The Silent Musician

Ch. 1

The day started off like any other; Woke up, ate breakfast, and started my chores. My mother had some visitors coming over for a cookout so she was spending her time preparing the outdoors with my father while I cleaned the inside.
My mother had decided to have my father get out a storage bin that was labeled cookout-ware. Since it hadn't been used since last sumer, I of course was in charge of cleaning all the dishes from the bin. Since I do chores better with music I put my earbuds in and turned on spotify. Livingston came on and I was singing and dancing more than washing the dishes; making sure to try and hit every note.
"It's just your shadow on floor-oohh-" I was scrubbing a plate in between the high notes. Took a whole song but the one plate was finally done. I sat it in the dish rack and grabbed a silicone spatula and next thing I heard was clapping. I instinctively threw the spatula as I turned around at the location of the clapping. The guy standing in the doorway between the kicthen and the garage scrambled to the side dodging the spatula. I took my earbuds out.
"Who the hell are you? I could've killed you!" I grabbed the spatula from the ground.
"Totally could've killed me with a silcone spatula...right.. that's funny. " he
Leaned against the doorway with one of his feet crossing the other. His combat boots making him maybe an inch shorter so He was atleast 5'7 which is about 3 inches taller than I was. His black wavey hair, skiny jeans, and band t were telling me his style was similar to mine.
"Again... who the hell are you?"
"I supposed it's been awhile and alot has changed." He said while nodding his head with a crooked smile. "I'm Rowen Orson." I looked him up and down.
"Prove it." I crossed my arms not believing this was Rowen. He rolled up his sleeve and showed me the scar on his elbow.
"Show me yours." I showed him the scar on my elbow. We both had similar scars from a trampoline accident when we were little. It was Maybe about a week before he moved. I didn't really know how to properly respond so instead I just said
"Okay.. so what do I do with this information now?" He furrowed his eyebrows and uncrossed his feet.
"Well you could hug me."
"But you're a stranger. I haven't seen you since we were like 10.. that was 13 years ago. Who says we will even be friends now that we are older. " He smiled.
"You're tism is showing." He then laughed pointing at my hands. I didn't even realize I was stimming In what I call "penguin slaps." It's just where I kinda slap the sides on my body with my arms like penguins flapping their flippers.
"Okay clearly not much has changed cause you're still playfully picking on me." I glared at him a bit as I turned around and started cleaning the dishes again. He grabbed a towel and decided to help me with the dishes.
The last dish was a big silver pot and I lost grip of it, spilling the water all over myself. I started panicking slightly while pulling the shirt away from my chest. I hate the feeling of wet clothes, sticking to me, making me feel like my clothes are suffocating my body. My mind couldn't focus on anything else other than not letting the wet part of my shirt touch my skin.
Rowen noticed almost immediately and took the shirt off of me without letting the wet part touch my skin. He grabbed a towel from the laundry that was sitting on the table and handed it to me so I could dry myself off.
"I'm impressed." He looked at me and I immediately covered my torso up with the towel giving him a dirty look. He furrowed his eyebrows again. "Not like that you idiot. You're handling your "icky textures" better than when I last saw you."
"Oh... yeah.. well I guess they don't call it high-fuctioning for no reason. I've been able to adapt to my texture issues more than when I was 10. Most people don't even realize I have autism unless it gets pointed out. Then they think back and feel like they should've realized. However I prefer people don't know so don't go out and about pointing it out okay."
"Fair enough. I'll do this last dish so you don't get wet again."
I tossed the towel in the laundry and grabbed a clean shirt from My laundry pile on the table. "Thanks." He was drying off the pot now as I was gathering some of the cookware that needed to go out.
"Let me help." He grabbed the rest of the stuff and we both headed outside to the table and put everything down.
"Hi honey! Rowen being here was a good surprise hm?" My mother's voice chimed in as she side hugged me.
"Yea, I guess." Feeling indifferent about it since we didn't keep in contact. Rowens mom and her partner walked over and nudged Rowen.
"Tell Axel the good news rowen!" He looked over at me and smiled his crooked smile.
"We um.. we're neighbors again."
"Surpise!" All the parents yelled.
I just laughed feeling like they were all a little too excited over it.
"Why don't you show Rowen around the house sweety and then you guys can walk next door and he can show around his new home as well." My mother chimed in again.
"Yea.." Rowen and I started walking inside and I showed him around the house avoiding my own room.
"What about your room? You do have one right?" He laughed a bit.
"The basement is my room actually." I pointed to the door and we walked down the stairs where you could enter left or right from the stairs to my room since it circled around. To the left was my own private little music studio with all my instruments and mics. To the right was my bed and closet. In total my room was probably about the size of a small towns school gym. A very open floor plan.
"Do you play all of these?"
"Yea." I rubbed the back of my neck a bit flustered as he intently looked at all the different instruments.
"And you sing... so I take it you have music on the Internet somewhere?"
"Uh..not exactly..."
"Why not?"
"Social anxiety... I'm good with just having my stuff uploaded to a drive and never heard by anyone besides myself."
"Thats kinda sad."
"Atleast I don't look sad." I laughed a bit.
