Page 131 of Finding the Forward: Part One
“I wrote some shit for class. AJ would like to join us if the train times work out. While Dean and Jonas have heard my stuff, he hasn’t. Would you be okay with that?” It still baffled me that they’d play something I wrote.
“Only if it’s okay withyou.I love having you to myself, but if he wants to hear your song, I understand that. They’re playing your song. How special.” Verity beamed as she finished her food.
I found the program. It wasnotthe piece I’d expected, but sure, he could hear it.
“You’re welcome to come if you can make it on time. We’ll save you a spot.” I ended the call. I looked at Verity. “Warning, it’s one of my, um, experimental pieces, I wrote for my modern composition class.”
Sonatina por ricombi auto.It featured a full orchestra, a stripped car, and a ballet dancer wearing a trash bag.
“I can’t wait.” She licked some sauce off her lips.
We finished our delicious dinner and settled our bill.
She eyed the last breadstick in the basket. “Should I put that in my purse for Dean?”
I nodded. “You absolutely should.”
Verity wrapped it in a napkin and put it in her crossbody bag. She’d changed into nice slacks and a pretty blouse and wore her pretty baby blue coat. I was still in my suit.
As we left, I stopped by the table of students. “Thanks for not interrupting my date. Did you want a selfie or something?”
“Please?” one girl asked.
We took some pictures and then walked to BosTec hand in hand. It was cold and icy, with some snow on the ground.
“Is it weird to be back? Have you been back?” she asked. Darkness had fallen. The campus was lit up with strings of lights as I led her to the music building.
“Dean dragged me for our five-year reunion, which felt strange since I didn’t graduate. But I don’t think most people realize that. Also, once he came out as an omega, he spoke at some omega society stuff,” I replied.
“That’s amazing. My dad ran the omega science club back at Briar. Did you get swept up before graduation?” She squeezed my hand.
Drafted players could get signed outside the free agent window. It wasn’t uncommon for PHL teams tosweep updrafted players at playoffs, since they started right as the collegiate hockey season ended.
“I wasn’t drafted, though Dean was. Um, I couldn’t pass my math class. BosTec requires music majors to take advanced calculus,” I laughed. “Really, I had no business going here. This was the only university webothgot selected to play hockey for.I majored in music because I wouldn’t make it in the sciences. I only passed chem thanks to Dean, and even he couldn’t save my calculus grade.”
She gave me a skeptical look. “I know how BosTec applications work since I helped my brother with his. The music department requires an audition and an exam. Dare planned all along to major in music. He hoped if he chose a science school the parents wouldn’t notice.”
“I’m really not that good,” I told her, my breath coming out in frozen puffs, not wanting to talk about it any longer. “No one else is coming to see Dare?”
“Hale’s in finals and Mercy would be here if she didn’t have a game. Dare didn’t tell anyone else.” She shrugged, seeming a little sad.
“We’re here for Dare. We’ll take him out to ice cream. Dean’s parents always took us for ice cream after everything,” I told her. Dare deserved someone to celebrate him. I knew what orchestra he was in and it was no joke.
As we walked, I pointed out the building where Dean had most of his classes, and the library where no one was ever in the stacks, so it was good for fucking. The sports complex was on the opposite side of campus. Dean and I had lived at home for part of university, then his parents got us an apartment.
Entering the music building, which was adjacent to the concert hall, I took a deep breath. A strange, but welcome feeling came over me. I’d forgotten howgoodit felt here. I showed her the music library and some classrooms.
We entered one of the orchestra rooms, filled with seats, the percussion instruments in the back. A spare set of mallets sat on a table. I picked them up, arranged the four mallets in my fingers like second nature.
“While I’ve played piano since I was a little kid, in the high school and university orchestras I played marimba. It’s the samesetup as a piano keyboard, and well, I can read music, so it was easy to pick up,” I explained, going over to one and playing a quick riff.
Wow, that feltamazing. It had been years. I played a few things for her, not missing a few faces in the windows of the doors.
“That is beautiful. I play nothing,” she confessed.
Putting the mallets back, I took her hand and led her to my favorite practice room. It was a little larger than most of them and had a baby grand piano in it.
“I spent a lot of time here. Practicing, composing, studying. I may have fucked Dean in here many times.” I eyed the small window in the door, wondering if there was anything we could cover it with.
