The Long Surrender: 4/??
Nov. 11th, 2010 01:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lalalive23Title: The Long Surrender
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lalalive23
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Fluff and sadness, swearing
Summary: AU. Matt moved to Spain immediately after his lover left him to continue his work on the Spanish guitar. When Dom takes a holiday with his new fiancee, his world gets turned upside down and nothing is ever the same again.
Feedback: Is awesome. I like it. Keep it coming?
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse. If I did, they sure as hell would not be let out of the naughty closet. I don't make money off this. If I did, I would be a rich lady and not distracting myself from writing an undergrad thesis that is somehow much bigger than I.
Note: I send an arsenal of beautiful men todolce_piccante , millionstar , and sunshine_173 for being bit readers, lovers, inspiration givers, NaNoWriMo cheerleaders and genuinely incredible friends. For my Spanish speaking readers...I'm probably going to send you future chapters that contain Spanish...because I epic fail at the language. I sometimes wonder why the hale I didn't put this in France...a language I'm fluent in. But, hey, it's a challenge. And no one can deny that Spanish guitar is hot. NO ONE. To everyone who commented on the last chapter: I LOVE YOU. You make me feel so good, omg I can't even. My heart loves you all so much. Enjoy this chapter my darlings <3
NaNo word count: 18,636
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
The next morning Matthew awoke, as usual, to the sound of a dog barking, his neighbor's Pomeranian puppy being let out the back to empty its little bladder. He never minded the wake up call. It forced him to begin the day and enjoy the daylight hours instead of holing up inside the flat, hidden away from the world as he would have been in London. His body stretched languidly, the tension evaporating from his body and he giggled as he watched his fingers twitch from the rapid fire contractions of the muscles in his hands. Something stiff wad stuck to his neck, having been pressed to the skin for nearly eight hours in his sleep. Matthew knew what it was before his fingers made contact, his resolve to phone Dominic leaving him as soon as the card was peeled from his skin. It always seemed that at night, Matthew was severely inhibited, daring and willing to take any sort of necessary risks. But as soon as he caught a glimpse of sunlight, he retreated into his shy former self and wound up being continuously confused as to which Matthew was the real one.
He blinked from the card to his mobile and back again, willing himself the courage to go through with it. It never came. Instead, he pulled himself out of bed, his black boxers slung dangerously low on his hips from his movement during sleep He walked the few feet into the bathroom, running a hand through the hair that was sticking up in odd patterns before he stood in the mirror and pushed the bed head into a little mohawk with a laugh. He then groaned at himself, his morning entertainment remarkably pathetic.
The layout of the bathroom was the only thing about the flat that seemed to be a part of an intelligent design. The toilet was located directly next to the shower, the sink horizontally opposite both. It allowed Matthew to start his shower while emptying his bladder, never having to move very far from anything. Blindly he turned the nozzle to where he knew it would make the water warm, sighing as the water reached his hand. Finished with the toilet, he stepped in and cursed himself as his mind began to wander back to Dominic.
Strangers out of kindness had often given Matthew their cards. It had happened frequently in London and Spain was no different. Countless times he had been handed phone numbers, addresses and names, all from men with sunglasses over their eyes or crisp business suits draped over their shoulders. At the start of his career, young with naivety and fervor, he had clung to promises these men had made him. Countless times, he had been let down. People make empty promises, he soon learned, announcing they can help, that he was mind-numbingly talented, only to really mean nothing behind their words and leaving Matthew to cling to the next person who came by promising the same things, with equal negligence. He had grown a hardened skin because of that fact, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. His trust in everyone but close mates and Evan became the only form of trust he had, people serving only to enter fleetingly and let him down before they'd even remembered his name.
And while he was sure this was happening again, there was something in the way Dominic had pulled his phone out to find Ian's number, the way he had smiles when he announced the word "persistent." Dominic was an advertising executive, not a label agent or a studio manager, and while he was clueless as to what Dom actually did with his life, he was pretty sure it didn't involve assisting struggling musicians. Perhaps it was his total removal from the music scene that made Matthew believe he could trust him, but he still hadn't seen Dominic place the call, his phone interrupting him from the action. He couldn't be sure that Dominic had even remembered to do it after he got off the phone, but somewhere in side of him, he was sure he did.
As the water slid in snake-like patterns down his cheeks, Matthew faced forward into the spray of water and sighed. It was his inexplicable trust in Dominic that confused and excited him the most. Their conversation had been so brief and yet, in their shared, words he felt a small connection growing. He chalked it up to his lack of communication with anyone, his broken heart's need to heal by crying out to another. Of course his body would choose Dom, the tall blonde so perfectly tanned and beautiful, so perfectly opposite of Evan, that it was only natural that he would cling to the first person to supply him with easy conversation. Lathering his hair with shampoo, he recalled with a blush how he had started to ramble about his flat when it was completely unnecessary, the smile from the blonde unhinging him until he was a blathering mess.
Dominic was a completely unassuming presence, kind and cheery, and Matthew found it hard to believe he would merely blow smoke up his arse for lack of better things to say. Everything about about him was completely genuine, only appearing so because it was the truth. Against his better judgement, Matthew knew that he could trust Dom completely. That sense of assurance was absolutely terrifying, especially when it was with he'd known for little over ten minutes, and known of for nineteen hours.
Carefully he stepped out of the shower onto the fluffy bath carpet, reaching for his towel and knotting it loosely on his slim hips. Shaking his head to remove water he decided that, if he felt so secure of his trust in Dominic, he might as well call. The worst thing that could happen is Dominic telling him he really hadn't meant anything serious by it and Matthew would find himself back where he started, knowing that it was silly to get his hopes up and, least this time, his trust was not broken by someone he was in love with.
