CHAPTER 16

When Kevin woke up the next morning, he felt Tristan beside him before he saw her. They had shifted during the night and she now lay against him, her arm stretching across his chest, her leg wrapped around his. She moved over to her back, untangling their legs and placing her right hand on his stomach. He hadn’t noticed last night the pink satin camisole she was wearing that did nothing to hide the play of her breasts as she moved in his bed.

He thought back to the events of the night before. He remembered stopping at a bar after he left the airport. Then he recalled his misery and how he had unloaded his torment onto Tristan. The torment was diminished now and he felt hope and contentment. Kevin thought about getting up but decided to stay in bed and enjoy Tristan’s comfort for a while longer. He dozed again and when he woke up again, she had left his bed.

Kevin showered, dressed and went downstairs to find Tristan in the kitchen toasting bagels. She heard him come in and turned to him, not knowing what to expect. He looked at her for a moment and then smiled and said, “Good morning!”. She grinned back at him and returned to her bagels.

They ate together, talking about nothing. Kevin reached across the table, taking Tristan’s hand.

“Tris, I want to thank you for last night. I don’t think you understand what a burden you lifted from me. Just being able to share......” Then he sighed and said, “I just hope you don’t feel like you’re carrying it now.”

Tristan squeezed his hand. “We’re friends. I’m glad you talked to me and I’m happy that I helped. I was being honest with you, Kevin, not just trying to make you feel better. I don’t think it’s wrong to have strong feelings.”

Kevin hesitated before continuing.

“You’re not really gonna leave tomorrow, are you Tris?”

Tristan removed her hand from his. “I think it would be best if I did. I’ll be gone in a month, anyway.”

“A good reason for you to stay!” Kevin smiled hopefully. “Nick’s coming Sunday to stay until we finish recording. It’ll be fun!.” He added, pouting for dramatic effect, “Nick will think you don’t like him anymore if you leave now. He’ll think you left because he was coming.” Kevin made his lip tremble.

Tristan burst out laughing at Kevin’s attempt to sway her with his facial contortions.

“You’re breaking my heart!” she cried and reached over to pinch his cheek.

“Oh, come on! We can do a few clubs, you know, have some fun. It’ll be easier if you’re here and it’s only for a month!”

She thought about the prospect for a moment and then relented. “Okay, you convinced me!”, Tristan smiled. “You may get that Academy Award this year, after all!”

***********

Mutt flew to Orlando Saturday night and had dinner at Kevin’s house. He wasn’t all that surprised to find that Tristan was staying there. A small list was starting to form of people who sensed the vibrations between the two. Mutt’s name was now on that list, just below Anne’s and Amanda’s. His run in with Kevin in Stockholm had only cemented those feelings.

“How’s she doing?”, Mutt asked Kevin when Tristan was out of earshot.

“She had a nightmare on the promo tour, but none that I know of since then.”, Kevin answered.

“Really?” Mutt raised his brows. He was considering the fact that Tristan had been with Kevin almost constantly since that trip. “What did you do about the dream? Just let her work through it?”

“I just kind of eased her out of it, I guess.” Kevin was ready to change the subject.

“Interesting......I was told that no one had been able to do that.” Mutt looked at Kevin intently.

“I don’t know - it happened.” Kevin was uncomfortable.

“I see....” Mutt smiled to himself and stopped his interrogation, not wishing to push Kevin. It appeared to him that Tristan may have finally found her savior.

**********

Nick arrived the next day, mouth flapping and ready for an encore performance of ‘Kevin’s Pain in the Ass’, by Nikolas Carter. It was a role he had hated and didn’t understand when he was younger but he loved it now that he’d grown about eight inches. Actually, Nick loved Kevin very much but, like real brothers, was loathe to show it unless under desperate circumstances. They were two sides of the same coin. Kevin had been the baby at home and suddenly found himself in the role of the wise older brother while Nick had been the wise, older brother at home who suddenly found himself playing the baby. It’s no wonder they had been at each other so much. But that was in the past for the most part. They were more mature now. Right.

