Page 41 of Solo

“No, no,” I say quickly, twisting around in my seat to look up at his concerned face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… That was incredibly rude of me.”

He sighs as he sits back down again.

“No. It’s okay. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating. We have a complicated relationship, you and I. You don’t have to apologize, Miss Brenner—Katherine. But how about we try and keep things a little lighter for the rest of the time you’re here?”

“Lighter?”

What? Like puppies and rainbows?

He smiles at the confusion that must be evident on my face.

“Yes. Lighter. I have a big DVD collection. We can watch some movies. Or play Scrabble. Or you can take a book and find a comfortable spot to read. I’ll make us a nice dinner. Does that sound all right?”

“I…I think that would be really great, Dr. Markham,” I respond, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Good.” He nods resolutely. “I think maybe you should go upstairs and take a long, hot shower.” He grabs my mug and refills it with the hot, sweet tea. “Here, take this up with you. There are clean towels on the shelf in the bathroom. I washed your clothes from the other night, I’ll leave them on the bed. Okay?”

I nod and take a good look at my professor. His face is soft and open, his hair messier than usual and his casual clothes are a stark contrast to the slacks and dress shirts he wears when he’s teaching. Taking it all in at once, I’m struck by how different he looks. Younger. Much more like the “hot teacher” all the girls were talking about on my first day of freshman Music Theory.

Yes, something is different about the way Drew Markham looks. Or, maybe there’s something different about the way I’m looking at Drew Markham.

Chapter Eighteen

Drew

She’s crying but, thankfully, it has nothing to do with me. We’re watching one of my favorite movies, Truly, Madly, Deeply, about a cellist who comes back from the dead to be with his pianist lover. And, while it has its amusing moments—like the undead orchestra—it’s a poignant story about letting go. Something I could stand to do more of.

“Oh. It was so beautiful,” she says now, turning to me as she wipes her damp face with the sleeve of her hoodie. “I haven’t really ever seen Alan Rickman in anything but the Harry Potter movies.”

“What? No.” I’m incredulous.

She nods.

“Oh no, Katherine. You have no idea what richness awaits you,” I say dramatically as I drop onto my knees and root around the DVD cabinet, pulling out one case after another. “I consider it my personal responsibility to educate you on the finer points of Mr. Rickman’s career. We can start with his early stuff. Let’s see, there’s Die Hard, of course, and Quigley Down Under. Then The January Man, oh, and Closet Land. That one’s just fucking disturbing…” I nod and laugh at the same time as if to confirm my own point.

“What? I haven’t heard of any of those. I mean, Die Hard, yeah, but not the others.” She slips down onto the floor with me so she can examine the DVD cases for herself.

“Listen, I want to go out and take another pass at the driveway with the snowblower before we get clobbered again tomorrow morning. Then, maybe we can watch another movie? I’ve got pizza dough in the fridge. We can eat in here,” I say, gesturing to the TV room. It’s considerably smaller than the den, but it’s got a big, comfortable couch and a big, impressive flat-screen TV.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She nods enthusiastically and then hesitates. “Um, Dr. Markham?”

“Drew,” I correct her. “You’ll have to go back to Dr. Markham when we’re back at school, but it’s insane for you to call me that in my own house.”

“I’ll try, it’s just a little weird. You know?”

“Please.” I roll my eyes. “Weird doesn’t even begin to cover it. What did you want to ask?”

She looks a little uncomfortable.

“I was wondering if I could play the piano a little? Just while you’re outside?”

That’s it? That’s the big “ask” that she looks so worried about?

“Of course, but I have to warn you, it hasn’t been tuned in a while.”

Her face lights up.

“Oh, I don’t mind. I don’t get to play on a baby grand very often.”