Page 145 of Let It Snow
"Are you serious? Why wouldn’t you sign it with your own name? That’s…"
I trail off. We look at each other for a moment, and suddenly I get it. This is just Snow.
The basement-dweller.
He’s never wanted the spotlight, even though he’s incredibly talented. He prefers to stay on the sidelines. It all makes sense; it all fits.
"And Dennis agreed? Wow. That must’ve triggered a full-blown case of imposter syndrome. Every possible insecurity he could’ve had…"
Snow chuckles and glances at me.
"You see, with Dennis it’s complicated. In a lot of ways, all he wanted was to prove to his dad that he’d made it, that his name was finally recognized. As a beta, he grew up being told that a career was the only thing that mattered, that he had to obsessively focus on it. And that one single goal was slipping through his fingers. He felt miserable not being able to show off achievements to his dad, instead delivering failure after failure when his compositions kept getting rejected from competitions. His relationship with his dad turned toxic. Dennis carried constant resentment for the pressure, while his dad just saw him as a disappointment."
"I really don’t think passing off someone else’s talent as your own can ever end well for anybody," I mutter cynically.
"And yet that was exactly what happened. Dennis signed off on that composition with his own name. He handled the director, polished the details, made small tweaks when production needed them. That kind of behind-the-scenes technical fine-tuning actually suited him. And when the movie came out, it was a huge box-office hit. That same director shot a sequel not long after, which blew up even bigger, and Dennis’s name skyrocketed. The score won an award, and… Dennis was the one who walked up on stage at a film festival and accepted it himself."
I sit up sharply, unable to stay still.
"No way. What movie is it?"
"Part one,Alien: Invasion; part two,Alien: Reckoning."
I almost explode and grab my head.
"Those are two of the biggest hits of the last decade! I know their soundtracks inside out, it’s insane. I even had them on repeat back then. I can’t believe that was your work. It’s brilliant!"
Snow laughs softly, almost embarrassed.
"Thank you, that’s kind."
"I still can’t believe you gave up all that fame. He didn’t deserve that award; only you did!" I rub my eyes in disbelief.
Snow lies there for a moment, his gaze drifting across the ceiling. From the garden outside come the sounds of his brothers’ voices, the music playing, their meeting on the patio still going on, one I, of course, am not part of.
"Summer, remember when we talked about power? I never wanted that kind of life, never wanted anything that came with living in the spotlight. Dennis wanted it. He dreamed of it. But he also knew, deep down, he didn’t have the talent, which is why we became a team. Over the past seven years, I’ve written music for more than a dozen films and around twenty video games. Dennis signs his name, and that works for him. He takes thirty percent of the fee; I take seventy. To me, it’s a fair deal. He manages the public image of our little secretive ‘duo’, and I do the work down here in my… basement. I have money and peace. For me, that’s a win-win."
"So Dennis Darrento really isyou. That name is a legend in the film music industry, and all this time it’s been you hiding behind it. Unbelievable. I’m starting to think my twenty million in the bank doesn’t even make a dent in your world."
Snow smiles gently.
"Money’s never meant much to me. I got a trust fund from my parents anyway. I know how it sounds, like I’m playing at some noble stance, pretending I’m above it all, but it’s not about that. For me it’s about peace. I want to live at my own pace,without stress, without the pressure of public scrutiny, without having to craft an image or deal with reporters camped outside my door."
I sink back down onto the bed and slide closer to him, resting my face against his chest.
"It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the scale of that sacrifice. I can’t help but feel you must’ve loved Dennis to do something like that for him."
Snow gives a small shrug.
"It was a very specific kind of affection. Our relationship was never straightforward. In a way, it was tragic, because I always knew one day I’d meet my fated mate. I told him that once. I knew it hurt him, knowing we were only ever temporary."
"So after Dennis left for college, did you two ever… you know, fuck again? While you were already in an arrangement with Theo?"
Snow hesitates, exhales softly, then answers.
"Well, it was an open relationship. And yes, from time to time, when Dennis came back to visit his parents, he’d drop by. But it wasn’t often. I think it was… hurting him more than it was helping him."
"When was the last time?"