Nick knew that Kevin loved him, too. He had insisted that Nick stay with him in Orlando. After Nick had accepted his offer, Kevin had dumped about a million rules and expectations on him and Nick had grumbled. But when he went up Kevin’s stairs to his room, he found that Kevin had hooked up a Playstation, rented dozens of games, bought the latest issues of about thirty comics and had loaded the pantry and fridge with his favorite snacks.

Nick was particularly pleased that Tristan was staying there, too. He was really fond of her.. She could be silly with him and serious. Plus she had a calming effect on Kevin. This might be fun.

Monday morning all the guys, Tristan and Mutt gathered at the studio to start to work. They still had those five tracks to complete for the album and they were going to have to push to finish this up before Christmas. They seemed ready to go now but were sure to be tired and at each others throats before it was all over. Tristan wondered if it had been a good idea to stay at Kevin’s after all.

The days moved along and soon they were into December Two of the five tracks had been laid and mixed.

During a break one day, Tristan found and old teen magazine in a stack at the studio’s office. She flipped through the magazine and sipped on her soda, waiting for Mutt to return from lunch. She soon came upon a photograph of the ‘Backstreet Boys’. Tristan always paused when she saw them labeled together as a group. Even though the ‘Backstreet Boys’ was a single unit she had come to view them individually, as completely separate entities who happened to sing together sometimes. She noticed that Nick was wearing glasses in the picture and she tore it out and took it back to the studio. She’d have to ask him about that later.

Before leaving the studio that evening, the guys had gathered in the control room to listen to their days work. It was a little crowded and when Kevin turned to move to a console, his long arms shoved Tristan’s pile of notes across the floor.

“Shit!”, Kevin shouted and bent down to pick up the papers.

AJ bent, too, to give Kevin a hand. As they collected the sheets, Kevin came across the picture that Tristan had torn from the magazine. He smiled seeing the photo of Nick and tried to find what other pictures of the group she has decided to save. There were no other pictures. AJ had seen Nick’s photo, too, and wondered what picture she would keep of him. Like Kevin, it was plain to him that Nick’s photograph was the only one Tristan had deemed special enough to save.

Kevin and AJ stood up together, looked at each other and then over to Tristan, who happened to laughing hysterically at something Nick had just said.

What the fuck is she saving pictures of Nick for? Kevin felt a pang of jealousy.

AJ’s thoughts went a little deeper into the gutter. He looked from Tristan and Nick to Kevin and back again. Oooooooh... Menage a trois? He laughed to himself picturing the three of them. Kinky!

**********

Kevin had promised a friend that he would go with him to the opening of a new club in Orlando that night. He wished he hadn’t promised. He told himself that he was being ridiculous, but was aware that he didn’t feel all that comfortable leaving Nick and Tristan at home alone. He was imagining things! Tristan wouldn’t be interested in Nick! Not in that way. And what if she was? It wasn’t really his business. He had no real claims on her. Still, he didn’t like it.

Kevin left at about ten o’clock to meet his friend and Nick and Tristan decided to watch a movie. When the movie ended, Tristan remembered the picture of Nick she had torn from the magazine and told Nick to wait as she ran to her room to get it, bringing it back downstairs along with a small plastic box.

“Nick?”, Tristan began. “I saw this picture of you today wearing glasses. Are they fake?”

“No, I have a prescription.” Nick answered wondering where this was going.

“So you wear contacts?”

“Yeah, so?”

Tristan held up the small box and Nick immediately recognized it as a lens case. He’d seen her wear wire rims occasionally, but didn’t know she wore contact lenses.

“Hey, I didn’t know you wore contacts, too!,” Nicked grinned like they were members of some special and exclusive club.

“That’s the problem - I don’t.”

“You’ve lost me.” Nick looked puzzled.

“I can’t put the damn things in!” Tristan frowned. “I want to get used to them and learn to slip them in easily. I’m starting to have trouble reading musical notes, especially in complicated pieces.”

“You gonna start playing again?” Nick got excited.

