The Barnstable Chronicles: The Prodigy - 6. The Challenge of the Challenge

As David Chase played the last delicate chords of the Chopin Nocturne, Charlie held on to Eric’s hand as the tears flowed. The applause filled Geffen Hall as the audience rose to their feet. David accepted the accolades with grace and charm.

David made sure to look at all parts of the massive auditorium and acknowledge the adoration he was receiving. He knew no one would pay much attention to his looking at the Project Runway box and smiling at the stunning young man with the long and wavy hair. David’s heart skipped three beats when he saw Charlie standing at the front of the box.

David looked to the other side of the hall and blew a kiss. He sent a double-handed kiss to the center of the hall and one more to the left side—right at Charlie Danner.

David left the stage, and the Project Runway group began to gather their things and follow Karlie out into the hall. Christian stopped Charlie and put his arm around his shoulder. “I know that was difficult, but you did a far better job than I ever could have. We’re almost done here. We have the meet-and-greet. David has been told of the situation and has promised not to make things uncomfortable for you.”

“Thank you, Christian. I know I couldn’t have gotten through that concert without you and Eric.”

“You and Eric have seemed to hit it off.”

“I think I have a best friend for life with him. I already know he does.”

“I just won a hundred bucks!”

“What?”

“I bet Karlie that the two of you would become besties before the first day was out. She said it was going to happen after the first week. Winner!”

Eric just laughed at the whole thing, which caused Charlie to grin and chuckle.

“Finally! My two favorite boys have smiled! And if you tell anyone that I just called you my two favorite boys, I will deny it—and then I’ll have to kill you. Well—maybe just bitch-slap the Hell out of your pretty faces!”

More laughter as the three brought up the rear, and the group gathered in the hall. A Lincoln Center usher met them and asked the group to follow her to the reception room. Karlie told everyone that the cameras were already set up and filming would begin as soon as the door opened.

Charlie walked between Eric and Christian, and simultaneously, they both leaned in to him and said, “You got this, Charlie!”

Charlie and Eric walked into the reception room, leaving Christian in the hall with Karlie. The door was closed, and soon the designers began to speculate about the first challenge. Charlie kept quiet as he observed the others in the room. He felt better than he thought he would after such an emotional evening. Having Eric stick close to his side certainly helped matters as well.

Suddenly the door opened, and David was led in by Christian and Karlie, who was the first to speak. “Designers, I would like to introduce the fabulous David Chase.”

The room erupted with applause as David stood in front of the designers and smiled. He was dressed in his signature black skinny jeans and tight, black v-neck tee. Christian then spoke, “I’m glad you all enjoyed the performance tonight. As you noticed, PBS filmed the concert for a future episode of Great Performances. What you probably didn’t notice was that the concert was also recorded for Mr. Chase’s next album.”

“David’s next album, An Evening with Rachmaninov, will be released at the end of the year. As you know, Mr. Chase is rather unconventional in all aspects of his career, including being the first classical musician to be named Sexiest Man of the Year.”

Christian glanced over and looked up and down at David. “Yes, I think People Magazine got something right!” The room filled with laughter as David blushed. Charlie continued, “Your first challenge of this All-Star season is to create a look for David Chase that best suits his unconventional personality.”

“The winner of the challenge will find their look featured on the new album and will receive immunity for the next challenge.”

“We would like for you to line up, and David would like to meet each of you personally.”

“Fuck!” Charlie mumbled under his breath as Eric guided him to the end of the line.

“You got this, Charlie! Don’t give anything away. That bitch Chandra will only use it against you.”

Charlie smiled at Eric and said, “Yup! You hit that nail on the head!”

Karlie spoke as the designers moved into their line. “No one should be surprised that there is a bit of a twist to this challenge. As a fan of the show, David is familiar with most of you and your work. Additionally, we have learned that David knows one or possibly two of you.”

Christian continued with, “To guarantee complete fairness, the runway portion of this challenge will be blind. Mr. Chase will have no idea which designer belongs to the different looks on the runway. The winner of this challenge will be chosen before David learns who created the winning design.”

