on the piano.
After setting everything up, Ray was confident enough to let Pete go ahead and try out everything they had worked on. And all he could do was stare, and stare, and stare, ‘cause it was very evident Pete was in his element. Even with the attempts with the beat before recording, it all came naturally for the other man.
The song Pete had decided to focus on as their first song talked about walking on forever with someone, no matter how tired your feet or body may get, the other person allows you to keep going through it all. Their company is the one relief allowed to go far.
Just go on dancing with me like this forever, and I’ll never tire.
We’ll scrape our shoes on the stars and hang upside down from the moon.
Those exact lines struck Ray. That save déjà vu sensation he had experienced when Pete showed a small verse similar to this. It wasn’t finished back then, but now it all fell into place.
Ray was startled; he kept looking at Pete through the glass of the recording booth with pure awe on his face. As Stebbins kept murmuring under his breath about Garraty being too emotional, Hank grinned every time he got to speak directions to Art and Harkness.
Once Ray felt like the piano recording and backup guitar from Harkness and Art were good enough, he asked them to leave the booth alone to record a clearer version of Pete’s solo voice with his guitar. Gaining him more teasing from Olson and Baker, as they united their forces once again in the studio. While Harkness and Stebbins decided to ditch them right away.
It only took a couple of recordings more for Ray and Pete to agree on having two good enough versions of the song to later edit into something that they both liked. Yet the sentiment that a magical thing had happened wouldn’t leave Garraty. So just as Hank and Art were the last to leave with some more teasing, Ray dared to enter the recording booth.
A thrill passed through Ray as he approached Pete, sitting in a chair with his guitar in hand, removing the headphones and looking at Ray with a smile. He felt as if they had created electricity here in the studio, a completely new sensation that Garraty had never experienced before in his career.
Ray kept thinking about the last line Pete had recorded, we’ll scrape our shoes on the stars and hang upside down from the moon.
“That was beautiful, Pete.”
“I have a beautiful muse, Ray.”
“They are lucky to have you, then.”
“Yeah, I would say so,” Pete replied, staring at Ray with his gorgeous brown eyes. A mere glimmer in them, as the light of the recording booth hit them right. It added a glow to him overall, highlighting his skin and accentuating the contrast created by his scar.
Something about it all made Ray brave enough to close the distance and land a soft kiss on Pete’s lips before he could say virtually anything else. Pulling away as quickly as he did. The kiss was not even fully reciprocated, with how fast Ray had moved back, his whole face red with embarrassment at his foolishness.
“Pete, I’m sorry I didn’t-”
Pete cuts him off by grabbing the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. Making Ray melt into it almost immediately.
“Shut up for once, Garraty,” Pete teased, while staying close to Ray with their noses rubbing together. “And learn to feel.”
“Whatever you say, McVries.”
A soft laugh escaped both of them, as this closeness scratched an itch that Ray didn’t know he had. Yeah, he could get used to this. A new normal that involved Pete in his life. The artist and the muse.