Tristan laughed at his excitement. “Maybe. It’s been a long time.” She sounded a little sad. "I’ve got to find something to do after this album wraps up, right?”

Nick still didn’t understand what Tristan was getting at.

“Nick, can you help me put these in? My doctor said I could wear them at night if I take them out for a few hours the next day. They’re soft lenses.”

Nick seemed pleased that his expert services were required. “Sure! Want to do it now?”

“Okay,” she laughed.“Let’s go!”

They ran upstairs to Nick’s room like two children starting off on a great adventure. Nick swept the things on his dresser to the side to make room for the lenses, solution and tissues. He wasn’t aware that when he pushed his things aside, he accidentally flipped the switch on the baby monitor that had been left behind from the Richardson’s Thanksgiving visit.

Kevin was just coming in the door as Nick and Tristan got ready to begin their lens caper upstairs. He was home earlier than he expected. The club wasn’t great and he couldn’t seem to get into a partying mood. His thoughts kept drifting back to Nick and Tristan - their seemingly intimate discussions in Stockholm, the way she had covered him on the plane, her pleasure upon hearing that Nick was coming, the picture she had torn from the magazine. He shook his head and laughed at himself. God, I must be tired. The idea is ludicrous!

He laughed again and headed for the kitchen to get a drink before checking on Tristan and going to bed. Kevin heard static coming from behind him and turned to see the speaker from the baby monitor he had bought for the holiday.

“Shit, Nick’s probably been playing with this thing!”, he muttered.

He leaned to turn off the speaker and heard voices coming through the small box. He recognized Tristan and Nick. “Probably playing video games.’ Kevin smiled. Then he heard the conversation.

“Nick, is there enough moisture? I want everything good and wet!”

“Yeah, babe, it’s wet.”

“You know it’ll hurt if it’s not wet enough..”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve had experience with that.”

Kevin stopped and stared at the speaker. What the hell were they talking about?

“Nick, what are you doing?”

“I think I’ll use my middle finger for this. Works better.”

“Just do it, Nick! This is making me nervous!”

“Calm down baby. You’re all tight. You’re getting worked up over nothing.”

“Nothing to you - something to me! I’ve never done this before!”

“The first time’s the hardest. Are you sure you want me to go on?”

“I’m sure, Nick. I just had to get my nerve up. I’ve been waiting long enough.”

“Okay then. Just tell me if you want me to stop and I will.”

“Do you think this is a bad idea?”

“Hell, no. Just don’t go crying on me. Sometimes there’s a lot of tears the first time.”

Kevin turned up the volume. His eyes were hard and his mouth turned down. I can’t be hearing this!

“Is your finger ready ?” pause “Ow, ow, ow!! - damn, Nick, you’re killing me,here!”

“Hon, if you don’t relax, this ain’t gonna happen. Now calm down.”

“I’m trying!”

Another pause

"Shit, Tris - drying out again. I usually use my mouth. Do you mind if I just lick it?”

Kevin felt he had to sit down. His knees were feeling weak. Lick? As in tongue? Christ!

“Do you have some gross disease?”

Laughter. “Nothing too gross.”

More laughter. “Okay, just lick it so we can get this done.”

Kevin was staring at the speaker as if he thought it might start dancing. He felt like he might explode and didn’t know what to do. He knew that he and Tristan had agreed not to interfere in each others lifestyles, but fuck that! Tristan and Nick? Nick- his little brother? He still couldn’t believe it. The pictures forming in his brain as the dialog went on were killing him. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone touching her.

“Okay, baby. (soothing tones) Lean back and relax.”

“Jeez, Nick. Just slide the damn thing in!”

“You’re gonna have to open wider that that, Tris!”

Kevin’s attempts to be rational went right down the toilet at that last remark He barreled around the corner and up the stairs to Nick’s room, screaming and bursting through the door.

“Nick Carter, you God damned little motherfu.......”

Kevin screeched to a halt looking at the couple before him. Tristan had her head back and Nick was standing over her, his middle finger about to make contact with her eyeball. Tristan stumbled back, loosing her balance as Nick spun around dropping the contact lens on the floor.

