“Around that, yeah.”
“He told me this afternoon that you are moving him to first chair.”
“Not because of this,” I said quickly, motioning between us.
“I didn’t think that.”
“He’s a really talented clarinetist. I want to be sure you both know the position I offered him was because that was what was best for the band, not as a way for me to woo you.”
Felix smiled slightly. “I appreciate you saying so, even if it never occurred to me.” He grew quiet when our pizza arrived, not speaking again until the waiter set the tray in the middle of the table and offered us each a plate. “He’s very excited. I know Alan can be rather shy, more than me sometimes, but I haven’t seen him smile like this in a while.”
“Did you know he’s been composing music?” I asked.
“Yes. He doesn’t like sharing it.”
“Perfectionist?” I guessed.
Felix reached out and pulled a slice from the pie, cheese and toppings stretching as he moved it to his plate. “Aren’t all artists?”
I laughed, grabbed a slice for myself, and took a bite. Not bad. It wasn’t like those deliciously-bad dollar slices, bought on the corner in Midtown when I was hungover, that I’d come to love. But still. Decent pizza.
“Alan said he thinks you have a perfect pitch.”
I paused midchew.
“It sounds impressive,” Felix continued. “But honestly, I don’t have a musical bone in my body, so I’m not sure what it is.”
“It’s being able to identify or recreate a musical tone without reference,” I said after I swallowed. “It’s actually—the reason I have it, is due to me being synesthetic.”
“What’s that?”
“The easiest way to explain it is, my senses are sort of cross-wired.”
Felix raised an eyebrow.
I wiped my hands on a napkin. “Synesthesia is different for everyone who has it, but for me it’s sound-to-color synesthesia. I hear just fine, but my brain interprets music and human voices as colors. So… I see sound.”
“You told me last night that I sound amber,” Felix replied.
“Right,” I said. “When you speak, I see a warm honey color. First time I’ve seen someone sound like that. And it’s a gentle… almostmelody. Usually it’s like fireworks. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, but I’ve reached a point in my life that I can ignore it in a pinch. Not you, though. And I sort of like that I can’t.”
Felix let out a breath. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It’s not terribly common.”
“You literallyseemusic? That’s why you can recreate pitches?”
“Yeah.”
Felix chuckled to himself.
“What?” I asked. The gin made a sudden lurch in my gut. Did he think I was nuts?
“Alan’s going to be disappointed this isn’t something you can teach him.”
And just like that, everything was okay.
WE STUCKto the tried-and-true dinner and a movie.
