Page 104 of Playing By Ear

Cannot explain why but Falcon even hotter now I know he’s blind

I bet he fucks better for it

Right? Like he can prolly sense what you want

Brilliant. He’d gone from Hot Scottish Guy to Hot Blind Guy. He had hoped that opening up to his followers would show them he was more than a cock and an accent. Yet no matter what he did or said, they would always reduce him to one aspect.

But wasn’t being objectified—having a marketable brand—the entire point? Why did he need to be a whole person on camera? Why did he want these people to know him?

A knock came on his office door. Perry paused the playback and looked up at Jamie, who was holding something amber and reflective near his own face, well within Perry’s visual field.

“Poured a dram for you, too.” He nudged the glass against Perry’s arm. “Almost finished?”

“I’ve heard enough.” Perry took the drink, then saved and closed the document. He could return to it later if he was feeling needy.

“Good, cos I’m gonnae show you something cool and totally unrelated.” Jamie reached out to Perry’s laptop and switched to a web browser. “There’s these peregrine falcons, Barb and Boh, nesting atop a skyscraper in Baltimore.”

Perry leaned in. “Oh my God, a live cam.” Onscreen, a falcon huddled upon what looked like a sandy ledge, her slate-colored feathers rippling in the wind. “What’s that shiny thing in the background?”

“That’s the river.”

Ah, of course. The glare must have been the evening sunlight, as the falcons were five time zones behind the UK. “Are there eggs under her?”

“Four. The website says the chicks—sorry, eyasses—will hatch in a couple of weeks. And we can watch it live.”

“This is magnificent.” Perry touched a fingertip to the bird’s back. “Thank you for showing me.”

“I thought it might give us something to, I don’t know, bond over? Since soon I won’t—och.” Jamie drained his glass with a gulp. “I won’t be able to see you much. As my dad gets worse.”

“I understand.”

“You won’t lose interest in me?”

“Jamie.” Perry found his hand. “I could never lose interest in you.”

“Okay.” Jamie sounded skeptical.

Perry closed his laptop. “Enough work. Fetch yourself another dram if you like, then meet me in bed.”

“But I telt you⁠—”

“Not for sex. For talking.” That sounded intimidating. “For chilling.”

“Oh.” Jamie still hesitated. “Okay.”

Perry waited for him on the bed, trying to assume a casual pose. Jamie returned and changed into a fresh T-shirt and a pair of sleep trousers, taken from his pile of belongings in the corner of the room. He’d spent most nights this week at Perry’s flat, and had begun practicing songs there between busking shifts, noodling away while Perry wrote his articles, and using Perry’s workout equipment instead of trekking to the gym. While Perry loved being independent, he loved even more having a second toothbrush atop his bathroom sink.

When Jamie had settled beside him, Perry said, “You can talk about your father with me whenever you need. I promise I won’t try to work out who he is based on any details you drop.”

“Okay,” he said again, his tone suggesting the opposite of okay.

Perry waited a few moments. “Feel free to tell me to fuck off, but have you got any good memories of him?”

“Sure.” Jamie took a small, slurpy sip of whisky. “Actually, there’s one I think you’ll love.” He went to “his” corner, and a moment later there came the snap of guitar case latches. “When I was nine, my dad took me to see Prince at Brixton Academy. Our train from Glasgow was late, and of course the Academy is general admission, so we got stuck in the middle of the crowd. I couldn’t see much.” He returned to the bed and sat cross-legged in the center. “But Dad got people out of the way, between him looking fearsome and them taking pity on a kid. Next thing I knew, I was up front, with him stood behind me, his hands on the barricade so naebody could push me aside.

“Then Prince—or ‘Symbol,’ as he called himself at the time—comes out carrying this white guitar in the shape of his symbol. And I fucking fell in love. With him, the guitar, the lights, the crowd, even my dad. I fell in love with the whole world.”

Perry heard the smile in Jamie’s voice. “Come closer. I want to see your face while you tell this story.”