“Shit!”, Nicked shouted. “Kevin, what the hell’s the matter with you? Are you drunk?”

Kevin was speechless as he stared at the two, now groveling on the floor in search of the lens.

CHAPTER 17

A new year was fast approaching and Tristan felt the time coming when she would have to make some serious choices about her life - both personal and professional. When people in the music industry heard that she was doing studio work she began to receive requests for concert appearances.

Many in the classical music world knew of her rape. It had been reported, but on a small scale and she was just another statistic. But the people she worked with now hadn’t followed the classical music scene or its inhabitants and no idea of her attack, except for Mutt. She was glad it was that way. Tristan wanted to get past it and didn’t need constant reminders of what had happened or its aftermath. She hadn’t had the nightmares in several weeks but now found herself getting restless and uneasy about her future and the decisions she would soon have to make. She was afraid that sexual fears would take over her life and make it impossible for her to function normally.

She hadn’t experienced those fears with Kevin and had hoped, at one time, that he would find her attractive in ‘that’ way, but now she felt that he cared about her as a friend and nothing more. He had made no more advances towards her, although there had been opportunity. And then last night, she had seen him at a local dance club.

Tristan, Amanda and Leighanne had decided to have a ‘girls night out’ and came to the club on a whim. Amanda danced the night away with a variety of men and Tristan began to envy her free-wheeling ways. Tristan was still wary of unfamiliar men and could not imagine letting herself get picked up by a stranger in a bar. Leighanne was her safety net. She was totally loyal to Brian. She was approached repeatedly, but always declined to dance saying that she preferred to sit and watch. Tristan followed her lead, enjoying the people and music, but keeping to herself.

Then she spotted him. Kevin was out on the dance floor and a word she had recently learned came to mind - ‘jiggy’. As she stared at him, she felt like she was watching a car wreck - she wanted to look away but her eyes refused to listen to her brain. She was mesmerized, not by his dance talent, but by his interaction with his partner, an attractive redhead.

Tristan knew that she was probably naive, but she wasn’t sure that what they were doing could really be called dancing. She watched him bumping and grinding with the redhead as if the end of the world was near and this would be his last opportunity for human contact. Tristan’s mouth hung open as she saw him put his hands on his partner’s hips and pull her forward to meet his movements There was no space between them.

Leighanne followed Tristan’s eyes to the dance floor and spotted the object of her fascination. As they watched, another woman cut in on the redhead and Kevin resumed the dance with her. This woman added the extra embellishment of leaning into him and moving her breasts on him while they locked hips He was laughing and enjoying himself and Tristan wondered how he would dance if the DJ played a slower song.

Amanda returned to the table, giving Leighanne a ‘look’, nodding in Kevin’s direction and looking at Tristan who remained spellbound. Leighanne understood and turned to Tristan.

“Hey Tris, it’s getting late. Let’s get out of here.”

Tristan still stared and didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t heard.

“Tris!”, Leighanne repeated. “Let’s go! I’m tired.”

“Yeah!”, Amanda jumped in. “You have to work tomorrow anyway.”

Tistan’s gaze broke and she became aware that her friends were speaking to her. She thought she detected a note of pity as they stood up to leave.

They were quiet as they walked to Amanda’s car. No one knew exactly what to say until finally, to no one’s surprise, Amanda broke the silence.

“You know Tris, everyone dances like that in these clubs. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Tristan decided to play coy. “I don’t know what you mean., Amanda. What way?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Look, Tris, we all saw Kevin on the floor with that hootchie, including you! You should have gone over and cut in on that bitch. You and Kevin would have been dancing like that and I’ll bet you’d be leaving with him now - not us!”

“Listen Amanda!”, Tristan snapped. “Kevin and I have separate lives. We’re friends and that’s all. I don’t care what he does or with whom he does it! He’s sure not interested in me sexually and believe me, I know!”

Tristan stomped over to the car waiting for Amanda to unlock the door.