With a sigh he sat down on his bed, grabbing his mobile from the sheets and pulling the card he had left on his pillow to stare at the number.
He paused, unsure of what he would say, how he would react to hearing Dominic's voice once more. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice urged him on, telling him he would never know if he never even tried. It sounded oddly like Dominic's.
Throwing caution to the wind, he started pounding the number into the phone, feeling that if he didn't do it triumphantly, he would chicken out and hate himself for months. Bringing the phone to his ear, he couldn't help but chuckle at himself for feeling triumphant over dialing a number...while sitting in a towel. It was the least triumphant situation he could possibly have found himself in at that moment.
"Hello?" Dominic answered.
"H-Hi! It's Matthew," he said, stammering at the shock of Dominic answering so quickly. "Matthew Bellamy. Uhm. you know the -"
Dominic's easy laugh cut him off. "Yeah, of course I know who you are. I'm so..." Matthew heard him pause for a second, only a second, and he couldn't help but hold on to that pause until he spoke again. "I'm really glad you called."
It was such a simple thing to say, but Matthew smiled wide at the sentiment. "Oh?" was all he managed to say.
"Yeah, I called Ian last night after we talked. I left him a crazy voicemail but he called me today and wants to hear you play." He could hear Dominic chuckling on the other end, and he wasn't sure exactly what was funny about what he had just said. On the contrary, Matthew found it to be the most serious thing he'd heard since he'd left London.
"Seriously?!" he exclaimed. "When?"
"As soon as possible. He said he wanted me to phone in during one of your performances, call him and have him listen to you as a preliminary listening. If he likes it he wants you to come back with me and Julia -" he faltered for a second and Matthew merely became confused. Who was Julia and why did the name make Dominic cut himself off? "He wants you to come back with us to London so you can play for him in the studio."
Matthew let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Dom, I don't know what to say." He didn't. There was a long list in his head comprised of men and women telling him that he had a future, but none of them had even done so much as Dominic. In reality, all Dominic had done was phone a friend. In reality, all Dominic had done was tell him that there would be a series of mock auditions before he even got a hint of studio time. But, sadly, in reality, Dominic had done more for him in nineteen, nearly twenty, hours was more than any music professional in his lifetime.
"Julia and I are going back to the piaza this afternoon for lunch. I'm hoping we'll see you there, just to talk about things and what our next steps should be?" Dominic sounded hopeful in his question and Matthew did his best not to hold on to the inflection of his voice, the possible meanings they created. It was a difficult thing to do considering this man had just proved that his words were met with action.
"Yeah, yes," he breathed. "I'm usually there about one. Shall I just...meet you there then?" It was Matthew's turn to sound hopeful, this man suddenly in control of so many aspects of his future.
"Absolutely! Ok, uhm. I'll just meet you by where we met yesterday. I'm really looking forward to seeing you!" There it was again. That ecstatic and hopeful sound.
This time, Matthew didn't hide his feelings in return. "Me neither. See you, Dominic!"
He hung up his mobile, wet hair falling forward and placing droplets of moisture on the screen as it flashed DOMINIC - CALL ENDED. He wiped the screen with his finger, taking extra care to make sure Dominic's name remained clear before it faded back to his home picture. In retrospect, he wasn't sure why he would do such a thing. It just felt natural.
~*~
Matthew stood nervously over the railing of the piaza, leaning over to inspect the trees below as though he'd never seen them before. Something about this location had captivated him from the moment he he saw it, the view from the piaza so astonishing that he felt he wanted to claim it as his own. The spot relaxed him, soothed him to his bones and made him feel connected to the world around him. He rocked back and forth against the railing, attempting to calm himself at the thought of seeing Dominic again. Nerves and excitement were two emotions that felt almost exactly the same, and were emotions that he had seemingly disconnected himself from once he had arrived in Spain. It had been so long since he felt a thrill of excitement at seeing a person, or nerves, or even emotionally united with the prospect of his future endeavors that he, admittedly, felt pathetic and wanted to slap himself.
The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end, the pins and needles feeling causing him to shiver involuntarily with confusion. He had hardly turned around before he heard the sound of Dominic's voice calling out to him.
"Matthew!" Dominic approached him with a smile, one hand laced lovingly between the fingers of a tall and simply stunning woman. Seeing their hands clasped so tightly made his heart sink a little, though he forced himself not to focus on it; he didn't know the woman at all.
"Hi, Dominic." He stuck out his hand for Dom to take, hoping that he could feel his skin once more. Upon contact, he released a sigh and blushed. "Thanks for calling Ian."
"No problem!" Dominic flashed him a bright smile, the action infectious and causing him to beam in return. "This is my fiancee, Julia." Dom motioned towards the woman and her smile was equally as beautiful, her kindness shining through her eyes.
"Hi! It's an absolute pleasure to meet you." She held out a simple and elegant hand, Matthew taking it with a smile.
"Pleasure," he replied, noticing the twinkling light in her eyes as she looked from Dominic to Matthew.
"I was with Dominic the other night. You have such incredible skill, I can't believe no one has picked you up before now." She said the words genuinely and it made Matthew's heart swell to know that he had somehow stumbled upon two of the most sincere people in Spain.
"Thank you! I've been offered business cards and recording sessions, but people say things and don't really mean them. You know how that is. It happens all the time so I'm used to not expecting much." Matthew frowned at how cynical the words sounded.
"Well, Ian is really eager to hear you play." Dominic's bright contrast to Matthew's realistic appraisal of the music industry caused Matthew to regard Dominic with a grateful smile. "Shall we go sit somewhere and talk?"