When David had received all the designers' video clips, he worked to make sure he learned each of their names. Not only did he feel it was the right thing to do, but he also needed to make sure that no one would think that Charlie had an unfair advantage.

As David moved through the line, he greeted each designer by name and complimented them on one or two things he remembered from previous seasons—or information he could glean from the videos.

Charlie felt his heart pounding harder and faster as David neared the end of the line. When David reached Eric, he reached out his hand and said, “Eric! I loved you on the show last season! Just so you know, I’ve always felt you were robbed. You should have won that entire season!”

Charlie sighed and vowed he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—look into David’s eyes as he took his hand. However, the electricity that passed between them as their skin touched made that impossible. Once their eyes locked, David smiled at Charlie. Charlie could only smile back as David leaned in to him and quietly said, “The Gods themselves couldn’t keep us apart forever.”

David pulled back and continued smiling. “I’m thrilled to see you back on the show, Charlie. I can’t wait to see what you come with for the challenge.”

Charlie squeezed David’s hands and quietly answered, “Thank you, David,” as he allowed his smile to broaden.

David and Charlie held their gaze for a brief second before David moved away to stand next to Christian, who announced, “We need to get you all back on the bus and back to your apartments. You have an early morning coming up. We’ll see you then!”

The designers were led out of the reception room after David, Christian, and Karlie left. The bus was waiting for them at the same place they were dropped off. Traffic was a little on the heavy side as all the Broadway shows were letting out as they were driving through Times Square.

Once everyone was back in their apartments, Charlie excused himself and went straight into the bedroom. He didn’t even take the time to remove his jacket, and he flopped down on the mattress. Charlie grabbed his pillow and began to cry into it softly.

Eric looked at the other guys, who seemed confused at how Charlie was acting. Eric excused himself and told the others he should probably check on his roommate.

Eric quietly slipped into the bedroom and gently sat on the bed next to Charlie. He began to rub his back gently and said, “Let it out, Charlie. Let it all out. Get rid of all the emotion and pain. I’m not going to let you get cut from this show on the first fucking challenge. You got this. You truly got this!”

Charlie turned over and smiled at Eric. “I’m okay—happy, actually. Thank you for being there tonight. I’m sorry I was such a hot mess. And—knowing how you are feeling about—well, everything—you were there for me and my shit when it was probably the last thing you wanted to do. You truly are an amazing friend, Eric.”

“Honestly? That’s really all I want. Being great friends is the most awesome thing I could ever have dreamed of. Look, Charlie. I’m a romantic at heart. When fucking David Chase played a song in front of the entire world that he’s only ever played for you—well, fuck! That was the most beautiful and romantic thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

Charlie wrapped his arms around Eric and squeezed. “Yeah, that was pretty fucking awesome. I pity the poor man who tries to woo me with flowers.”

Eric went into an impression of Charlie that had him holding his sides with laughter. “Right!? Flowers?? You send me two dozen fucking roses grown on the side of a Central American volcano? David-fucking-sexiest-man-alive-Chase played a song just for me in front of two-fucking-thousand people. You’ll have to do better than that!”

“Shhhh! Eric! Be quiet! I don’t need the others to know I’m one of the people David knows. But damn! You’re funny as shit!”

“Sorry! And speaking of that—I wonder who the second person is?”

“I don’t think there’s a second person. I think Christian threw that in to throw people off.”

“And you know everyone is trying to figure out who they are!”

“Except Chandra, she’s probably telling people it’s her just so that she can feel a little superior in the moment!”

“Did you see her face when they announced the first challenge. I think she’s pissed that she’s going to have a male model.”

“Ooooooh! Male Models! We need our beauty sleep!”

Charlie and Eric removed their suits and stripped down to their underwear. The boys went to the bathroom to brush their teeth.

When they walked back out to the bedroom Charlie, crawled into his bed, reached down, and pulled off his Andrew Christians. “Sorry, Eric. I have to sleep in the nude. I can’t sleep well if I have any clothes on.”

