rich earth tones and velvety furniture. The wood used for end tables and the coffee table was probably mahogany, polished to a gleaming shine, and the sofa and chairs were a deep rich burgundy. I stood in the doorway for a few seconds just taking it all in when Ethan said, “Come on. I’ll show you around.” We walked through the kitchen and he asked, “Want something to eat?” I shook my head and followed him up a stairway at the back of the kitchen.
We walked down a hall into his bedroom. I dropped my suitcase just inside the doorway, not sure where to put it but definitely tired of carrying it. “Like it?” Like it? —I loved it because the room felt like Ethan. It wasn’t as big as our dorm rooms, but it was decent sized (and made for one guy). There were posters of some of my favorite rock bands on the walls, but also one with cars, and another two with nameless girls in bathing suits trying to look sexy. There were so many posters, I could hardly see the walls. A double bed took the back and center position right below a large window, a television directly across from it, and an electric guitar in a corner. My eyes riveted on that guitar and everything else in that room became background. I could only nod my head to Ethan’s last question. I knew he had a guitar at school too, a red-toned beauty, but this one was understated. It was shiny and black, completely black, from the strap pin on the body all the way to—and including—the head stock. It was one of the loveliest guitars I’d ever seen. Of course, I realized it was also because it appeared to be Ethan’s pride and joy. I walked over to it and squatted down on my haunches so I could really appreciate it.
Ethan was right behind me. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Want me to play you a few chords?” I nodded, excited, but then I heard his cell phone ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled. “Hold on a sec.” He answered the phone. “Hey, dude. How’s it going?” He paused, and I felt a little uncomfortable just watching him talk on the phone. I needed to find the restroom too, so I walked over to the doorway and peeked out. I knew there had to be a bathroom up there somewhere, so I walked down the hall toward the mostly likely area. I could hear him talking and his voice moved with him, probably curious about what I was doing. He said, “You know that friend I told you about?” There was another pause on the line, and I didn’t plan to hear anymore as I’d found the restroom. By the time I was done, he was off the phone. I found him in his room again, and this time he was cradling that guitar on his lap, striking its strings. It was electric, though, and there was no amp nearby, so I could barely hear what he was playing. “That was Brad on the phone. He’s part of the band, and we’ll be going to his house tonight.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to seem too eager but, God, was I.
He got some sandwich supplies out of the fridge, and we made ourselves a couple of sandwiches. Then he switched on the television and started flipping through channels. “Mind if I do a little studying?” I asked. I was going to kick myself if I failed all my exams, just because I had to follow Ethan.
“Go ahead,” he said, and I set up shop at the kitchen table where I was less likely to be distracted by either the TV or the boy. And I studied hard until a while later, when Ethan came in the kitchen and asked to borrow a piece of my notebook paper. He wrote a note to his mom since she still hadn’t returned from work, and then we left so I could meet the band.
* * *
“Valerie, right? Ethan’s told me so much about you. I feel like I already know you.” Well, if that wasn’t flattering and didn’t just make me feel like the belle of the ball, nothing would. Brad Payne, Ethan’s best friend, was a sweet guy who had an eye for the
We walked down a hall into his bedroom. I dropped my suitcase just inside the doorway, not sure where to put it but definitely tired of carrying it. “Like it?” Like it? —I loved it because the room felt like Ethan. It wasn’t as big as our dorm rooms, but it was decent sized (and made for one guy). There were posters of some of my favorite rock bands on the walls, but also one with cars, and another two with nameless girls in bathing suits trying to look sexy. There were so many posters, I could hardly see the walls. A double bed took the back and center position right below a large window, a television directly across from it, and an electric guitar in a corner. My eyes riveted on that guitar and everything else in that room became background. I could only nod my head to Ethan’s last question. I knew he had a guitar at school too, a red-toned beauty, but this one was understated. It was shiny and black, completely black, from the strap pin on the body all the way to—and including—the head stock. It was one of the loveliest guitars I’d ever seen. Of course, I realized it was also because it appeared to be Ethan’s pride and joy. I walked over to it and squatted down on my haunches so I could really appreciate it.
Ethan was right behind me. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Want me to play you a few chords?” I nodded, excited, but then I heard his cell phone ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled. “Hold on a sec.” He answered the phone. “Hey, dude. How’s it going?” He paused, and I felt a little uncomfortable just watching him talk on the phone. I needed to find the restroom too, so I walked over to the doorway and peeked out. I knew there had to be a bathroom up there somewhere, so I walked down the hall toward the mostly likely area. I could hear him talking and his voice moved with him, probably curious about what I was doing. He said, “You know that friend I told you about?” There was another pause on the line, and I didn’t plan to hear anymore as I’d found the restroom. By the time I was done, he was off the phone. I found him in his room again, and this time he was cradling that guitar on his lap, striking its strings. It was electric, though, and there was no amp nearby, so I could barely hear what he was playing. “That was Brad on the phone. He’s part of the band, and we’ll be going to his house tonight.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to seem too eager but, God, was I.
He got some sandwich supplies out of the fridge, and we made ourselves a couple of sandwiches. Then he switched on the television and started flipping through channels. “Mind if I do a little studying?” I asked. I was going to kick myself if I failed all my exams, just because I had to follow Ethan.
“Go ahead,” he said, and I set up shop at the kitchen table where I was less likely to be distracted by either the TV or the boy. And I studied hard until a while later, when Ethan came in the kitchen and asked to borrow a piece of my notebook paper. He wrote a note to his mom since she still hadn’t returned from work, and then we left so I could meet the band.
* * *
“Valerie, right? Ethan’s told me so much about you. I feel like I already know you.” Well, if that wasn’t flattering and didn’t just make me feel like the belle of the ball, nothing would. Brad Payne, Ethan’s best friend, was a sweet guy who had an eye for the
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