Julia and Matthew nodded in synch, laughing as they did so, only to fall in step with one another. Through sidelong glances and shy smiles, Matthew and Julia regarded one another with friendly curiosity, hoping to learn more about one another through body language. Eventually, as Julia pulled out a chair at a table near the fountain, she decided to speak.
"So Matthew. What brings you to Spain? Dominic tells me you live here?" Her question was frank, yet completely innocent. Her eyes were eager with genuine interest and Matthew found it simply impossible to lie to her.
"Uhm," he began slowly. He could tell her the truth, but it hurt him too much to look her in the eyes as he spoke. "Well, last month I decided I would come to Spain to advance my musical career. I felt that if I could grow musically, the best chances of it would be here. But, I, well, my intention was not to live here. My...er...well, my boyfriend left me. And somehow, staying in London in the flat we shared together didn't seem conducive to any sort of productivity." He finished his tale with a blush, folding his hands tightly on the table.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry, honestly." Julia sounded ashamed with herself, the tone of her words so sweet that Matthew looked up to meet her face once more, a light smile pulling his lips.
"Really, it's ok. Don't worry about it. I make due." He tried to soothe her with her eyes, the tactic seeming to work as her posture relaxed.
"What else do you do here? Do you just play music?" She was eager to get to know him, he could tell, and he was happy to oblige her any answers to her questions. Dominic sat peacefully by, watching the two converse easily with a smile of admiration on his face. Though, who the admiration was directed at confused Matthew and he chose to ignore the thought.
"I don't really do much, in all honesty. I tutor Spanish students in English. They're all at different levels in their learning, so it's nice to make conversation with them. It gets difficult with the ones who are advanced, trying to keep the topics impersonal, but I really enjoy it. At night I usually play gigs wherever I can. Wednesday nights I play at a dance hall for flamenco dancers. It's gorgeous to watch." As he explained his mundane ritual, Julia seemed to brighten with his words. Shock rippled through him when she addressed him perfectly in Spanish.
"Eso es muy interesante. Cuanto tiempo estado hablando espanol?" The look on her face showed that she was eager for conversation in the language and he hazarded a glance over to Dominic, who had buried his face in the palm of his hand. The sight caused Matthew to chuckle.
"Les puedo asegurar que no es interesante por cualquier medio. He estado hablando de unos quince anos. Lo hizo a traves de Uni como un estudio de menor. Puedo preguntarle por que se parece eso?" Matthew continued to glance back and forth from Dom as he spoke, his eyes fixing on Julia as she began to laugh.
"El no save hablar espanol si se instalo en su cerebro. Le irrita cuando lo hablo, sobre todo porque se siente excluido." She reached over and rubbed Dominic's arm affectionately, his eyebrow shooting up in confusion and disdain.
Matthew snickered, noticing that Dominic was clearly frustrated with their private conversation. But Matthew would not stop on account of his pouting lips, the sight was remarkably arousing, serving to urge Matthew into the first intimate conversation he'd had with someone in ages. "Usted Debe volverse loco, sin la conversacion."
Julia sighed and nodded, tossing pathetic eyes over at Dominic, who had fixed his gaze upon Matthew; his eyes were unreadable. "Es bueno para otras cosas. Al igual que las tareas del hogar y el sexo." She winked at Matthew with a grin.
"Lo has entrenado bien," Matthew smirked. Deep down, his heart ached to have that kind of relationship, having had the intimacy he craved removed so abruptly form his life. And then, against his better judgement, he thought of Dominic in bed and Julia's wink, and his trousers seemed to tighten as they had the day before.
"Can someone please tell me what the bloody hell you're talking about?" Dominic whined, his eyes nearly black and staring at Matthew. The look was jarring and Matthew crossed his legs in vain. "Surely you can't be leaving me for him now."
Matthew blinked in confusion from Dominic to Julia, feeling like he had missed something very important, but very sure that Dominic was the only one out of the loop.
"No, love. We're just planning an orgy. Hope you don't mind joining?" Her statement was simple and playful, but the two men fidgeted in their seats and released shaky laughs.
"OK, can we...um, focus?" Dominic said, scratching his head.
"Yeah, right. So Ian," Matthew said nodding and trying desperately to push thoughts of hands on his body, or tongues on his, specifically Dominic's tongue.
"Right. When is your next performance?" Dominic asked, taking out his mobile.
"Tomorrow night at Diablo Flor. My set is at 9. It's in the center of Madrid, not too far from here actually. We can go there this afternoon if you like, that is if you can make it tomorrow evening." He found himself jumping to conclusions, assuming that Dominic would be able to make the show tomorrow evening without even asking if the two had plans. Blushing, he rushed the last of his statement with a shy smile.
"Tomorrow is fine," Julia said eagerly. "I've been to that place before, years ago. It's nice to see they're finally using that space for performers."
It pleased Matthew to know that Julia was just as interested in assisting him as Dominic was, having two people on his team making him feel remarkably secure. What had happened earlier with Dominic was happening again with Julia, finding himself unable to be weary of Julia's words. She did not seem the type to give false promises and Matthew had always had a knack for being an excellent judge of character. In the whole of Spain, he was sure he had found the most trustworthy pair.
"It's a fabulous spot. I love the lighting. It really helps me connect with the audience," Matthew nodded.
"Ok, so we'll be there tomorrow and I'm going to call Ian. If he likes what he hears he'll want to talk to you about travel arrangements. Would you be able to come back to London? Like...do you have a place to stay? Or something?" Dominic sounded like he was carefully choosing his words, not wanting to force Matthew into anything he was uncomfortable with, nor wanting to cause him to remember anything remotely painful. Matthew was grateful for the kindness.