“That’s cool. I don’t think I’ve ever slept the whole night in the nude. Not even with Mike. When he would finish with me, he insisted that we put our clothes back on. That should have told me something then, right?”

“He was an asshat, Eric. You need to stop thinking about him and the b.s. he put you through.”

“You’re right. I know that. It’s like every time I think about Mike, I just give the jerk power.”

“Right! That fucker doesn’t get to take your power. He didn’t have any of his own—so he had to cheat to get some from you!”

“Fuck him! –which he would never let me do!—Asshole!” Eric pulled off his boxer briefs and snuggled into the bed. “This is nice!”

“Sleep with the angels, sweet man.”

“You too, Charlie. –Oh! I feel so dirty!”

“Good for you!”

Charlie sighed and decided that he was through with the emotional turmoil and crying. There would be no more crying while he’s on the show. He had no reason. He knew David felt the jolt of energy when they took each other’s hands—he could see it in his eyes. And the Chopin piece—Holy fuck! If that didn’t say David still loved him, nothing on this entire Earth could. David Chase still loved Charlie Danner. Everything was again right with the world.

* * * * *

Christian and Karlie walked back to the dressing room with David. As they were walking, David commented, “Jesus, that was hard!”

Karlie replied, “You did great. I seriously doubt anyone suspects a thing.”

“Right! I’m glad I had the chance to talk to Charlie after the concert. We were able to get him in a good place.”

“I wanted to grab him and kiss away all the hurt and pain I caused him.”

“You’ll get your chance—in about eight weeks if all goes well.”

“Christian, thanks for being there for Charlie. I know this had to be hard as Hell for him to deal with tonight. And he can be sooooooo emotional!”

“After we got off the bus and started walking toward the concert hall, he saw your picture hanging in the lobby and had a bit of a panic attack. He wanted to leave the show right there on the spot.”

Karlie thanked Christian for talking Charlie down from that ledge.

“Hey, it’s my job. I’m their mentor. I’m prepared to deal with all the panicky moments and be there to pat them on the back for their achievements. I like Charlie Danner. I think he has a great chance of winning the whole thing.”

Karlie chuckled and added, “Oh yeah, and the producers would have had your cute little gay ass if you let Charlie slip through your fingers!”

“Karlie, Christian. Thank you for everything you did to make him comfortable. I hate that I won’t get to interact with him during the challenge, but I get it. I just hope I’m smart and pick the right design.”

“I’m sure Christian will agree with me on this—you pick the design you want to be in for your album. That’s the right design—no question.”

“Karlie’s right. And on that note, we need to let you go. I have an early morning with the designers, and I’m sure you need to get your rest for tomorrow’s concert. We’ll see you soon—on the runway!”

* * * * *

Charlie and Eric woke at 5:30 the next morning. Charlie went to the kitchen to get some coffee while Eric hopped into the shower. By the time Charlie finished his first cup, Eric had stuck his head out the door to let Charlie know the shower was his.

The boys enjoyed a bowl of Raisin Bran while the others in the apartment began milling about, making coffee, and getting ready for the first day of their first challenge.

Washington asked if they should check and make sure the girls were up. Frankie, his roommate, said not to bother. The girls weren’t their problem, and if it were a perfect world, they would all oversleep and miss the bus for their first day.

Everyone—including the girls—made their way into the Atlas lobby by 7:25 and were on the bus at 7:30.

Upon their arrival at the studios, the designers were told to wait in the lobby. Someone would be down to take them up to the workroom. Promptly at 8:00, Christian Siriano stood in front of the designers and spoke, “Good morning, designers! In just a minute or two, I’m going to take you upstairs to the workroom. After a brief tour, you will be given thirty minutes to get started on your sketches. We’ll then head over to Mood, where you will pick out your fabric, keeping in mind you will have a $250.00 budget for this challenge.

“You’ll want to get as much work done as possible—as soon as possible. Your models will arrive this afternoon for their first fittings. You will be able to work until 11:00 this evening. Now—listen closely. 11:00 this evening sounds like you’re going to have a lot of time. As you already know, it’ll be 11:00 about five hours sooner than you would like. Let’s get to work!”

