Nocturne by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Author:Charles Sheehan-Miles [Sheehan-Miles, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Literary, Romance, Contemporary
ISBN: 9780989868808
Google: UezoAgAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00ES2GHDA
Publisher: Cincinnatus Press
Published: 2014-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

Gregory

“—And a student that you’ve already dodged rumors about already, at that. Damn it, Gregory, what the hell?” James held his arms out, his face red with anger as we stood on the stairs in front of my house.

He’d met me on the stairs as I returned from chasing Savannah down.

Fuck.

Now James was making me answer for it.

“For God’s sake, James, would you calm down? You’re making a scene.”

“I think you made enough of a scene for both of us, Greg.” He clenched his jaw, and I started to panic just slightly. I’d never seen James so erratic before.

Looking side to side, I lowered my voice to an almost-whisper. “Back up a little for me. Who saw what, exactly?”

“A student of Madeline’s who called her right away …”

As James gave the details about this girl who reported what she thought she saw to Madeline, my mind shifted to Savannah, and the desperation I felt as she fled my house.

Desperation causes people to make mistakes. To fail. There was no room in my life for failure.

“Okay, okay,” I cut him off, waving my hand impatiently. “What do I do to fix this?”

“You cut off all contact with Savannah Marshall. Starting right this second.”

The idea was preposterous. I was helping her with one of her recital pieces. We’d become close on a musicianship level, learning from each other as we practiced our piece together. All of that was secondary, evidenced by the fear rising through my chest. I loved her. I couldn’t simply cut her off.

“That’s irrational, James. I’m helping her with one of her recital pieces.”

“She can find another cellist, James. I know you’d like to think you’re the only one, but you’re not,” James scoffed.

“Won’t that just work to confirm whatever rumors are floating about?” My pulse raced at the thought of never seeing Savannah again.

“It won’t confirm them any more than making out with her in front of the school, Gregory. You’ve worked too hard for too long to let something like a fling with a student ruin everything for you. You could lose your job at the university and cause scandal for the orchestra. Not something either place, or you, need right now.”

I had no other cards to play. No tricks left up my sleeve. Except one.

“I love her.”

“Ha!” James let out a full-throated laugh. “Come on, Greg. You don’t have to lie to me. You don’t love anything but music, and you don’t love anyone but yourself. You’re a good guy, but we both know that relationships have never been a priority for you. Now is not the time to make them one. Especially not one with a student. You need to cut the shit. You’re not in love with her. You’re excited by her. Who wouldn’t be? She’s gorgeous. They’re all gorgeous, and they’re all talented. That’s where it ends. This is where it ends. You need to stop seeing Savannah, starting immediately.”

“I’m a goddamn adult, James. I’ve been in control of my own life for as long as I can remember, and I don’t intend to have you standing on my stairs changing that now.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.