“Now wait one damn minute!”, Amanda called to Tristan across the parking lot. “I don’t think that’s true! And neither does AJ!”

“I don’t think so either.”, Leighanne piped up.

Tristan and Amanda stopped to look at her. Leighanne usually didn’t say much about personal things. They were both curious about her observations. Amanda wondered if she’d had one drink too many.

Leighanne spoke quietly as if she were telling a secret. “I’ve seen him.”

“You’ve seen what?” Tristan sounded annoyed.

“I’ve seen you two together. If anyone’s not interested sexually, I think it’s you!”

Tristan was quiet and let Leighanne go on. “Jesus, Tris!” Amanda's eyes grew wide. Yup, she’s drunk’... “He’s always looking at you and touching you!”

“Touching me!”

“You know what I mean. He touches your shoulder or your arm when you’re talking. Finds excuses to brush up against you....”

Amanda was impressed by Leighanne’s acuteness. She didn’t think Leighanne saw anything past her ‘blue-eyed angel boy’.

“She’s right, Tris.”

Tristan turned and pulled on the car door handle. “I think you’re both either crazy or drunk! Now let’s go!”

Tristan didn’t see Kevin anymore that night, but she did have one of her dreams, the first she’d had in a long time. The next day she was tired and still angry about Kevin’s display at the club and after she’d heard an interview the Backstreet Boys had done that morning, she became convinced that nothing would ever happen between her and Kevin.

When a DJ at a local station had asked questions about the album’s production, Tristan’s name had come up. The DJ had made some leading comments about having a pretty, young woman in the studio with them all the time and they had spoken of her with respect and fondness.

“She’s like a sister to us.”

The voice had belonged to Kevin. The remark had made her feel cold inside. Amanda and Leighanne were dead wrong about this.

Tristan had spent many long evenings at the studio, mixing the final tracks for the album. Tonight was no exception. Kevin was still there, too, listening to the completed tracks and looking down at some music, making notes. She was in no mood to deal with him this night.

“What’s wrong with you, Tris?” he asked, still writing.

Tristan hesitated and he stopped and looked up at her. “What is it baby?”, he asked again.

“I’m not your ‘baby’!” she hissed.

“It’s just a term of endearment, Tris.”

“I’m not your ‘dear’ either!”

“Well, excuse me!” he responded sarcastically. “Is there something special I should call you?”

“How about ‘Sis’?”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

Tristan was tired but she decided to finish this. She would be leaving Orlando soon anyway.

“By the way, Kevvy, I saw you at the club last night.”

“Well why didn’t you speak? I didn’t see you!”

“I know you didn’t. You were too damn busy screw-dancing with your adoring public!”

“What?”

“You heard me! Honestly, Kevin, I have learned so much from you these past weeks. I really didn’t know until last night that it was possible to have sex with your clothes on!”

With that, Tristan blasted out of the studio, slamming the door behind her.

She headed back to Kevin’s house, challenging stop lights and speed limits along the way. When she got to his house, she broke down and cried, sobbing on the steering wheel of her rented car. She was such a fool! There had been times when she actually believed that maybe he needed her. ‘Need you for what?’, some inner voice demanded. She didn’t have an answer.

It was time for her to leave Orlando - and Kevin.

CHAPTER 18

Kevin sat in the studio wondering what had just happened. The dancing last night had looked sexual, in fact had been sexual, But to him, it hadn’t felt sexual. The only times he had felt that kind of tension and arousal lately was when he was thinking about Tristan or was with her. He realized that he had wanted her everyday since their trip to Frankfurt in October. He might not have been able to tell her how he felt then but what was stopping him now?

He had tried and almost succeeded in convincing himself that the reason he hesitated was because he didn’t want to scare her - that she would be pushed away by overt advances. That may have been true a month ago but, in fact, she had never pushed him away, had never shown fear being with him. He had known that she trusted him completely ever since the night she’d had the nightmare and he had held her. They had both said hurtful things to each other during the past two months, but if anyone had been keeping score, he would have been declared the clear winner in his ability to cause pain.

