The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Ian was caught in a whirlwind of excitement; there hardly seemed to be enough hours in the day for the nightly shows, the long practice sessions, and what he had come to think of as his "Anthony time".
Ian's realization that he loved Anthony hadn't made things harder; in fact, it was much easier now. He'd finally come to accept that his feelings for Anthony were more than just a crush, and he didn't try to fight them anymore. After every show he and Anthony would return to his apartment, happy and excited and pleasantly exhausted, and fall asleep on the couch, watching TV or just talking. Nothing had happened between them yet, but Ian didn't mind; he just liked falling asleep in Anthony's arms and waking up next to him every morning. They flirted a lot, at home and at practice and even in public; Ian was almost completely sure that Anthony was interested in him. The idea made him smile every time he thought of it.
"What're you smiling at?" Anthony asked, pulling Ian out of his thoughts. They were in the car, on the way to the club for their last show of the week. Ian grinned over at him.
"Just thinking about how great this past week as been," he replied.
"It has been pretty fucking sweet," Anthony replied, grinning back. "And it might get even better tonight."
Ian looked over at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Oh you know…" Anthony shrugged. "Last show, all that energy and excitement and music… Anything could happen." He tried to keep his tone innocent, but there was a hint of a smirk on his face.
Ian bit his lip, trying to conceal his own smile. "I guess you're right."
-x-
Anthony's hands were shaking as the band launched into the fourth song in their set. He focused all his energy into playing, trying not to think about what he was going to do in three minutes' time. Better not to think at all, or else he'd start asking himself whether this was really a good idea and he'd back out of it.
He lost himself in the music, letting the adrenaline flow through him. He began to relax, excitement overtaking fear. He could do this.
As the song neared its end, Anthony made his way over to Ian's side of the stage in what he hoped was a casual way. Ian tilted his head as if to ask, What are you doing? but Anthony just grinned. Ian laughed, fingers moving frantically over his bass. Anthony closed the three-foot gap between them as he played the final notes of the song. This is it, he thought as the crowd cheered. Heart pounding, he grabbed Ian around the waist.
"What are you –" Ian's words were cut off as Anthony pulled him close and kissed him.
It felt like an eternity, standing there onstage in front of nearly a hundred people, waiting for Ian's reaction. Just as he was beginning to think that this was a very bad idea, he felt Ian's lips move tentatively against his own.
And then they were kissing, kissing like they'd been holding this in for years instead of weeks. The feeling of their lips moving together was intoxicating, dizzying, and completely wonderful. Anthony felt like his heart might explode.
"FINALLY!" he heard Kyle shout into the microphone, addressing the audience. "Seriously, you guys have no idea how long we've been waiting for them to do this." The crowd laughed appreciatively. Anthony flipped his middle finger up in Kyle's direction without breaking the kiss. Some of the audience members were yelling out insults, but Anthony didn't care; he was lost in the feeling of Ian's lips and Ian's tongue and Ian's fingers resting just under the hem of his shirt. It felt like heaven.
When they finally pulled away, after what felt like hours but was probably only fifteen or twenty seconds, Ian was blushing, a huge smile spreading over his face. Anthony laughed giddily.
"Can we finish the show now, or do you two need to get a room?" Kyle teased.
"Fuck off," Ian said, but his grin remained firmly in place.
Anthony returned to his side of the stage as they began the next song, but for the remainder of the concert his eyes never left Ian's.
For the first time in his life, he couldn't wait for the show to end.
