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After Adrian let go, they made their way up the stairs and foundMum and Dad in the common area, sharing a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. “Oh, we’re glad you’re home,” Mum said. “It’s turning into a proper storm out there.”
“Increases the chance of a white Christmas.” Adrian sat down in an armchair while Eric kept standing.
“Wow,” he said. “Not sure I’ve ever had that.”
“You’ve lived a sad and empty life,” Adrian told him with a wink. “But don’t worry, we’re about to fix that.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds.” Eric’s drawl was unimpressed, and somehow, it delighted Adrian.
“I’m a giver,” he agreed, and the way Eric’s eyes narrowed suggested he’d caught the innuendo.
“Why don’t you sit down for a second, hon?” Mum asked before Eric had time to respond.
“Oh, thank you.” Eric shrugged out of his coat and draped it over his arm, then shot Adrian a covert glance. Shit, they should have discussed how to play this. “But I’m actually quite tired, so I think I’ll head straight to bed. The concert was fantastic, though. Really enjoyed it.”
“Paul is quite the entertainer, isn’t he?” Dad asked, then turned to Adrian. “We played one of his cassettes when we drove to the hospital to have you. Did we ever tell you that?”
They hadn’t.
Adrian blinked, and he wasn’t sure why it made him feel a little emotional. “No. I didn’t know that.”
“It was the one of him improvising on old jazz pieces.” Mum smiled around a sip of her wine. “Don’t think it ever made it to CD or digital.”
“That’s such a beautiful thought, isn’t it?” Eric’s smile was soft in the glow of the fire. “How music is tied to these special moments in life, and even years later, you hear a certain melody and it throws you right back into that moment.”
“Is that why you do it?” Adrian asked him. “Write songs, I mean.”
Eric’s answer was slightly delayed. “I’d love it if my music did that for even just one person.”
“It will.” Adrian didn’t know how he could be so sure of that but somehow, he was. He should get Eric to play him some songs he’d written, maybe even get him to include them in his next Saturday set for guests. Who knew—might be that an undercover label boss was among them and hired Eric on the spot.
“Thank you.” Eric’s voice was soft, and Adrian tipped his head back to send him a smile. It was only when he glanced away that he noticed both his parents watching him with speculative attention.
Ah, hell. So much for acting normal.
Maybe Eric had noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere because a hint of colour dusted his cheeks when he announced, “So I’m gonna go to bed, yeah? See you all in the morning.”
Or sooner.
“Good night, Eric,” Mum said warmly, Dad mirroring her with a, “Have a good sleep, lad.”
“Sweet dreams.” Adrian hoped his tone and grin hinted at just enough that Eric would register it while his parents would not. The way Eric grinned back at him suggested success.
Perhaps Adrian was a tad too obvious when he watched him go. That was the conclusion he drew once he turned back to the fire and found his mum smiling at him, looking so happy that he almost didn’t want to let her down.
“Just enjoying the view,” he said. “Please don’t try to sell him on me like I’m a pair of trousers that’s going out of style.”
“But sweetheart—”
“Mum.”
Her sigh implied that he was being rather unreasonable. “Fine.”
“You too,” Adrian told his dad, and received a reluctant nod in response.
Thus satisfied, Adrian turned to watch the fire, licking at wooden logs and sending up the occasional spark. The crackle of the flames provided a cosy soundtrack as the discussion turned to the concert and how hard it was to believe that Paul really would retire after all those decades. Adrian sank into the comfort of home and his parents’voices even as his lips felt slightly swollen, a warm hum of anticipation lingering in his veins.
Five minutes, then he’d follow.
