J.M. Snyder

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

“It was my friend Doug’s band,” Larry explained. “I played drums. Geo—we called him Geoff then—he sang lead. Of course.”


She grinned. “Of course. Ever play any shows as big as this?”


Larry laughed. “Yeah, I’m going to have to say no. Mostly we did local bars and pizza joints, frat parties, things like that. Nothing like this.”


“Wow.” She looked around, impressed. “So this is pretty huge for him, huh? He’s come up in the world.”


Balancing her food on her lap, Crystal pulled her phone out of her purse and took a few photos of the stage, mostly of the curtains and screens that displayed Geo’s name in large, garish type. Then she stood, setting her food on her seat, and leaned back against the railing, holding the phone out to Larry. “Careful,” he warned.


“Take a picture of me with the logo so I can show my friends,” she said, smiling sweetly.


Chapter 34