He was the one who was scared, afraid of the intimacy he craved so much. The moments of closeness they had shared thus far had been precious to him and he kept each one close to his heart but because he feared rejection, he rejected and because he feared being hurt, he had hurt her. It was the classic ‘first strike’ defense.

He wanted Tristan - he needed her. Was he in love with her? Yes, he thought that he was and that scared him most of all. He had been hurt, used and betrayed before and it had been painful. It was always next to impossible for him to have balance in his life. He had tried before but the scales had always tipped, sending him a little deeper into a world of doubt and insecurity. Kevin now realized the shallowness of those past relationships. His feelings for Tristan went to his very soul.

He honestly didn’t know if he would be able to mend if she broke his heart. There was no indication that she ever would but considering the circumstances of his life, he was always aware of that possibility.

He had sensed Tristan’s frustration and confusion about him and her life. Now, as he absently glanced towards a calendar on the wall, his fears suddenly became less abstract and more concrete. It had been a month since she had agreed to stay. He felt it in his gut. She was leaving.

Kevin needed to get home. He stepped through the control room on his way out and saw a note that Tristan had been writing to Mutt before she had gotten upset.

Dear Mutt,

I’ve put the tapes in the studio vault. Good luck selecting only twelve tracks.

Much, much love,

Tristan

God, what an idiot he had been!

*****************

When Kevin reached the house, he saw a dim light shining through a downstairs window. Nick was spending the night at Brian’s which meant that he and Tristan would be alone. He wasn’t sure what he would say to her.

As he opened the front door, he heard music. Not recorded music. He recognized the tone of his piano and was amazed at what he heard coming from it. Stepping to the entrance of the living area, he saw Tristan sitting on the bench at the piano. A feeling of deja vu swept over him as he remembered the morning he had asked her to stay. Now he felt she was preparing to leave again.

Tristan was wearing her pink camisole and her hair fell in long waves around her shoulders and down her back. The music she played was loud and powerful and ended with a quick, solid chord. She stopped and, like on that morning before, looked towards him as if she had known he was there.

“I didn’t hear you come in.” She spoke softly, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. “I thought you might stay at the studio a bit longer tonight.”

Kevin didn’t respond to her comments but asked, “What was that you were playing?”

“Scarlatti.” Tristan answered. She was looking down at the keys now, still twisting her hair.

“I’m glad you’re playing again.”

Silence hung in the room like a curtain between them.

Kevin took his hands out of his pockets, removed his jacket and made his way to Tristan. He stood beside the piano and looked at her intently.

“Tristan, will you play for me?” He was almost whispering and his eyes had become shiny, like they were wet.

Tristan looked into Kevin’s face trying to determine if he really understood what he was asking her to do. She had never played for only one person before. It was too personal. He was asking her to open her soul to him in an act that, to her, would be as intimate as making love. Tristan suddenly felt vulnerable and afraid but as she looked into his eyes she could see that he wanted this from her, that he needed this from her. And she found that she needed to give it to him. It would be an act of love....one last intimacy.

She rested her fingers on the keys and began to play. The piece she had chosen seemed to mirror their relationship. The beginning notes were gentle, soft and sweet and she smiled slightly as she began to lose herself in the music. As she continued, the piece became more intense and her fingers began to fly over the keys at a speed that Kevin would have thought impossible if he weren’t seeing it for himself. He watched her face - her eyes were closed and her lips parted. As the music continued to build, her expression became more urgent. Still the notes rose. She played with passion and abandon and Kevin knew that this is what she would be like as a lover. When the music finally reached it’s peak, he watched as her head fell back and her shoulders rose. And then she seemed to collapse, her breathing audible as the final notes were struck.

He knew that in that moment she had given herself to him and that he was her first. She had made love to him through her music because he had made it impossible for her to love him with her body.

She opened her eyes and they gazed at each other, neither of them speaking. Then she rose from the bench, stepped over to him and, standing on her toes, leaned in to gently kiss the corner of his mouth. Tears spilled from both of their eyes and she turned and left to go up the stairs.

