~Chapter 3~
____________________________________
Gaven introduced her to two of his longtime buddies; a couple of guys his age. They had recent news about a mutual friend of theirs and were dissing the guy. Flare was impressed that Gaven was the more mature of them, saying "We don't know the whole situation, though...and we should remember that it's none of our business." One of the guys looked embarrassed and changed the subject by telling Flare that she was cute and asked if she and Gaven were an item, 'cause if not...' He was interrupted when Gaven put his arm around her possessively and nicely told him to back off. He steered her away, whispering in her ear "I know his track record. Trust me; you don't want to date him."
It was time for the band to play and he took her to a corner near the front, that was hidden from view of the rest of the room. At the entrance to a small side room was an art installation of a loveseat, made entirely of welded cutlery. There was a card on it that said 'Reserved', which he removed. "I'll see you in about 20 minutes." While she was waiting for the music to begin, she turned on her phone to check messages and listened to one from her Mom and Lian. They had decided to stay in the main residence. Either they would be very late getting home or they would stay there. It was a stroke of luck for Flare, who had been wondering how she would explain the guy with spiky hair who was driving her home.
She seated herself comfortably as the house lights were dimmed. One of the band members introduced Gaven and the crowd burst into applause. He obviously had some dedicated fans. The lights dimmed some more and the avant-garde violinist was the only one that could be seen in the spotlight as he began weaving a meandering melody with his violin. The notes were often seemingly-unrelated to each other, and then suddenly he had woven them together and introduced clusters of sweet harmony. He was mesmerizing to watch...and listen to. A few times when he opened his eyes and looked up, Flare could have sworn that he was looking at her. He worked the melody into a grand crescendo and then let it subside, the end of which was interrupted by the drummer's insistent beat. The rest of the band was suddenly playing, with Gaven playing stunning violin solos throughout. 'His technique is as good as Willard...' Flare thought to herself '...and he's composing it himself!' .
After his two pieces were over, Gaven packed up his instrument and came to her. She felt a wee bit star-struck watching the charismatic performer approach her. As he sat next to her he couldn't help but check her face for a reaction, which surprised him. Why should he care what anyone thought of his music? When she smiled brightly he felt suddenly at peace. He impulsively put an arm around her shoulders as the band began the next number. After a while he found her hand and interlaced her fingers with his, resting them on his thigh. During the rest of the performance he softly stroked her hand and fingers.
Half an hour later it was over. "That's basically it" he said as music yielded to silence and then applause and crowd noise. "We don't have to stay here. Do you want to go somewhere for a drink or a snack?"
"Hmm, thanks...but I shouldn't stay out too late tonight." She had to get up early in the morning and she was already carrying a large sleep debt.
"Then maybe a bit of fresh air before I take you home?"
"That would be nice."
On their way out, a couple more people wanted to talk to him, and someone else invited them to an after-party. He politely turned each of them down, saying that he and his friend had other plans. He strapped his violin on like a backpack and held the door open for her. They began walking slowly along the twinkling street, inhaling the fresh night air, enjoying the contrasting silence. She was lost in thought, musing about how much her life had changed in two weeks, about the new kinds of experiences she was having, about how much she was growing and her self-esteem was increasing. He was studying her profile, planning to find some way of kissing her.