"Yeah, I would be able to go. I still have my flat in London. When I moved here I didn't really do anything with my affairs in the UK. I sort of just up and left, not really knowing what I was going to do with anything. The lease is in my name but everything about it screams Evan - " Matthew stopped himself, his eyes bugging. It was the first time he had mentioned Evan's name in casual conversation. The name stung on his lips and he sighed.
"Hey," Julia said, taking Matthew's hand. "It's ok. Everything is going to be fine." She smiled kindly at Matthew, and, at that moment, all he wanted to do was hug her.
Dominic was nodding in agreement. "It's all going to be fine," he smiled. "So, do you have a return plane ticket? Can you afford one?" The gentle shift in topic eased Matthew's heart rate.
"Yeah, when I bought my return ticket I left it for a flexible date. I had hoped that Evan," he said the name slowly, getting used to it on his tongue instead of on his mind, "would want to stay longer with me. Turns out, he didn't want to come at all." His soft bitterness made him cringe, the flavor seeming so out of place with these two sweet people.
"Alright, well, I guess that's everything we really need to know. I've never done this before, you know, discover someone with talent and hopefully get their career started," Dominic said, sheepishly.
Matthew smiled. "I've never done this before, either. You know, have a potential career."
"You've always had a potential career, Matthew, you've just been dealing with people who were blinded by money," Julia said simply, pulling out her mobile to mark the date in her calendar. "Don't sell yourself short."
"She's right. You have too much talent to think of yourself as anything but worthy of an incredible future," Dominic urged. They locked eyes for a moment, Matthew's breathing coming to a stop while Dominic held his gaze. There was a hesitancy, a palpable hesitancy, on both of their parts to look away. The blonde seemed to release a small breath as he stared openly into Matt's eyes, the cool gray lingering like clouds over the ocean blue. It made Matthew feel like he was on the brink of finding something he'd been looking for, something he couldn't name, or at least could have at one point. Eventually, he pulled his eyes down to his mobile, his shoulders seeming to slump from the lost contact.
Matthew's arms hugged himself, looking at Dominic and Julia who were both marking dates and appointments in their phones. It was clear they were a remarkably successful, if not important, pair, an air about them that seemed to accentuate their high status in the social hierarchy. But that air was not polluted with pride, not was it haughty by any means. It was the kind of air maintained by those who rose to the top through hard work and diligence, an air befitted to those who were the most deserving.
They spent the rest of their afternoon discussing plans for their potential return to London, discovering their residential boroughs were not far from one another so communication would prove to be simple. On his way home, Matthew thought about how ironic it was Matthew had been relatively within walking distance of Dominic's flat, how ironic it was that they had probably run into one another in a shop without ever taking care to notice.
Their chance encounter was serendipitous, to say the least, but Matthew refused to name it has fate. His soured relationship with Evan had removed the idea of destiny or fate completely from his belief system, instead choosing to believe that the right people were brought to you through similar energy. or timing. It was also a dangerous sort of thing to do, calling his meeting Dominic destiny, because Dominic was engaged to a woman that Matthew truly found himself liking.
It was dangerous because, if Matthew wasn't careful, Dominic had proven to be just the sort of man he could fall in love with.
__________________________________
Julia: That's so interesting. How long have you been speaking Spanish?
Matt: I can assure you it's not interesting at all. "Ive been speaking for about fifteen years. I did it as a minor study at Uni. Can I ask why he looks like that?
Julia: He wouldn't know how to speak Spanish if it took up residence in his brain. It irritates him when I speak it, mostly because he feels left out.
Matt: You must go crazy without the conversation.
Julia: He's good for other things. Like housework and sex.
Matt: You have him trained well.
Author:
lalalive23 Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Fluff and sadness, swearing
Summary: AU. Matt moved to Spain immediately after his lover left him to continue his work on the Spanish guitar. When Dom takes a holiday with his new fiancee, his world gets turned upside down and nothing is ever the same again.
Feedback: Is awesome. I like it. Keep it coming?
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse. If I did, they sure as hell would not be let out of the naughty closet. I don't make money off this. If I did, I would be a rich lady and not distracting myself from writing an undergrad thesis that is somehow much bigger than I.
Note: I send an arsenal of beautiful men to
dolce_piccante , millionstar , and sunshine_173 for being bit readers, lovers, inspiration givers, NaNoWriMo cheerleaders and genuinely incredible friends. For my Spanish speaking readers...I'm probably going to send you future chapters that contain Spanish...because I epic fail at the language. I sometimes wonder why the hale I didn't put this in France...a language I'm fluent in. But, hey, it's a challenge. And no one can deny that Spanish guitar is hot. NO ONE. To everyone who commented on the last chapter: I LOVE YOU. You make me feel so good, omg I can't even. My heart loves you all so much. Enjoy this chapter my darlings <3NaNo word count: 18,636
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
The next morning Matthew awoke, as usual, to the sound of a dog barking, his neighbor's Pomeranian puppy being let out the back to empty its little bladder. He never minded the wake up call. It forced him to begin the day and enjoy the daylight hours instead of holing up inside the flat, hidden away from the world as he would have been in London. His body stretched languidly, the tension evaporating from his body and he giggled as he watched his fingers twitch from the rapid fire contractions of the muscles in his hands. Something stiff wad stuck to his neck, having been pressed to the skin for nearly eight hours in his sleep. Matthew knew what it was before his fingers made contact, his resolve to phone Dominic leaving him as soon as the card was peeled from his skin. It always seemed that at night, Matthew was severely inhibited, daring and willing to take any sort of necessary risks. But as soon as he caught a glimpse of sunlight, he retreated into his shy former self and wound up being continuously confused as to which Matthew was the real one.