Christian took everyone upstairs and opened the doors to the work area. After a brief tour, he instructed the designers to select their station and place their supplies on the table. Eric and Charlie went to the far end of the room and grabbed stations that shared a common area.

The designers met in the center of the room where Christian told them their thirty minutes for sketching began “now!” and the designers returned to their spaces to begin work.

Charlie’s concept for David started with a deep burgundy velvet coat with wide lapels. He designed the collar to stand up as it wrapped around his neck. He was hoping that he would find the right color with a random black pattern. He would then build pants in the same burgundy but solid and no pattern. Buttons would be ornate and gold. Charlie had no plans for a shirt, but he hoped for a cool chain and pendant from the accessory wall.

Eric’s concept was something fun and playful. He based his design on Oshkosh overalls. He planned to find a luxurious fabric in red, blue, yellow, and white—the primary colors. Each section of the overalls would be in a different color. Buttons would be black, and the cut on the side would be deep and low—showing all he could show without being too offensive since he also had no plans for a shirt.

Eric and Charlie were putting the finishing touches on their sketches when Christian entered the workspace and announced it was time to head to Mood. This garment district fabric store was the usual haunt for the Project Runway designers.

Since everyone had been on the show before and was familiar with the store, everyone could head right to the area that held the fabric they needed. Charlie was thrilled to find exactly what he had imagined when he was planning, but as he was looking through different velvets, his eye caught a luxurious burgundy brocade that was perfect for the jacket design. He found a matching plain fabric for the pants and went over to the silks for the jacket lining. Before he reached the bolts of fabric, his eyes fell on the perfect color. I was almost the exact shade of gold as David’s hair. Perfection.

Two aisles over, Eric was ecstatic. He found a cotton blend that had the feel of denim but the softness of velvet. He found the colors he wanted and headed to the cutting table, meeting Charlie on his way. Eric was blown away by the fabric Charlie picked and felt like he had no chance in Hell of winning, but he would give it his all and do everything he could to get into the top 3.

Fabrics were purchased, and the designers headed back to the studio to begin work. When they arrived, they found a dozen mannequins, numbered one through twelve. Christian held a large bag and asked each designer to pick a number as they entered the workspace. When a number was drawn, they were instructed to take the corresponding mannequin to their workspace. The designers would then meet their models for the challenge.

Charlie pulled the card off the #7 mannequin and flipped it over. “Holy shit, Eric! Simon has an almost identical build as David. Even the long hair! How lucky!”

“Niiiice! My model is Angel. He’s got the body for my design, too. This is going to be a blast!”

Charlie giggled and whispered for Eric to look across the room at Chandra. She was reading her card with a look of disgust on her face and rolled her eyes.

Charlie continued whispering as they watched Chandra. “Ten bucks says she got the hottest model out of the whole lot!”

With the giggles settling down, the boys went to work. Both of their designs required a lot of detail and attention. Both were feeling quite confident.

* * * * *

David was in his dressing room about thirty minutes before the start of his second concert when there was a knock on the door. He recognized the knock and called out, “Come in, Ben!”

“David! I heard wonderful things about the concert last night. The people at PBS are ecstatic!” Ben paused and cocked his head to the side as he looked at David’s reflection in the mirror. “What’s going on, David? Are you alright?”

“What do you mean, Ben?”

“You look—I don’t know—different.”

“Different?”

“Jesus, David—you look—happy! David Chase doesn’t do happy—not before a performance, anyway.”

“I am happy, Ben. Happier than I’ve been since before I went to Russia.”

“Care to share?”

“Maybe after the concert. I don’t want to ruin the energy I’m feeling.”

“Okay—I’ll zip back before the reception. Maybe accompany you there.”

“Sounds good. So—the PBS people are pleased? They don’t need to reshoot anything?”

