Fun.
All right.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Charles shakes himself again, then abruptly turns around to lead me into the large living room. Windows line the back wall, giving a perfect view of the dunes and the sparkling ocean beyond. The sunrise from this room must be impeccable. “Want a drink?”
“Nah.” I set my case down and start to take out my guitar, but then I think better of it. “Actually, I will take a drink. Do you have liquor?”
Charles looks confused for the second time this evening. “Yes?”
“Cool. Seven and seven, please.”
“I don’t know what the hell that is.”
I sigh as I lean my trusty and very loved guitar against the sofa. “Show me your bar.”
Charles looks surprised again, which is starting to become a core part of our entire relationship so far. I follow him to the bar in the corner of the large living room and press behind it, looking over the liquors. No seven and seven for me since he doesn’t appear to have the soda for it. But he has an unopened bottle of Lagavulin, which is better than what I’d initially hoped for.
“Can I open this?”
Charles makes ago onmotion with his hand. “Help yourself.”
“You’re not much of a drinker?” I ask conversationally as I pour myself three fingers.
Charles shrugs as he watches me. “Most of it was gifts upon my retirement. The bar was here, so I figured I’d make use of it.”
I snort. “Figures, since this is an expensive bottle of whiskey.” I take a sip and appreciate the full flavor. “All right, let’s get started.”
We amble back toward the sofa, and after I’ve taken a few very good sips, I grab my guitar. It’s been a long time since I’ve taught beginner guitar lessons. The last time was probably River back in high school, and he wasn’t a patient student, nor was I a very patient teacher. My mouth still tastes like whiskey as I watch Charles grab his brand-new guitar and set it on his lap, his hands exceedingly gentle. Cupcake sits by the fire at the other end of the room, curled up in an extremely large dog bed that I could probably curl up in myself. The atmosphere is warm and cozy, comfortable in a way I hadn’t expected.
“So, the first thing about guitar is that your fingers are going to hurt like a bitch until you build calluses."
Charles chuckles, deep and smooth. My stomach tightens at the sound, but I ignore it because I cannot like his laugh. “I’m used to building up calluses. Am I holding it right?”
I nod. “Yeah. Maybe loosen up on the neck a little.” Charles dutifully loosens his grip. “Perfect. You don’t want to be tight about anything here, except for pressing down the strings. Now for tuning, there are a lot of apps you can use until you can do it by ear, which takes a lot of practice.”
Charles’ eyebrows furrow, some of his hair falling into his face as he leans forward to inspect the guitar. “If I need to replace the strings?”
“Pretty simple with an internet search, but I can help. Well. It should be a bit from now, so if I’m still around, I’ll help.”
Charles glances up at my words. “You might not be around?”
I shrug. “Not sure how long I’m here for.”
“Okay,” Charle says, voice a little wary, kind of unsure sounding.
“Anyway, I printed some key chords out for you.” I shuffle around to grab the papers out of my guitar case and place them in front of where he sits to the side on the couch. He glances down at the papers as I point out the key chords. “Strumming will come after we learn the key chords in most songs. Now bar chords should be easy, because you have big hands and long fingers, but a capo is what we use when we’re playing deeper on the neck. That’ll be a few lessons from now.”
“And picking?”
Oh, he did some research. Cute. “Picking is a bit away. That’s a deft skill that not all guitar players master.”
“Can you do it?”
I suck my teeth and pick out a few notes, humming along with it. “I’m a gig guitar player, so I have to be able to do everything.”
“Can you play electric guitar?” Charles asks curiously.
