The Tuxedo Man (boyxboy)[Wattys 2016]

Chapter 29 - Your Song

[Photo: Harrison Danver. Video: Wild Things - Alessia Cara]

I reunited with Dylan as soon as the performance was over. He embraced me tightly as if he was letting me go, as though he was bidding goodbye. He looked at me with the happiest eyes on his face, with me sharing that feeling with him knowing I've made him proud. 

It's a great thing to know that your family's happy for you. As soon as we've all gathered around outside Royce Hall, everyone wouldn't stop talking about me. They kept telling me how amazing I was and how they didn't expect me to be so good at the instrument at such an early age. They told me I was the best one there, which of course you would expect from your family. 

With the night beginning to get cold, as usual, the suit kept me warm. I felt a breeze of relief rush through me when I knew Dylan wasn't going to be cold so that I'd be warm, that he wouldn't be offering his suit to me or anything. Max found Janie a couple moments later and as we readied to get home, a familiar voice called out my name. 

"Austin!" I yell, the taller boy running towards me from the entrance of the hall. He had a maroon scarf on now, carrying the case of his trumpet over his shoulders. We share a hug and as we pull away, I see his parents emerge from the crowd, walking towards our direction as well. 

"You were amazing!" He laughs, the green in his eyes radiating under the campus lights. "Really! I haven't seen a violinist like you in my life!" 

"And you," I play a light punch on his shoulder, pushing him back a little bit. "Were amazing as well." 

He looks back at his parents, who've stopped in the middle of the cemented path, talking to each other with their hands tucked into their pockets. "Well, I gotta go. I'm glad I caught you. I'm looking forward to seeing you here in our first year, okay?" He beams with enthusiasm, which is one particular thing I love about him. He extends his hand and I take it, giving it a firm shake. 

"You too." I smile. 

"We might even be roommates!" He chuckles as he takes a couple of steps backward before accelerating into a jog, heading over to where his parents were. They turn their heads towards my direction and I send them a friendly wave, to which they reciprocate with a smile back. 

Janie and Max guide us through the campus since the school grounds where huge. If Max wasn't here earlier, we might not have even been able to find Royce Hall on our way in. Mom and dad walk in front of us, talking about something I can't seem to overhear while Dylan and I trudge on silently behind them, him wrapping his arm around me as we walked. 

The moon was in the sky, sending a dim white light onto the campus. The program took quite a while since I realized that there were almost sixty performers that night, each being allotted five minutes for their act. The performers varied in age, instrument and talent. There were pianists who played just like the classics, violinists whom bows moved faster than mine and performers who sound like they've practiced the piece for months and months before tonight. Almost no one was flawed and it was intimidating. 

As we reach the parking lot, the six of us split up into pairs. Max drove his car on the way here as mom and dad shared one, Dylan bringing me to UCLA in such style with his black, newly washed Lamborghini. 

My brother turns around with his girlfriend in his arm. "We're going to go look at violin strings around town." 

My mother nods. "You be safe." She tells him. She turns to our direction since their car was in between the two of ours. "Both of you, too." She smiles, opening the car door before sinking into the passenger seat.

Dylan opens his door and gets in, I follow. "Can you get me a set?" I yell over the window. He flashes me a thumbs up before driving off. Soon enough, dad pulls back from the parking space and follows then.