“Nope. They got everything they wanted—and then some. It seems when you got to the schmaltzy part of the second piece, the cameramen noticed a lot of sniffling and started shooting audience members wiping tears. One of the cameramen found the box with the Project Runway people and found them all to be in tears—especially one guy in the front row who was even sobbing. Television gold, I tell ya.”

David knew exactly who Ben was talking about, and it made his mood even happier. The idea that his music still moved Charlie made his heart soar.

“I met with them after the concert last night. They filmed our meet-and-greet as well as the announcement of their challenge. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I remember most of the designers, and I think it’s going to be awesome when the runway show comes around.”

“Hey, you! What have you done with David? I don’t know what kind of scheme this is—probably something those Russians came up with—but you need to return David immediately! He’s the only one who can play two fucking Rachmaninov concertos in the same concert!”

“Whatever, asshole! It’s just that I’ve finally come to realize that my career is unconventional. I’m like the first classical pianist that’s a big-time celebrity to people who may or may not be into classical music. I think I’m about ready to accept that—and start enjoying it.”

Ben was both dumbfounded and pleased to hear this from his most prized client. He walked to David and kissed him on the cheek. “We can’t wait to see you perform tonight. I think we’re in for a real treat! I need to get out to my seat. The wife doesn’t like sitting by herself for too long, ya know.”

“Give Sally a kiss for me and tell her I love her—more than I love you, of course!”

On his way out, Ben turned to look at David, smiled at him, and shook his head. “Wow!”

As David walked on stage, he felt different—lighter, more confident, and he surprised himself that he was having fun. As he played through the Third Concerto, he found that the more difficult sections came to him with an ease he’d never experienced while playing even the simplest of pieces.

When he finished the concerto, David quite literally bounced off the bench for his bow. Instead of acknowledging the conductor with an outstretched arm, he walked over to him and shook his hand. Without warning, David gently pulled a stunned van Zweden off the podium and had him take a bow with him. He then walked over to the concertmaster, shook his hand, and pulled him up from his seat. He motioned to him to even more thunderous applause. The audience was eating it up—concert pianists never shared the praise so generously.

David had always performed with confidence and an elegant poise that most reviewers and arts commentators have acknowledged since his career took off. For the first time, David was poised, confident, and having fun. When he finished the variations, the applause was more generous than he had ever heard. It seemed the audience was enjoying watching him play as much as he was enjoying the experience himself.

After seven bows, an exhausted—but happy—David made his way to his dressing room. He immediately began to change into his casual clothes and heard Ben’s knock on the door just as he pulled the tee-shirt over his head.

“Come in, Ben!”

“Holy fuck, David! I’ve never heard you play like you played tonight! That was—shit, David—that was fucking incredible!”

“It felt so good, Ben. I’ve never enjoyed playing a concert more than I have tonight. Nothing’s ever come close—ever!”

“Come here, David. Sit down.” Ben motioned to the sofa and had David sit with him.

“What’s going on here? I mean, I’m thrilled to see you like this, but part of me is scared shitless. Just tell me what brought all this on.”

“I found him, Ben. After all this time, I found him!”

“That’s not very helpful. You found who?”

“Charlie. I found my Charlie!”

“Wait. Charlie? As in Charlie, the-love-of-my-life-who-I-left-behind-for-Russia-and-is-married-Charlie?”

“Yes! He’s one of the designers on the show!”

“Shit, David. That could be bad. Do the producers know your connection to him?”

“Yes, it seems that Charlie panicked as the group was walking through the plaza. He saw that fucking picture that covered the entire glass wall. Thanks for that, by the way!”

“Was that a good thanks or a sarcastic thank? I don’t know with you anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway—Charlie let them know he knew me and thought he should leave the show. They didn’t want that, so they’ve set the challenge up where I won't know who designed what until after we pick the winning look.”

“Okay, that’s good. And this Charlie has caused this gigantic shift in you?”

“Yes! Of course! Ben! He still loves me! It’s like we’ve never been apart!”

“He told you this?”

“No! That would have been foolish! I felt it when our hands touched. I saw it in his eyes. When he smiled back at me—well, that’s all I need. Charlie Danner still loves me. And you of all people know that I’ve never stopped loving him.”

