Ryan is finally meeting the rest of the band, Salvation, but he hasn't really had a chance to put his thoughts into any semblance of order. It's hard to think when Ben is around. Especially after finding out Ben read his novel. See what's going on in this week's chapter of In Pieces. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
“It’s about time,” Keanu
muttered.
Ryan shot an anxious glance at Ben, afraid of what his
reaction might be. He braced himself for another show of dominance, or at the
very least a scathing retort. But Ben ignored Keanu’s words entirely. His good
humor seemed to have been completely restored. Keanu’s boyfriend spoke instead.
“Come on, you. Quit grumbling and show our author what magic
you can make on the keyboard.” Deacon pulled Keanu into a brief hug, gently stroked
his hair. As Ryan watched, Keanu’s face visibly relaxed, his scowl
disappearing. They clung together for a moment, before heading up on the stage.
Abby and Aiden were already in place.
“I want you to hear what we sound like before our concert,”
Ben said. “Give you a taste of who we are. How familiar are you with church
metal?”
“I never heard of it before I got the job offer,” Ryan said
honestly. “I’ve always loved music, you know, I’m just not in touch with what’s
in anymore. I don’t claim to be a music expert, by any means, but I go to
concerts whenever I can. Mostly local bands. The tickets tend to be cheaper.”
Ben snorted. “Yeah, don’t I know it. We’re not exactly in a
position to pull down the big bucks ourselves. But hey, you do what you can,
right? Until you make it to the big time, anyway.” As they approached the
stage, Ryan wasn’t sure where he should stand. He waited for some kind of sign
from Ben.
“Big time, yeah,” Aiden echoed. He stood near the front of
the stage, electric guitar hanging before his shoulder, held up by a wide strap
covered in what looked like death heads. “Actual concert venues and stuff.
People just dying to scalp your tickets for hundreds of dollars over face price.
Then you know you’ve arrived.”
Ryan hated people who bought tickets only to force the price
up to ridiculous levels. Wasn’t that illegal? It certainly went against the
spirit of concert-going. Those people were only in it for the money, they had
no appreciation for the music. They didn’t care how hard it was for some people
to afford to go at all, much less at such inflated prices. But he held his
tongue. He didn’t think the band would appreciate his point of view, and he
didn’t want to risk antagonizing them. He just wanted to hold on to this job
for as long as he could. He’d worry about what next when the time came.
“You think we’ll play the Hollywood Bowl someday?” Keanu
teased. He looked up from his keyboard, where he’d been throwing switches and
running his fingers across the keys.
“You know it. And
the Greek,” Ben said. “And don’t forget Vegas. We’ll be playing Caesar’s Palace
and the MGM too, right up there with people like David Copperfield and Penn and
Teller . You’ll see.” He winked at Ryan. “And, of course, the Fabulous Fox.”
The Fox Theater in St. Louis. Memories flooded Ryan’s brain
at the mere mention of the venue. Ryan had taken Ben there, just a couple of
months before his mother took him away. He couldn't even remember what group it
was they’d gone to see. What stuck out most in his mind was how excited Ben
was, and how eager to see everything.
They’d walked upstairs and down, took in the view from the balcony that
overlooked the lobby, rode the old-fashioned elevator with its actual
operator—neither one of them had ever seen such a thing before, accustomed as
they were to the push-button self-serve kind. The interior of the Fox was as fabulous
as its name, all red and gold, plush and elegant, filled with amazing architecture,
statuary, and the hugest chandelier Ryan had ever seen, which hung high above
the orchestra section.
That had been a special night—in more ways than one.
Ryan’s thoughts were interrupted when Ben squeezed his hand.
“I won’t even ask you what you were thinking of,” he said, dropping his voice
to a level intended for Ryan’s ears only. “I already know.”
Ryan felt his cheeks warm. Ben squeezed his hand again
before dropping it. “Stand as close or as far as you like, it’s up to you,” he
said in a more normal tone, turning and taking his place on stage. Ryan decided
to stand closer than not. Center stage. Right in front of Ben. He didn’t want
to be any farther away than he could help. Not until he got used to the idea
that Ben wasn’t going to disappear again. And maybe not even then. Though he
wasn’t about to admit it, either. Who was he kidding? He’d never been able to
pull anything over on Ben.
His choice of location produced a smile from Ben. When Ben
smiled like that, Ryan knew he would do anything for him. That smile alone made everything worthwhile. Even
if the music ended up blasting his eardrums at such close proximity, he’d
survive. Hell, he’d been to heavy metal concerts so loud that
the bass reverberated through his whole body, and he’d lived through that. Whatever
this church metal was, he was sure he could handle it.
“All right, guys,” Ben was saying to his band. “Glorioso.”
Ryan braced himself for something loud, maybe even abrasive.
But when Ben began to sing, a single low note, it took his breath away.
to be continued
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