He blinked from the card to his mobile and back again, willing himself the courage to go through with it. It never came. Instead, he pulled himself out of bed, his black boxers slung dangerously low on his hips from his movement during sleep He walked the few feet into the bathroom, running a hand through the hair that was sticking up in odd patterns before he stood in the mirror and pushed the bed head into a little mohawk with a laugh. He then groaned at himself, his morning entertainment remarkably pathetic.
The layout of the bathroom was the only thing about the flat that seemed to be a part of an intelligent design. The toilet was located directly next to the shower, the sink horizontally opposite both. It allowed Matthew to start his shower while emptying his bladder, never having to move very far from anything. Blindly he turned the nozzle to where he knew it would make the water warm, sighing as the water reached his hand. Finished with the toilet, he stepped in and cursed himself as his mind began to wander back to Dominic.
Strangers out of kindness had often given Matthew their cards. It had happened frequently in London and Spain was no different. Countless times he had been handed phone numbers, addresses and names, all from men with sunglasses over their eyes or crisp business suits draped over their shoulders. At the start of his career, young with naivety and fervor, he had clung to promises these men had made him. Countless times, he had been let down. People make empty promises, he soon learned, announcing they can help, that he was mind-numbingly talented, only to really mean nothing behind their words and leaving Matthew to cling to the next person who came by promising the same things, with equal negligence. He had grown a hardened skin because of that fact, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. His trust in everyone but close mates and Evan became the only form of trust he had, people serving only to enter fleetingly and let him down before they'd even remembered his name.
And while he was sure this was happening again, there was something in the way Dominic had pulled his phone out to find Ian's number, the way he had smiles when he announced the word "persistent." Dominic was an advertising executive, not a label agent or a studio manager, and while he was clueless as to what Dom actually did with his life, he was pretty sure it didn't involve assisting struggling musicians. Perhaps it was his total removal from the music scene that made Matthew believe he could trust him, but he still hadn't seen Dominic place the call, his phone interrupting him from the action. He couldn't be sure that Dominic had even remembered to do it after he got off the phone, but somewhere in side of him, he was sure he did.
As the water slid in snake-like patterns down his cheeks, Matthew faced forward into the spray of water and sighed. It was his inexplicable trust in Dominic that confused and excited him the most. Their conversation had been so brief and yet, in their shared, words he felt a small connection growing. He chalked it up to his lack of communication with anyone, his broken heart's need to heal by crying out to another. Of course his body would choose Dom, the tall blonde so perfectly tanned and beautiful, so perfectly opposite of Evan, that it was only natural that he would cling to the first person to supply him with easy conversation. Lathering his hair with shampoo, he recalled with a blush how he had started to ramble about his flat when it was completely unnecessary, the smile from the blonde unhinging him until he was a blathering mess.
Dominic was a completely unassuming presence, kind and cheery, and Matthew found it hard to believe he would merely blow smoke up his arse for lack of better things to say. Everything about about him was completely genuine, only appearing so because it was the truth. Against his better judgement, Matthew knew that he could trust Dom completely. That sense of assurance was absolutely terrifying, especially when it was with he'd known for little over ten minutes, and known of for nineteen hours.
Carefully he stepped out of the shower onto the fluffy bath carpet, reaching for his towel and knotting it loosely on his slim hips. Shaking his head to remove water he decided that, if he felt so secure of his trust in Dominic, he might as well call. The worst thing that could happen is Dominic telling him he really hadn't meant anything serious by it and Matthew would find himself back where he started, knowing that it was silly to get his hopes up and, least this time, his trust was not broken by someone he was in love with.
With a sigh he sat down on his bed, grabbing his mobile from the sheets and pulling the card he had left on his pillow to stare at the number.
He paused, unsure of what he would say, how he would react to hearing Dominic's voice once more. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice urged him on, telling him he would never know if he never even tried. It sounded oddly like Dominic's.
Throwing caution to the wind, he started pounding the number into the phone, feeling that if he didn't do it triumphantly, he would chicken out and hate himself for months. Bringing the phone to his ear, he couldn't help but chuckle at himself for feeling triumphant over dialing a number...while sitting in a towel. It was the least triumphant situation he could possibly have found himself in at that moment.
"Hello?" Dominic answered.
"H-Hi! It's Matthew," he said, stammering at the shock of Dominic answering so quickly. "Matthew Bellamy. Uhm. you know the -"
Dominic's easy laugh cut him off. "Yeah, of course I know who you are. I'm so..." Matthew heard him pause for a second, only a second, and he couldn't help but hold on to that pause until he spoke again. "I'm really glad you called."
It was such a simple thing to say, but Matthew smiled wide at the sentiment. "Oh?" was all he managed to say.
"Yeah, I called Ian last night after we talked. I left him a crazy voicemail but he called me today and wants to hear you play." He could hear Dominic chuckling on the other end, and he wasn't sure exactly what was funny about what he had just said. On the contrary, Matthew found it to be the most serious thing he'd heard since he'd left London.
"Seriously?!" he exclaimed. "When?"
"As soon as possible. He said he wanted me to phone in during one of your performances, call him and have him listen to you as a preliminary listening. If he likes it he wants you to come back with me and Julia -" he faltered for a second and Matthew merely became confused. Who was Julia and why did the name make Dominic cut himself off? "He wants you to come back with us to London so you can play for him in the studio."
Matthew let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Dom, I don't know what to say." He didn't. There was a long list in his head comprised of men and women telling him that he had a future, but none of them had even done so much as Dominic. In reality, all Dominic had done was phone a friend. In reality, all Dominic had done was tell him that there would be a series of mock auditions before he even got a hint of studio time. But, sadly, in reality, Dominic had done more for him in nineteen, nearly twenty, hours was more than any music professional in his lifetime.