“Well, that’s a lovely story, and I’m touched. But he’s tied up with the show for what? Three months?”

“Eight weeks. And I will damned well make sure Charlie knows where to find me—or at least let me know where to find him when he’s finished.”

“Can you handle eight weeks?”

“It’s been eight years. Eight more weeks is nothing.”

“Well, let’s get to the reception. Sally is there and is probably going to kill me for taking so long!”

“She’ll be fine. She loves me. I’ll gush over her outfit and hair, and all will be well. Let’s go!”

“What? No bitching?”

“Nope! Let’s go meet some fans!”

“Shit! Who the fuck are you?”

For the first time, David enjoyed himself at the meet-and-greet. He engaged in conversation with the many fans who paid a large sum of money for the chance to meet the classical music phenom.

At the end of the night, David was driven to his hotel, where he hopped into the shower and got ready for a good night’s sleep.

Before making his way into the suite’s bedroom, he found the room service cart with the late-night meal he had ordered before leaving for Lincoln Center earlier in the evening.

He took his sandwich and drink out to the balcony and sat, looking over the lights of New York City. “Charlie Danner. I know you’re out there. I love you, baby. I’m going to find you when you’re done with the show.”

Suddenly the proverbial light bulb went off in his head. Charlie’s mother! He needed to call Beverly first thing in the morning! She’ll know what he should do!

With the smile on his face that had been there most of the day, David stripped himself of his underwear and slipped into the luxurious sheets. As his eyes shut and he began drifting off to sleep, David marveled at how nice it was to finally find that elusive happiness he’d been missing for so long.

David woke the next morning a little after 9:00 to the sound of room service, bringing his breakfast to the room. He called out a sleepy “thank you” and crawled out of bed as soon as he heard the door close.

He smiled when he found his morning wood standing proud for the first time in at least two years—well, it was the first time when he didn’t have a cute boy in bed with him.

At 10:00, he looked up Beverly Danner in his address book and found her cell number. He pressed the call button, hoping she hadn’t changed the number in the last eight years.

After two rings, he heard, “This is Beverly.”

“Beverly! This is David—David Chase.”

“David? Oh my! Is everything okay? Is something wrong with—”

David reassured Beverly that everything was fine and then got to the point of his call. “The reason I’m calling—this is a bit difficult, and you can tell me to mind my own business if you want—but I saw Charlie at my concert the other night, and I noticed he didn’t have a band on his finger. Is, uhm—is he still married?”

“That’s one thing I always liked about you, David. Even when you were in high school, you never beat around the bush. But to answer your question, Charlie and Jacob divorced several months ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure that was hard for Charlie.”

“It was, but he’s fine now. And are you really sorry to hear that?”

“And that’s one of the things I like about you. You don’t beat around the bush either. And yes, I’m sorry Charlie was hurt by whatever caused the divorce. And no, I’m not sorry he’s no longer married.”

“You said you saw him the other night? At your concert?”

“Yes. You won’t believe this, but their first challenge is to design something for me to wear on my next album cover. I agreed to do it because I became addicted to the show after watching the season with Charlie. But I had no idea— Oh crap! You can’t tell a soul what I just told you! It’s supposed to be a secret!”

“Dear, you don’t have a thing to worry about. But how was he when you saw each other? Did you get to talk?”

“Nothing more than a few words at a meet-and-greet. I had to make sure the other people in the room didn’t see that we have a special thing between us.”

“Do you think it’s still special, David?”

“Yeah, I truly do. I saw it in Charlie’s eyes. I know he saw the same thing in mine just from the way he smiled. But that’s all I have right now. My contact with the designers is minimal until after the winner is declared.”

“I probably shouldn’t say anything—but Charlie has never stopped loving you, David—even while he was married to Jacob. It just seemed there was always this hole in his heart where you belonged.”

“I know. I could tell. But, I need to know—is Charlie’s son okay? How did he handle the divorce?”

