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

Suddenly the music swelled and Crystal grabbed his arm. “Here he comes! Here he comes!”


Down on stage, a lone figure stepped out of the curtains. A single spotlight lit up a microphone on a stand in the middle of the stage and a stool behind it. “A ballad!” Larry yelled down to his daughter. He racked his brain trying to think of all the songs on Geo’s CD that might justify such singled out treatment and couldn’t really think of any. There had been a spot in the middle of the show already where Geo did a few slower numbers. Encores were usually reserved for top songs, maybe a medley or mash-up of a few biggies, even a special tour remix of the singer’s number one hit.


Not this solo in the spotlight deal. Where was Geo going with that?


Sliding onto the stool, Geo motioned for the music to fade out as he pulled the mic off the stand. “Hey, guys,” he sighed, obviously out of breath.


The crowd answered with a roar. Someone farther down Larry’s row cried out, “I love you, Geo!”


Chapter 39