"Julia and I are going back to the piaza this afternoon for lunch. I'm hoping we'll see you there, just to talk about things and what our next steps should be?" Dominic sounded hopeful in his question and Matthew did his best not to hold on to the inflection of his voice, the possible meanings they created. It was a difficult thing to do considering this man had just proved that his words were met with action.
"Yeah, yes," he breathed. "I'm usually there about one. Shall I just...meet you there then?" It was Matthew's turn to sound hopeful, this man suddenly in control of so many aspects of his future.
"Absolutely! Ok, uhm. I'll just meet you by where we met yesterday. I'm really looking forward to seeing you!" There it was again. That ecstatic and hopeful sound.
This time, Matthew didn't hide his feelings in return. "Me neither. See you, Dominic!"
He hung up his mobile, wet hair falling forward and placing droplets of moisture on the screen as it flashed DOMINIC - CALL ENDED. He wiped the screen with his finger, taking extra care to make sure Dominic's name remained clear before it faded back to his home picture. In retrospect, he wasn't sure why he would do such a thing. It just felt natural.
~*~
Matthew stood nervously over the railing of the piaza, leaning over to inspect the trees below as though he'd never seen them before. Something about this location had captivated him from the moment he he saw it, the view from the piaza so astonishing that he felt he wanted to claim it as his own. The spot relaxed him, soothed him to his bones and made him feel connected to the world around him. He rocked back and forth against the railing, attempting to calm himself at the thought of seeing Dominic again. Nerves and excitement were two emotions that felt almost exactly the same, and were emotions that he had seemingly disconnected himself from once he had arrived in Spain. It had been so long since he felt a thrill of excitement at seeing a person, or nerves, or even emotionally united with the prospect of his future endeavors that he, admittedly, felt pathetic and wanted to slap himself.
The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end, the pins and needles feeling causing him to shiver involuntarily with confusion. He had hardly turned around before he heard the sound of Dominic's voice calling out to him.
"Matthew!" Dominic approached him with a smile, one hand laced lovingly between the fingers of a tall and simply stunning woman. Seeing their hands clasped so tightly made his heart sink a little, though he forced himself not to focus on it; he didn't know the woman at all.
"Hi, Dominic." He stuck out his hand for Dom to take, hoping that he could feel his skin once more. Upon contact, he released a sigh and blushed. "Thanks for calling Ian."
"No problem!" Dominic flashed him a bright smile, the action infectious and causing him to beam in return. "This is my fiancee, Julia." Dom motioned towards the woman and her smile was equally as beautiful, her kindness shining through her eyes.
"Hi! It's an absolute pleasure to meet you." She held out a simple and elegant hand, Matthew taking it with a smile.
"Pleasure," he replied, noticing the twinkling light in her eyes as she looked from Dominic to Matthew.
"I was with Dominic the other night. You have such incredible skill, I can't believe no one has picked you up before now." She said the words genuinely and it made Matthew's heart swell to know that he had somehow stumbled upon two of the most sincere people in Spain.
"Thank you! I've been offered business cards and recording sessions, but people say things and don't really mean them. You know how that is. It happens all the time so I'm used to not expecting much." Matthew frowned at how cynical the words sounded.
"Well, Ian is really eager to hear you play." Dominic's bright contrast to Matthew's realistic appraisal of the music industry caused Matthew to regard Dominic with a grateful smile. "Shall we go sit somewhere and talk?"
Julia and Matthew nodded in synch, laughing as they did so, only to fall in step with one another. Through sidelong glances and shy smiles, Matthew and Julia regarded one another with friendly curiosity, hoping to learn more about one another through body language. Eventually, as Julia pulled out a chair at a table near the fountain, she decided to speak.
"So Matthew. What brings you to Spain? Dominic tells me you live here?" Her question was frank, yet completely innocent. Her eyes were eager with genuine interest and Matthew found it simply impossible to lie to her.
"Uhm," he began slowly. He could tell her the truth, but it hurt him too much to look her in the eyes as he spoke. "Well, last month I decided I would come to Spain to advance my musical career. I felt that if I could grow musically, the best chances of it would be here. But, I, well, my intention was not to live here. My...er...well, my boyfriend left me. And somehow, staying in London in the flat we shared together didn't seem conducive to any sort of productivity." He finished his tale with a blush, folding his hands tightly on the table.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry, honestly." Julia sounded ashamed with herself, the tone of her words so sweet that Matthew looked up to meet her face once more, a light smile pulling his lips.
"Really, it's ok. Don't worry about it. I make due." He tried to soothe her with her eyes, the tactic seeming to work as her posture relaxed.
"What else do you do here? Do you just play music?" She was eager to get to know him, he could tell, and he was happy to oblige her any answers to her questions. Dominic sat peacefully by, watching the two converse easily with a smile of admiration on his face. Though, who the admiration was directed at confused Matthew and he chose to ignore the thought.
"I don't really do much, in all honesty. I tutor Spanish students in English. They're all at different levels in their learning, so it's nice to make conversation with them. It gets difficult with the ones who are advanced, trying to keep the topics impersonal, but I really enjoy it. At night I usually play gigs wherever I can. Wednesday nights I play at a dance hall for flamenco dancers. It's gorgeous to watch." As he explained his mundane ritual, Julia seemed to brighten with his words. Shock rippled through him when she addressed him perfectly in Spanish.
"Eso es muy interesante. Cuanto tiempo estado hablando espanol?" The look on her face showed that she was eager for conversation in the language and he hazarded a glance over to Dominic, who had buried his face in the palm of his hand. The sight caused Matthew to chuckle.
"Les puedo asegurar que no es interesante por cualquier medio. He estado hablando de unos quince anos. Lo hizo a traves de Uni como un estudio de menor. Puedo preguntarle por que se parece eso?" Matthew continued to glance back and forth from Dom as he spoke, his eyes fixing on Julia as she began to laugh.