He grabbed his chest all dramatic. "Ouch.. that hurts me." He laughed and walked around my room some more. "You know, we might not have kept in contact but it looks like we still have music taste in common." He was refering to cds I had collected over the years that I don't even use anymore since music streaming services became available.
"I honestly don't listen to much of the music from those cds anymore but my music taste is still somewhat in the range of them."
"Oh God I forgot this band existed!" He grabbed out a breaking Benjamin cd, pointing to it then put it back in place.
"So.. your place now?" He turned around with his crooked smile
"Absolutely, let's go."
We walked back up the stairs and out the front door to his place across the yard. When we walked in a giant dog started making its way over quickly. Rowen put his hand up using a signal and the dog stoped and sat immediatly.
"This is Jax, he's a husky great Dane mix. He's very friendly. Good boy Jax." He pointed down at the floor beside him and Jax immediately stood up and sat right beside Rowen where he had pointed and looked up at him expectantly. Rowen grabed a treat out of his pocket and balanced it ontop of Jaxs' nose. A few seconds went by and I just kinda stared impressed at how well trained Jax is. "Okay." He bounced the treat up off his nose and caught it midair. Then Rowen gave him praise scratching behind his ears and calling him a good boy. Jax knowing that his little training session was over got more relaxed and walked over to me sniffing my hand. I started scratching behind his ears calling him a good boy in a voice I can only describe as baby talk. He licked my face and it felt like my cheek got swiped with a slimy towel. I laughed and rubbed my sleeve against my face to clean it off. I gave Jax one final pat on the head before Rowen showed me the rest of their new home. He left his room for last and it's not at all what I was expecting.
"Where is all your stuff?"
"This is all of my stuff."
"All you have is a queen-sized bed, a computer desk, and a tv. There's like no personality to your room."
"I'm a minimalist, besides when I move out of my parents house it's less packing I have to do later."
"Well.. I mean that's true but I expected some posters or something."
"Anytime I've had posters they get messed up between moves so I've kinda given up on them."
"Oh right.. your step parents' job makes you guys move around alot."
"Yea.. but luckily this time around they're gonna be a desk jockey instead of an agent out on the feild. So no more moving around."
"Yea that's definitely gotta be a relief. "
"For real. Anyways we should head back. Foods probably done or atleast close to." I noded and followed him out and across the yard where my dad started plating food from the grill. We both walked over grabbed a plate and and a drink from the cooler then sat down at the outside table.
We were both silent while our parents talked and caught up. We only chimed in when they mentioned something about either of us.
*phone starts ringing*
I grabbed my phone off the table and answered it.
"I cant talk right now Seth. Amanda did what? Hold on-" I pushed the mute button on the phone "mom.. is it okay if Seth and Amanda come over?"
"Actually yes, and tell them to invite their parents over too, oh and tell them to bring drinks we can all share! It's gonna be a party!" I rolled my eyes and unmuted the call.
"Yea you can both come over but you have to invite your parents and bring drinks over. Yea I know... I'll see you guys in 10." I hung up and sat my phone back down on the table.
"Hmmh." Rowen looked at my phone screen.
"What?"
"Noah Sébastien is your screensaver?" My face turned bright red and I quickly flipped my phone over.
"He's axels inspiration for music isn't he honey?" My mother squished my cheek against hers in a drunken side hug then went back to her conversation. Rowen was smiling at me with his crooked smile again.
"What?" I looked back and fourth between his face and my plate.
"Inspiration? Sure." He laughed
"Whats that supposed to mean?" I said defensively now.
"Nothing." He laughed to himself and took a bite of steak. At this point I just took a few gulps of my red, white, and berry because I needed a bit more alcohol in my system after that conversation.
Not long after that Seth, Amanda, and their parents showed up. After eating, Seth, Amanda, Rowen, and I all went to my room.
"So spill." I nudged Amanda.
"You remember Ian from psych?" I nodded my head yes "well Seth and I went to the bar across from the college the night before break and I kinda sorta ended up leaving with him.."
"What? But.. I thought he was gay... didn't he breakup with Shawn from buisness class?"
"I.. sorta went home with both of them... at the same time." My eyes got wide
"Come again?" I listened to everything as she continued the story.
"So let me get this straight. They were having relationship issues, staged their breakup in order to make themselves appear available, just so they could have threesomes? but they also needed a more secretive way to be open/poly because of their families. That's kinda fucked up and misleading as hell. Especially to anyone thinking they broke up and would have a chance at a monogamous relationship with either of them."
"Luckily for them I'm a whore!" She laughed and took out a small bottle of tequila taking a shot. I laughed slightly at her comment towards herself.
"Oh that reminds me." Seth brought out a few Edible gummies from his pocket.
"Oh this night just got 10 times better!" I said as Seth handed me one.
"Rowen you 420 friendly?" Seth looked over at him.
"Oh definitely." He said as Seth handed him a Gummy.
About 30 minutes later we all decided to go back outside for more drinks and the "hobo pies" my mom was making over the fire. After the pies Seth and Amandas family went home for the night, my parents and rowens parents decided it was time to go home and crash leaving Rowen and I still drinking around the campfire crossed.
"I'll be right back I have to use the bathroom." I nodded as he left.
It was nice and quiet till I got a text from ian. I took a deep breath and took the last swig of my drink before I opened up the text.

