Gavin and Roxanne ✔️

EIGHT

"Gavin? Gavin? Anybody home?" asks a voice, cutting my reverie short. That's Paul Cardoso, our principal percussionist. I can't tell if he's annoyed, amused, or a bit of both.

Startled and a bit flustered, I shake my head rapidly from side to side. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were we talking about?"

Just as I'm ready to redirect myself to the task at hand, Roxanne turns her head in our direction and catches my eye. She flashes a gleaming smile and gives a friendly wave, which I return, as do the other percussionists. Roxanne looks like she might come over to talk to us, but another violinist, sheet music in hand, gets her attention first.

I look back down at the percussion part, feigning an air of coolness and nonchalance. "So, I was thinking that maybe I could take the maracas," I begin, trying to sound authoritative even though I'm completely lost. But I can tell from the warmth spreading through my cheeks that I'm not fooling anyone.

"I take it you got home safely last night?" Jeremy says suggestively, his eyebrow cocked but his face otherwise straight. At least I think it is; his beard provides great camouflage for shit-eating grins.

"Yup," I answer flatly. I'd prefer not to elaborate, at least not here, not right now.

"Is that all?" 

There's that mischievous smile of his. Jeremy thinks he's on to something.

"Oh, right," Paul interjects, his dark eyes wide and his tone as cheeky as Jeremy's. "How was the party last night, guys?" Paul might be a clean-cut, churchgoing family man and father of five, but his propensity for off-color jokes and merciless teasing is well-known in the orchestra family. I might as well be back in middle school, getting grilled by a couple of friends after making eyes at a girl in algebra class.

Jeremy gives everyone the lowdown on dinner and our lively conversation with Roxanne, and I fill them both in on what happened afterwards – the PG-rated version, of course. I recount the crazy weather, the ride home, and the drinks at my apartment. I gloss over the rest of the night with "We talked for a couple hours and had a really good time. Then she went home." – which technically is all true. The others seem satisfied with just the highlights, though Paul asks if anything more will come of it – a question I answer with a noncommittal 'we'll see.' Jeremy shoots me a surreptitious nod and a wink – he knows there's more to my story than I'm letting on, but we can talk about it later.

The five of us turn back to our parts for tonight's program, and we finalize the last-minute tweaks we were discussing previously. We're about to head up to the stage to arrange the instruments when a hand lands on my shoulder. Even without looking, I know that hand – how could I forget it? Those long, elegant fingers and that gentle yet powerful touch couldn't belong to anyone else.

I tell the rest of the section I'll join them in a few minutes, and when I turn to face Roxanne, she wraps her arms around me, pulls me in, and we hug – not the quick, almost perfunctory hug of a couple of casual friends, but the affectionate embrace of two people who have shared something extraordinary. Her body fuses seamlessly into mine; her heavenly scents flood my senses. Last night comes rushing back to me, and in a matter of seconds I'm all raging hormones and white-hot desire.

I very much want to kiss her. I don't, of course, though a wry smile flashes across my face as I imagine how our colleagues would react to such a sight. We finish the hug, almost reluctantly, and stand facing one another a few feet apart. Roxanne is beaming, almost luminous; I manage a dopey schoolboy grin. Neither of us speaks, as if we're each waiting for the other to go first. As mature and confident as Roxanne is, she seems as anxious as I am right now.

After a moment, I relent. "So... uhh..." I gaze downward, as if I'll magically find the right words scrawled across the floor. "So, yeah. That was a really sweet note you left me this morning," I say, turning my head to one side. "It made my day."

"Oh, right. I'm so sorry about that!" She lets out a nervous chuckle. "I felt really bad just ditching you. But I had to get home – my cats do not appreciate missing a meal. And like I said, I didn't want to wake you – you were sound asleep. I mean, you were totally out of it."

"Hey, it's not a problem. I know what you mean. If I was even half an hour late feeding Duke, he didn't let me hear the end of it."

The laugh we share dissipates, and then we're back to that familiar yet awkward silence. Though the sexual tension between us is almost tangible, there's so little – yet so much – to say. As easily as the conversation flowed last night, I'm reminded that we've known each other well for no more than twenty-four hours.

Again I'm the one to speak first. "So..." I hesitate for a second, remembering I haven't asked a woman on a date in seven years. Come on, McKee, just do it and get it over with. "You said in your note you wanted to talk. Do you want to chat after the concert, over drinks?"

"Absolutely! I'd love to," Roxanne says, her voice bright with enthusiasm. "Though if you don't mind, could we do dessert instead? I think I need a break from alcohol after last night." She casts her eyes downward for a second, slighty embarrassed as she recalls her mild inebriation. "And I can't have coffee after four in the afternoon, or else I'm up half the night. Anyway, there's this lovely place on Broadway and Alder that does Japanese desserts. And bubble tea, if you're into that. They're open late on weekends."

"That sounds perfect," I say with an easy smile.

We make plans to meet up backstage once the performance is done and walk the four blocks to the restaurant. "But if it's pouring rain," I add with my best poker face, "I expect a ride."

"Oh, Gavin, you crack me up." Roxanne laughs lustily and gives me a gentle, good-natured elbow to the side. "Okay, but just a ride, got it?" she adds with a grin. We walk up to the stage together – loose, carefree, happy.

What a difference from where we were at just a day ago.

********

What a day (and night) it's been for our guy Gavin – and for Roxanne! So what do you think? Should they give a relationship a go? Even if they don't, there's nothing saying they can't get together for a replay of last night – as long as they're both single!

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