After a few hours, we called it a night with work. Duncan and I put our computers away as our stomachs growled. We decided to make a little dinner, using his massive, state-of-the-art kitchen to prepare some pad Thai, the meal accompanied with a bottle of wine from his basement cellar.
With our bellies full and the snow still pouring down, we cuddled on the couch to watch some TV. He picked one of his favorite movies, An Affair to Remember, which was another pleasant surprise. The good doctor had a taste for classic romance.
However, we didn’t make it all the way to the end. The cuddling turned to kissing, the kissing turned to getting naked, and the getting naked went…well, that’s easy to guess.
He turned the TV off, and with the fire raging and the snow drifting down, we made love on the floor in front of the roaring flames, just like before. Then we went to sleep in his big bed, warm and cozy and in one another’s arms.
It was absolutely perfect.
“Alright,” he said the next morning over coffee. “I got a text from the homeowner’s association – the snow’s done and they’re clearing the roads back into town.”
“Too bad,” I said with a smile. “I wouldn’t mind being snowed in for another day…or week.”
He winked. “Same here. But hey, the winter’s still young. But I’ll see you again tonight.”
I was still nervous about it but feeling a hell of a lot better. “Sounds great.”
After breakfast, he drove me back to my apartment. The town was covered in a thick layer of snow, the roads only recently cleared. The few people out were dressed in thick, puffy jackets and heavy boots.
When we reached my apartment, Duncan hopped out of the car, opened the door on my side, and walked me to the front door. I still thought it was a little old-fashioned, but even so, I kind of dug it.
“Alright,” he said once we were at the front door. “I’ll see you tonight, gorgeous.”
Gorgeous. With a mere word he made me melt in my boots. And the kiss he followed it up with didn’t hurt matters either.
“See you then,” I said with a smile.
Another wink, and moments later he was in his car and gone. I turned and headed to my door, a smile on my face that I thought might be permanently etched there. I stopped short when I noticed flowers on the ground in front of my door.
I stepped over and picked them up and found a small note on the bouquet.
“These reminded me of you.
Andrew.”
The card was from a delivery service, answering the question of whether or not he’d been at my apartment. That was a bit of a relief, but my stomach clenched as his possible intentions popped in my mind.
Once inside, I tossed all my winter gear onto the couch and plopped down, still in a glow from the time I’d spent with Duncan. I quickly put the flowers into the garbage. I didn’t want to look at them. They were pretty, sure, but Andrew’s intentions were the last thing I wanted to think about.
I didn’t have time to dawdle. I had plenty of work to do, and then I’d need to start thinking about getting ready for my big evening with Duncan and his brother.
The article I was working on for Classical Monthly was about a teenage cellist, one who’d lost his parents at a young age and turned to music to cope. I spent a few hours typing, but in the middle of work an urge came over me, one that I hadn’t had in months.
I closed my computer and went over to my closet, opening it and rummaging through the clutter inside until I found what I was looking for. In the back, buried under random junk and coated with a layer of dust, was my violin case. I pulled it out, blew off the dust, and opened it on the kitchen table.
There it was – my violin, the one I’d had since I was a kid. I hadn’t played in a long while, feeling too stressed and overwhelmed and not even a little in the creative spirit.
But that moment, I was. So, I took it up, positioned it on my chin, placed the bow…and played.
The music came out effortlessly, like I hadn’t missed a day of practice, like it’d been just below the surface, waiting for me to call on it, to bring it out. I didn’t play for long – only a few minutes. But when I finished, I felt rejuvenated, like a new woman.
I put the violin back in the case and clicked the locks shut, making a silent vow not to let so much time pass between then and the next time I played.
The rest of the day flew past, and at around four I received a text from Duncan with all of the information. Seven was the meeting time, and I wanted to be ready. With Gia’s help on Facetime, I went through a few different outfits. Impressing the brother was a look I’d never had to think of before. After all, it wasn’t like Andrew had ever wanted me to meet his.
I settled on a simple, dark green, cocktail dress and black heels. Easy, no fuss.
When I was ready, I grabbed my things and headed out, driving to the cocktail lounge downtown where we were supposed to meet. Duncan messaged me when I was on my way, letting me know he’d be waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel where the lounge was located.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, and a wave of anxiety rushed through my body.
“You look beautiful,” he said, leaning in and planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Is he here?” I asked, wringing my hands together.
“He’s at the bar. He had to take a work call, so I figured I’d give him a minute to sort it out.”
“Wow, a work call at night? Sounds like he takes after his brother.”
“He does – both major workaholics.” He looked at me, studying me for a second. “You alright?”
“Fine,” I said with a smile. “Let’s do this.”
He took my hand and led me through the gorgeous lobby towards the bar. As we approached, I could see it was as elegant as the rest of the building, full of White Pines’ wealthy elite.
“There he is,” Duncan announced, gesturing to a man seated at the bar in a sharp, business suit. His back was to us, but I could see he was on the phone in the middle of a heated conversation.
Duncan approached, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder, and when the man turned around, I nearly fainted.
Andrew looked up at me. My eyes widened, and my hands began to shake.
“Andrew,” Duncan said, smiling toward me. “I want you to meet someone very special to me. Annie”
Andrew mouth opened slightly, a disbelieving expression on his face. He hung up his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Annie?”
“Andrew?” I squeaked, looking at Duncan, then at Andrew. “What the hell is going on? Is this some kind of joke?”
Duncan appeared confused. “A joke? I don’t understand.”
“Duncan,” Andrew said, a firm tone in his voice. “This is Annie. My Annie.”
My coat still on, my purse slung over my shoulder, I turned on my heels and hurried out of the bar as quickly as my legs would take me. The cold outside hit me like a wall, but I didn’t care. I jumped into my car and peeled out of the parking spot, tears in my eyes.
What the hell was going on. What the hell was going on?
My phone was on the seat next to me, and it immediately began blowing up with calls from Duncan, but he was the last person I wanted to talk to.
When I was home, I silenced my phone, poured myself a big glass of wine, and dropped down onto the couch.