Ian : hey I was thinking.. since we've been seeing eachother for a month now that maybe it's time for us to have a movie night at my place?

Axel : look Ian.. I know about you and Shawn... and I know about what happened with Amanda two weeks ago. Had you been honest with me a month ago about your open/poly relationship thing with Shawn I mightve taken the offer and slept with you both. However.. going after my best friend and still being with shawn and possibly other people all the while I was never informed that OUR relationship wasn't monogamous is sick. I mean seriously? My best friend? I wish you all the best with being honest about your relationship dynamic with others including your families but respectfully loose my number.

I went to options on the number and hesitantly blocked Ian.
"Did you care about him?" I fell backwards in my chair spooked while Rowen tried to catch me and the chair from hitting the ground.
"I swear to God you move like a ghost. I don't hear or see you but somehow you're just there!"
"Sorry.. I'll try to be more heavy footed in the future or atleast announce myself." I got up off the ground and patted the dirt off my backside as Rowen set the chair back up around the fireplace. "So.. are you okay?" He sat down next to me and reached in the cooler for 2 more drinks handing me one.
"Yea.. fortunately it wasn't anything serious. I'd rather have found out this way than deciding to sleep over at his place and possibly end up getting bombarded with a threesome, then find out about Amanda, and regret it later."
"I guess there's that then." I laughed a bit and chugged about half of the can I had. Rowen looked back at the speaker in the garage then got up changing the music my parents had playing to, not surprisingly, Corpse.
"Okay... so maybe we do still have music taste in common.." I stated
"And guys apparently." I looked over at him eyes widened.
"What?" He nodded at my phone "wait... are you gay?"
"Well pansexual..."
"Huh, no shit?" He nodded his head again and laughed.
"Fuck... now I have to piss.." We both laughed and I just pissed behind a tree in the yard.
We both had a few more drinks and just talked. I didn't think after 13 years we'd both end up interested in alot of the same things. However my passion was music his was art, I like sports he doesn't, I like routine and carefully planned out things, and he just goes wherever the adventure takes him.
"Damn.. the sun's coming out."
"Seriously?" I looked where he was looking. "We should probably head back to our houses and actually get some sleep."
"Yea, we definitely should. It was nice getting to catch up with you."
"Yea.. you too." I looked down at my shoes as he got up. "Night rowen."
"Night Axel." After I watched him enter his house I decided to clean up before heading to bed.