“It was hard on him at first. He took it all very personally—as most children do. But Noah is on the Autism spectrum, and that just made it all the more difficult. He’s doing so much better now. Charlie and Jacob have joint custody.”

“Noah. His name is Noah?”

“Oh yes. He’s such an adorable boy. He’s seventeen now and surprises us every day. Oh, David. It’s so wonderful to hear from you! I have so many questions!”

“Well, I have an idea. Mother’s day is coming up next week. Do you have plans?”

“With Charlie away, my plans are a quiet day with my grandson.”

“I would love to see you—maybe even meet Noah if you think he would like that.”

“Since Noah is the one who insisted Charlie do the show so he could find that boyfriend and bring him home—I don’t think that would be a problem at all!”

“What? Really? Boyfriend? Find me?”

“Yes, David. Even Noah realizes what you mean to his daddy—and Noah wants nothing more than to see his daddy happy again.”

“Oh my God—that’s amazing. Look, I have a beautiful big house on Long Island. It sits right on the beach. My mom is coming up for the weekend. Why don’t you and Noah join us? I know Mom would love to see you again.”

“Well, that’s a lovely thought! Of course, I’ll have to ask Noah—and see if Jacob is okay with losing a weekend with his son. Once I get all that situated, I’ll call you. Apparently, I still have you in my phone since your name came up when you called. Is this a good number to reach you?”

“Yes, it’s perfect. It’s just about the only private thing I have left in my life!”

“I look forward to talking to you again, David. It was lovely to hear from you!”

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me, Beverly. Oh! One more thing—would you tell Noah that I can’t wait to meet him?”

“Of course, I think that might just make his day!”

“And you’ve just made mine!”

After saying their goodbyes, David clicked his phone off and then dialed his stylist.

“Hi, David! What’s up?”

“Tania, I need some help—and if you can get this done by my performance tonight, you will get a bonus like you’ve never seen before.”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you ready for the new David Chase?”

“Uh oh. You know those are either the best or the worst words a stylist could ever hear! Tell you what. I’m only booked for an hour later this afternoon, but it’s nothing that can’t be put off. I’ll be there as soon as I can get out the door. Where are you, by the way?”

“I’m at the Park Hyatt near Lincoln Center.”

“Great! I can be there in less than thirty minutes. I live fairly close.”

“Wonderful. I’m going to leave your name at the front desk. They’ll let you up. I’ll see you soon, Tania.”

 

* * * * *

 

“David, are you sure you want to do this—at fucking Lincoln Center?”

“Yes. Tania, I’m tired of being a miserable version of something I’m not just to make other people happy.”

“And that’s why I love working with you, David! You do look stunning!”

When David walked out on stage, he was smiling from ear-to-ear as he heard the gasps, the “ooh’s,” and “ah’s” when eyes feel on the deep blue velvet morning coat with the black lapels—over the signature skin-tight black v-neck tee-shirt. At least he was still wearing the tux pants and shiny black shoes.

David smiled and winked at van Zweden before he sat at the piano. On the other hand, van Zweden didn’t know what to make of David Chase—that is until he began to play, and he realized the young man could be in his underwear, and it really didn’t matter. David Chase was the finest pianist he had ever had the joy of working with.

During intermission, Tania went backstage to make sure David was okay. When she got to the dressing room, David had already removed the blue jacket and had put on the deep purple version of the same coat.

“David, I like that one even better. The way it sets off your hair--

“Tell me, Tania. Are people freaked out over the look? Not that it matters all that much, I’m not changing back.”

“It’s funny, actually. After the initial reaction, I figured that the blue coat would have been the talk of intermission. Bob and I didn’t hear a single word about the coat. People were only talking about—and raving about your playing.”

“It’s working, Tania. This is how I’m going to dress from now on. I’ve never been so comfortable onstage!”

Tania kissed David on the cheek and promised to see him at the reception.

The second half of the program couldn’t have gone better. David’s happiness, combined with his new-found comfort, freed him to play with an effortless clarity as he had ever experienced.

