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

Remembering what his daughter had said about meet and greets before the show, he next searched for any of those before Geo’s concerts. He had a bit more luck finding fan postings about those, and a few photos commemorating the occasions. The first thing he found was that Geo always stood on one side of a wide table, distancing himself from his fans. Two beefy security guards flanked him, making sure no one ever got too close. None of the photos showed him hugging or kissing anyone, or even shaking hands.


A few photos on different Facebook accounts had the same woman in them, smartly dressed with a short, severe haircut and sharp features, who stared straight at the camera as if glaring at him through the lens. The first time he saw her, he glanced over her without really paying attention, focusing instead on Geo’s sunny smile behind the group of fans posing in front of him. Glossy 8x10’s on the table between them were scrawled with his name.


Chapter 20