"El no save hablar espanol si se instalo en su cerebro. Le irrita cuando lo hablo, sobre todo porque se siente excluido." She reached over and rubbed Dominic's arm affectionately, his eyebrow shooting up in confusion and disdain.
Matthew snickered, noticing that Dominic was clearly frustrated with their private conversation. But Matthew would not stop on account of his pouting lips, the sight was remarkably arousing, serving to urge Matthew into the first intimate conversation he'd had with someone in ages. "Usted Debe volverse loco, sin la conversacion."
Julia sighed and nodded, tossing pathetic eyes over at Dominic, who had fixed his gaze upon Matthew; his eyes were unreadable. "Es bueno para otras cosas. Al igual que las tareas del hogar y el sexo." She winked at Matthew with a grin.
"Lo has entrenado bien," Matthew smirked. Deep down, his heart ached to have that kind of relationship, having had the intimacy he craved removed so abruptly form his life. And then, against his better judgement, he thought of Dominic in bed and Julia's wink, and his trousers seemed to tighten as they had the day before.
"Can someone please tell me what the bloody hell you're talking about?" Dominic whined, his eyes nearly black and staring at Matthew. The look was jarring and Matthew crossed his legs in vain. "Surely you can't be leaving me for him now."
Matthew blinked in confusion from Dominic to Julia, feeling like he had missed something very important, but very sure that Dominic was the only one out of the loop.
"No, love. We're just planning an orgy. Hope you don't mind joining?" Her statement was simple and playful, but the two men fidgeted in their seats and released shaky laughs.
"OK, can we...um, focus?" Dominic said, scratching his head.
"Yeah, right. So Ian," Matthew said nodding and trying desperately to push thoughts of hands on his body, or tongues on his, specifically Dominic's tongue.
"Right. When is your next performance?" Dominic asked, taking out his mobile.
"Tomorrow night at Diablo Flor. My set is at 9. It's in the center of Madrid, not too far from here actually. We can go there this afternoon if you like, that is if you can make it tomorrow evening." He found himself jumping to conclusions, assuming that Dominic would be able to make the show tomorrow evening without even asking if the two had plans. Blushing, he rushed the last of his statement with a shy smile.
"Tomorrow is fine," Julia said eagerly. "I've been to that place before, years ago. It's nice to see they're finally using that space for performers."
It pleased Matthew to know that Julia was just as interested in assisting him as Dominic was, having two people on his team making him feel remarkably secure. What had happened earlier with Dominic was happening again with Julia, finding himself unable to be weary of Julia's words. She did not seem the type to give false promises and Matthew had always had a knack for being an excellent judge of character. In the whole of Spain, he was sure he had found the most trustworthy pair.
"It's a fabulous spot. I love the lighting. It really helps me connect with the audience," Matthew nodded.
"Ok, so we'll be there tomorrow and I'm going to call Ian. If he likes what he hears he'll want to talk to you about travel arrangements. Would you be able to come back to London? Like...do you have a place to stay? Or something?" Dominic sounded like he was carefully choosing his words, not wanting to force Matthew into anything he was uncomfortable with, nor wanting to cause him to remember anything remotely painful. Matthew was grateful for the kindness.
"Yeah, I would be able to go. I still have my flat in London. When I moved here I didn't really do anything with my affairs in the UK. I sort of just up and left, not really knowing what I was going to do with anything. The lease is in my name but everything about it screams Evan - " Matthew stopped himself, his eyes bugging. It was the first time he had mentioned Evan's name in casual conversation. The name stung on his lips and he sighed.
"Hey," Julia said, taking Matthew's hand. "It's ok. Everything is going to be fine." She smiled kindly at Matthew, and, at that moment, all he wanted to do was hug her.
Dominic was nodding in agreement. "It's all going to be fine," he smiled. "So, do you have a return plane ticket? Can you afford one?" The gentle shift in topic eased Matthew's heart rate.
"Yeah, when I bought my return ticket I left it for a flexible date. I had hoped that Evan," he said the name slowly, getting used to it on his tongue instead of on his mind, "would want to stay longer with me. Turns out, he didn't want to come at all." His soft bitterness made him cringe, the flavor seeming so out of place with these two sweet people.
"Alright, well, I guess that's everything we really need to know. I've never done this before, you know, discover someone with talent and hopefully get their career started," Dominic said, sheepishly.
Matthew smiled. "I've never done this before, either. You know, have a potential career."
"You've always had a potential career, Matthew, you've just been dealing with people who were blinded by money," Julia said simply, pulling out her mobile to mark the date in her calendar. "Don't sell yourself short."
"She's right. You have too much talent to think of yourself as anything but worthy of an incredible future," Dominic urged. They locked eyes for a moment, Matthew's breathing coming to a stop while Dominic held his gaze. There was a hesitancy, a palpable hesitancy, on both of their parts to look away. The blonde seemed to release a small breath as he stared openly into Matt's eyes, the cool gray lingering like clouds over the ocean blue. It made Matthew feel like he was on the brink of finding something he'd been looking for, something he couldn't name, or at least could have at one point. Eventually, he pulled his eyes down to his mobile, his shoulders seeming to slump from the lost contact.
Matthew's arms hugged himself, looking at Dominic and Julia who were both marking dates and appointments in their phones. It was clear they were a remarkably successful, if not important, pair, an air about them that seemed to accentuate their high status in the social hierarchy. But that air was not polluted with pride, not was it haughty by any means. It was the kind of air maintained by those who rose to the top through hard work and diligence, an air befitted to those who were the most deserving.