For the second night in a row, David Chase had a wonderful time at a meet-and-greet. At one point, he walked up to van Zweden and shook his hand. “Maestro, it was an absolute pleasure working with you and your magnificent orchestra. I will make sure you get an invitation to the studio to hear the pieces before they are committed for release.”

“Sank you, Mr. Chase.” There was a pause in the conversation as van Zweden looked David up and down. “Ze purple—much better zan ze blue. You should keep ze purple.” The conductor looked at David, smiled, and winked before turning to talk to other symphony supporters.

The next morning, David was again woken by the sounds of room service in the outer room. He heard the door close, and he walked out to enjoy his breakfast. As the coffee slowly began to wake him up, he started to feel the excitement in his stomach.

Today is the day! He checked his messages and found what he needed. The show would pick him up at his hotel at 1:00 and take him to the studio for the runway show. David just hoped that he would at least get to see Charlie again!

David also found a voice message from Beverly, saying everything was perfect for Mother’s Day at the beach. She said even Noah was excited, and the only time she’s ever seen that was when he got his Toy Story bedroom for his birthday.

David showered and shaved to get ready for the show and put on his black outfit. He decided he wouldn’t change that particular look because it was his favorite look of all.

He called Beverly after he was ready to go so he could make arrangements for her flight. She had already taken care of it through her work and included David’s mother so they could travel together. Once all the plans were made and shared, David went to the hotel lobby to meet the car that would take him to the studio.

When David was taken to the runway, he was greeted by enthusiastic applause from the designers and judges. He was led to an empty stool, which happened to be between Karlie and Nina Garcia. Nina leaned over to him and whispered that she and her husband saw the concert the night before, and she loved how he stepped out of the dress code box. She asked if she could mention his look in the next issue of Elle. David smiled and agreed.

The designers were escorted out of the studio, and the runway show began. David knew there would be some wonderful designs—some exotic, some playful, and some that were just out of this galaxy. He was surprised at how easy it was to pick his favorites. With the help of the judges, they were able to agree on the top three.

David was stuck between two of the designs. He asked Karlie what happened to the clothes that were not selected as winners. She told him that they were auctioned off for a charity chosen by the winner and the producers. David made his choice and then offered $5000 for the second-place design that he really wanted. The producers agreed to let David pay for the second one. He only hoped that one of the two belonged to Charlie.

When it came to the bottom three, the judges asked if there were any designs he didn’t like. There was only one. It looked like an oversized tee-shirt with sleeves that could have swallowed his head. He told the judges that no matter what his thoughts were, he didn’t want to be the one responsible for sending anyone home.

Nina smiled at him and reassured him that the judges were in complete agreement with his take on the ill-fitted tee-shirt.

The six designs that made up the top and bottom three were brought out to the runway. Their designers followed the models. David was thrilled to see that Charlie and Eric were both standing behind their looks.

The results ended with Eric winning the challenge and Charlie coming in second place. The loser? Chandra. David couldn’t help but feel most everyone was happy to see her go.

David was allowed to go backstage to see Eric one-on-one when all the other designers had left the studio area.

“Thank you, Mr. Chase! I can’t believe you picked my design!”

“David. Please call me David. Of course, I wanted your design. It was so much fun, and—I don’t know—it just brought me so much joy!”

“I know you were hoping that the winner would have been Charlie. But, just in case I won, Charlie gave me this to give to you.”

Eric handed David an envelope with what appeared to be a note. David held it to his heart as tears began to well up in his eyes. “See? This is how everything works in our life together.” David pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Eric. “Please give this to Charlie. I was going to give it to Christian to pass along, but I think it would mean more to Charlie if it got to him through you.”

“I think you might be right.”

“Oh! And can you tell Charlie that I’ve already purchased his design so I can begin wearing it when I perform—maybe with a shirt for now!”

“Oh my God! That’s amazing! He’s going to freak out!”

The producers came into the room and told Eric that it was time to head up to the workroom. David gave a hug to Eric and whispered into his ear, “Take good care of my boy, Eric. I’ll be waiting for him.”