Tristan
Noah would not letit go. Tristan knew that. Still, wasting his last day in Brazil riffing away on his guitar didn’t make much sense tohim.
“What part ofnodidn’t you get the first ten times I saidit?”
“Come on, Big T. Let rock and roll take your mind off things for awhile.”
That gave Tristan pause. Noah made a valid point. Rock had always had that escapist effect onhim.
“Okay, okay,” he agreed. When Noah got overly enthusiastic and crushed him in a tight embrace, he added, “Just for a couple of hours. I’ve got a lot to take care of before I leavetomorrow.”
“That’s all we need.” Noah hopped out of the living room toward the spare room they had turned into a soundproof home studio. Before he got there, Tristan heard him talking on the phone. “We’re in. How long until you gethere?”
Tristan went to his room to finish packing before Noah’s two other friends arrived for a jam session. Noah kept referring to them as band mates, but Tristan hadn’t been convinced they were a band. They didn’t even have a name. Noah was obsessed with the idea of putting together a rock band, but Tristan viewed that as an excuse not to grow up. Still, he enjoyed playing around with hisguitar.
As he rolled briefs and t-shirts, placing them in the suitcase, Tristan recalled what he knew about Aidan and Duke. He had heard Aidan Gallagher play bass, the Irish was a decent musician. He had been hanging out in Chez Nous a lot lately, Tristan believed because of a certain sassy blonde in its staff, but he couldn’t be sure. Ricardo Alcantara, a.k.a. Duke, was a complete mystery to Tristan. They hadn’t met yet, but Noah praised the guy’s voice, so Tristan believed he wasgood.
“I’ll get it,” Noah shouted when the doorbellrang.
Tristan heard him greeting both Aidan and Duke as he fastened the zipper in the hard-shell gray suitcase. He stepped out of the bedroom as the three men headed for the studio. Noah made the introductions and they reached the spacious studio, where they kept Noah’s drum set and Tristan’s guitars. When they entered the room, and Aidan grabbed a bass guitar that leaned against a metal stand Tristan had never seen before, he realized the studio had also been housing the bass player’s instrument. In fact, observing Noah, Aidan, and Duke together, he noticed a level of ease and familiarity that could only have stemmed from constantinteractions.
Good thing he wasn’t a jealousperson.
“You’ve been going a lot to Chez Nous lately.” Tristan addressed Aidan as they turned on the amplifiers and tuned their instruments. “I bet it’s more than the food that draws youin.”
Aidan’s Irish paleness hadn’t acquired a tropical tan yet, so his smooth cheeks turned a bright shade of rose at Tristan’s comment. “Busted. Chef Durand’s cooking is great, but I’m trying to convince Moira to give me a chance,” he admitted, tucking a strand of his dark brown, shoulder-long hair behind hisear.
Tristan snapped his head up and held Aidan’s stare for a while. “I thought as much. Noah is the best people person I know, so I trust his guts, which means I’m sure you must be a good guy. But Moira is an exceptional woman I admire and respect. You do right by her or else,mister.”
“Big T., stop harassing the man,” Noah intervened. “He’s a greatkid.”
“Thanks, I guess. You make it sound like I’m thirteen or something,though.”
“You older than that?” Tristan tauntedhim.
“Just turned twenty-three.”
Tristan snorted. “Way more thanthirteen.”
“Fuck off.” Aidan chuckled and resumed adjusting his bassguitar.
“What are we playing?” Duke inquired as he placed three stools in front of Noah’sset.
“I play standing,” Aidan and Tristan informed inunison.
Duke shrugged and perched in a stool he set between the two men. “Should we keep working on thosesongs?”
Tristan cut his stare to Noah. “We’ve been working on a few songs, T. We’d love for you to listen tothem.”
“Sure.”
“Mind if I borrow one of your guitars?” Duke askedTristan.
“Not at all. Goahead.”
In the next hour, Tristan found out why Noah insisted on calling those men his band mates. They’ve created a lot of songs, all impressive material. Being a quick study, he was able to follow Duke’s lead and play along withthem.
“You guys have been busy. Great job,” he complimented when they took abreak.