They spent the rest of their afternoon discussing plans for their potential return to London, discovering their residential boroughs were not far from one another so communication would prove to be simple. On his way home, Matthew thought about how ironic it was Matthew had been relatively within walking distance of Dominic's flat, how ironic it was that they had probably run into one another in a shop without ever taking care to notice.
Their chance encounter was serendipitous, to say the least, but Matthew refused to name it has fate. His soured relationship with Evan had removed the idea of destiny or fate completely from his belief system, instead choosing to believe that the right people were brought to you through similar energy. or timing. It was also a dangerous sort of thing to do, calling his meeting Dominic destiny, because Dominic was engaged to a woman that Matthew truly found himself liking.
It was dangerous because, if Matthew wasn't careful, Dominic had proven to be just the sort of man he could fall in love with.
__________________________________
Julia: That's so interesting. How long have you been speaking Spanish?
Matt: I can assure you it's not interesting at all. "Ive been speaking for about fifteen years. I did it as a minor study at Uni. Can I ask why he looks like that?
Julia: He wouldn't know how to speak Spanish if it took up residence in his brain. It irritates him when I speak it, mostly because he feels left out.
Matt: You must go crazy without the conversation.
Julia: He's good for other things. Like housework and sex.
Matt: You have him trained well.
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Date: 2010-11-11 08:18 am (UTC)Their meeting was perfect. I love how Julia and Matt connected. And those looks between Dom and Mat…. I would love to know what Dom was thinking in that moment ;)
Julia is amazing I adore her, she is so sweet and kind, she’s like the perfect woman. I think is going to be hard for Mathew to compete against her for Dom’s love (If it comes to that; I have no idea)
Thank you so much for posting this lovely chapter.
If you need help with Spanish let me know I’ll be happy to help ;)
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:35 am (UTC)I'm really glad you've taken a liking to Julia. I always get nervous when I include OC's just because they're mine and I know people read for the belldom.
Next time I include Spanish, I will be passing this along to you for beta services, if you don't mind? :D
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Date: 2010-11-12 06:33 pm (UTC)Thanks for taking time to reply to our comments . That's really sweet :)
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Date: 2010-11-11 10:03 am (UTC)Really looking forward to more of this. Dom's confusion and the twists in his emotions are fascinating. :)
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:36 am (UTC)Yeah, Julia and Dom are perfect for one another, but Dom and Matt are perfect together too. What does one do, in this situation :(
Thank you so much for your comment sweety!
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Date: 2010-11-11 10:58 am (UTC)We all know the stormy grey sky looks the most beautiful with the blue ocean beneath it :)
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:38 am (UTC)Really, though, I'm glad you like her. She's such an awesome lady.
Love you pickle!! x x
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Date: 2010-11-11 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-12 05:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-12 05:39 am (UTC)Thank you so much for you comment bb!
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Date: 2010-11-11 01:33 pm (UTC)oooh...matt's london digs are within walking distance of dom's are they??? mrowr.
can't wait to read more!!
<333
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:40 am (UTC)It opens so many doors when their flats are so close. :D
I love you I love you I love you!!!
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Date: 2010-11-11 03:27 pm (UTC)Just, beautiful work!
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:42 am (UTC)Thank you for reading and comment, love! It means so much!
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Date: 2010-11-11 05:38 pm (UTC)Thank you so much for updating, I can't wait for the next one!
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:45 am (UTC)Their resistance is crumbling though. When it's a connection like this you can only deny it for so long. *nods*
Thank you for reading and for you comment love!! <33
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Date: 2010-11-12 07:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 08:26 pm (UTC)Matthew was severely inhibited,
I think you meant uninhibted. ;)
It allowed Matthew to start his shower while emptying his bladder, never having to move very far from anything.
ahaha, I love those kinds of situations, too. XD
Julia and Matthew nodded in synch, laughing as they did so, only to fall in step with one another. Through sidelong glances and shy smiles, Matthew and Julia regarded one another with friendly curiosity, hoping to learn more about one another through body language.
Ahaha, love triangle <3
"Eso es muy interesante. Cuanto tiempo estado hablando espanol?"
YES I UNDERSTOOD THAT! that's the only thing I understood. haha. Anyway, I'm really warming up to Julia. It's great you didn't make her a bitch for the sake of Belldom <3 Aww, this just makes me so happy. I love this story.
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-13 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 10:14 pm (UTC)And NOWWW, I´M GOING TO READ, YESSSS, I HAVE TIME AT LAAAAAST!! YAYY! :D
Comments coming soon ;)
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Date: 2010-11-12 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-12 10:32 pm (UTC)And I´m just going to comment here:
I like your Matthew. It´s a very complex character, I feel like I still don´t know him very much, and that´s quite appealing. I can´t define him clearly yet, like there´s still so much to see about him. Can´t wait.
Now, the conversation with Dom and Julia: super well done. From one side, Matthew likes Julia for being so sweet and supportive, but at the same time, he can´t help but feel sexually attracted to Dominic. How difficult =/
This part was great, the sexual tension was on fire, OMG:
they locked eyes for a moment, Matthew's breathing coming to a stop while Dominic held his gaze. There was a hesitancy, a palpable hesitancy, on both of their parts to look away. The blonde seemed to release a small breath as he stared openly into Matt's eyes, the cool gray lingering like clouds over the ocean blue. It made Matthew feel like he was on the brink of finding something he'd been looking for, something he couldn't name, or at least could have at one point.
Oh oh, DANGER.
Love this.
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Date: 2010-11-15 03:08 am (UTC)BAH.
I want this in my life now.
God I love this fic. I will tell you in every way I possibly can till you see how glorious this is.
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Date: 2011-01-25 09:13 am (UTC)I like it.
Thanks for sharing!