Back in college, Larry Carson played drums in a friend’s band and fell in love with the lead singer, Geoffrey Mason. But all that’s in the past. Larry’s now thirty-five, divorced, and father to a precocious thirteen-year-old daughter. One day, when Larry picks Crystal up from school, a song comes on the radio by a new rockstar climbing the charts. Larry recognizes Geoff’s voice immediately, though Crystal calls him Geo and claims he’s the hottest new singer on the scene. Just hearing him brings back a flood of memories, reopening wounds Larry thought long healed. The more he listens to Geo’s music, the more Larry falls in love with his former boyfriend all over again. Partly to prove to his daughter that he used to know Geo back in the day, and partly to reconnect with his old friend, Larry buys tickets to an upcoming concert and manages to score backstage passes. But there was a reason Larry and Geoff lost touch -- and stayed out of touch for so long. Will Geo even want to see Larry again after all this time? Or will the magic of their old familiar song bring about a harmonious duet?

Old Familiar Song

No, Marnie was right. What he once had with Geo was best left in the past, where it belonged. Seeing him again would be nice, but Larry couldn’t fool himself that it would be anything more than that.


On the phone, the woman told him, “Give me your email. I’ll see what I can do.” 6


Doug was pissed about Geoff singing lead, even though it was his idea to add the new guy in the first place, and Geoff was pissed because he didn’t even want to be in the band. The only person happy about the whole situation was Larry, who wanted any excuse to spend more time with his new friend. And God, after hearing Geoff sing, he wouldn’t have been able to sit through another show listening to Doug’s tortured vocals without calling it quits. Knowing what they could’ve had? What could’ve been?


“Let me get this right,” Geoff said, still shuffling through the comic books spread out across Larry’s bed. “You don’t even like the band all that much.”


Chapter 16