She would be leaving in the morning.

****************

Kevin woke early the next morning to the sound of his front door closing. He was confused for a moment and then his stomach clenched as he recalled the events of yesterday and last night. He leaped out of bed and over to the window just in time to see Tristan pulling out of his driveway and heading down the street.

Kevin ran to Tristan’s room, hoping against hope that she really hadn’t left. Not yet. They had to talk and last night hadn’t been a good time. It had been too emotional for them both. Maybe she had gone to the studio for some last minute work or had some important errand to run. At six am? He opened her closet door and found that her things were gone. All traces of Tristan had disappeared, almost like she had never been there.

Kevin ran down the stairs frantically searching and trying to believe that her suitcases would still be by the door and that she would have to return to get them. The foyer was empty, the house was empty. He was empty.

He stumbled into the kitchen. He had to call someone - to talk or to scream, but who? The guys never knew the intricacies of his and Tristan’s relationship. Hell, no one did. He could call his mother. She had asked him about Tristan’s childhood and he had told her all he knew about her, including the rape. No, he’d scare her to death if he called her in this state at six am.

Mutt! He knows almost everything! Kevin reached for the phone and paused. There was a letter addressed to him, in Tristan’s handwriting, laying on the counter. He hung up the phone and reached out for the envelope. It was pale pink, like her camisole. He held it up to his face and detected the faint scent of honeysuckle, afraid to open the letter and afraid not to. When he peeled the flap, a brass key fell onto the counter. His house key. He stared at it as he pulled the paper from the envelope.

Dear Kevin,

Well, I guess our month is over. The album is finished and you’ll be free to spend Christmas with your family. I know that makes you happy.

Timing is everything, so they say, and so the time is right for me to say good-bye. But I can’t leave without making you understand what my weeks with you have meant to me. So forgive my presumptions before you read on. Although the thing I value most in my life is your friendship, I had hoped the day would come when we would move beyond even that. I guess a part of me realized it would never happen. We’re from two different worlds, aren’t we? Yours is filled with wine, women and song while mine is full of inexperience and reluctance. I understand why you would find the former more attractive. I don’t feel that I have what it would take to make you happy. I’m not enough for you.

I left a little something for you on the piano. I made it before you came home last night. I hope that it will remind you of me and our time together.

I’ll be wishing you a Merry Christmas.

All my love,

Tristan

Kevin looked towards the piano. On the lid lay a small package wrapped in pink paper and tied with a white ribbon. He walked to the piano and picked it up. Again, he thought he could smell the sweetness of honeysuckle.

Kevin slowly and carefully unwrapped the tiny box and found an audio tape inside. Taking it over to the stereo, he popped in the tape and sat down to listen. Tristan’s voice rose from the speakers.

“Hi, Kevin. As you know, I used to play the piano. I stopped for a long time. Something bad happened to me a while back and I just lost the heart to play.....”

Kevin closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

“........but when I was in Stockholm, I began to play again. I didn’t sleep well at night so sometimes I would go to the studio very early in the morning to practice. Sometimes I would practice in the villa, when it was empty. I think that it was in Stockholm that I finally began to heal. You helped me do that, so this piece is for you. It’s a favorite of mine, but a personal favorite. I’ve never played it publicly or in recital for anyone and I never will. You’re the first and only... It’s a little know piece by my favorite composer, Handel, called ‘Air and Variations in E Major’. I hope it comes to mean as much to you as it does to me.”

Kevin thought he heard a small sob and then the music began. The piece that she had played for him last night drifted through the air and Kevin leaned forward, his head in his arms, emotionally spent.

Tristan Trilogy - Story I

"Will You Play for Me?" is a work of fiction.
The characters and events portrayed are fictitious.
Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

Copyright ©1999
All Rights Reserved
No part of this text may be copied or reprinted
without the author's permission.

~BEST VIEWED ON 800 X 600 SCREEN RESOLUTION~

Fiction by Grace