“Well, the good news is, I think Uncle
Dave likes you enough to accept the very large security deposit you just
offered, and is willing to allow us to rent month-to-month since we’re not sure
how long we’re staying…”
“What’s the bad news?” I’m almost afraid to ask. Ian climbed
into the passenger seat of Megan’s car and clicked the seatbelt into place.
“The bad news is: I’m late for my
study group,” Megan said. She raised her eyebrows and bit her lip. “So, you
either have to ride back to the hotel with Kai and Rhonda, or go with me to the
library.”
“You’ve been meaning to show me the
library, right?” Ian shrugged his shoulders. “You told me it was really cool
and has moving shelves, or something.”
“Stacks,” Megan corrected. “They’re
called stacks. They’re like long rows of shelves on tracks that move with a
push of a button. And, yes, they’re very cool.” Megan turned her head and
backed out the driveway of the duplex that would soon become their new
temporary home.
“I’m hearing a subtle hesitancy in
your voice,” Ian said.
“The thing is, you can’t distract
me during my study group. You pretty much have to go sit somewhere else and
wait for us. It could be a couple of hours.”
“I can handle that.” Ian nodded his
head. “I’ll go explore the stacks and maybe even pick out a book to read.” What could possibly be more boring than
that?
Megan smiled over at him and sighed
as if she’d been worrying that he’d be upset. Her shoulders relaxed as they got
closer to campus.
Ian watched out the window at the
ever-more-familiar campus. The buildings sprawled amidst blossoming trees and
grasses so green they almost didn’t seem real. Michigan is beautiful this time of year. He craned his neck to see
the fourth floor of the impressive rounded glass building before him. “That’s…
the library?”
“Told you it was cool.” Megan crept
up and down rows of parked cars trying to find an empty spot and finally pulled
into a space that looked out over another building. It was not nearly as tall
as the library, but Ian felt drawn to it. The bricks were
separated by parallel lines that almost looked like a music staff. Tall, thin
windows extended up from the base of the building, and were spaced at
interesting intervals, almost like piano keys.
“What… is that?” Ian felt his jaw
slack and gape open. He gulped and took a step toward the brick building
and away from their intended destination of glass walls.
“That’s the music building,” Megan
said. She came around the car and placed her hand lightly inside his, tugging
gently. “I’ll take you there another day, okay?”
“Promise?” Ian whispered
reverently.
“I promise,” Megan said. “I’m
afraid if I let you go alone, you’ll be swallowed whole and I’ll never find you
again.”
Ian kept his eyes facing south as
Megan pulled him west. He barely registered when they turned and entered the
main corridor of the library. Until he regarded the interior. The floor was a
complex pattern of zigzags and the lobby opened up to an atrium that reached
all four floors and displayed balconies at each level. It was incredible.
Students and faculty crisscrossed the cavernous room, barely interacting, a
hushed reverence that encapsulated the space.
No one paid them any attention,
until they reached the desk where Megan had to present her student ID in order
for them to step through the portal. The bored gatekeeper barely looked up from
her phone but mumbled “Hey Megan, you guys are meeting on the third floor
today. Everyone else is already up there, I think.”
“Cassie, I want to introduce you to
my husband, Ian.”
“Oh, hey, I didn’t know you’re
married.” Cassie didn’t really glance at Ian, only at Megan’s left hand.
Hmm…
I should probably buy her a ring one of these days. Ian looked down at his
own left hand and realized he’d never even thought to wear one either.
“We got married over Christmas
break,” Megan said.
“What’s your major?” Cassie finally
looked up at Ian and her eyes grew wider.
“I’m not a student,” Ian said, his
British accent hung in the air. He shook his head slightly and regarded Cassie
with more interest. Thick black eyeliner hid what he thought were green eyes,
but they almost looked fake, like she was wearing green contacts. A small
piercing detracted from what was probably a pretty smile under the dark red
lipstick. Bleach blond hair, sliced at an angle, hung across her face and was
tipped with purple. She was fascinating.
Cassie took a deep breath and
cocked her head to the side. “Megan, yer husband’s hot.”
“Yeah, I know.” Megan grabbed Ian’s
arm and pulled him away. “Come on, we’re late.”
“She has no idea who I am, does
she?” Ian whispered when they were far enough away.
“Cassie’s pretty much always
stoned,” Megan said. “She’d probably get along great with Gary.”
“No way, neither of them would ever
accomplish anything again for the rest of their lives. They’d live together in
a room painted black graced by the colorful lights of a few carefully placed
lava lamps.”
“You’re so funny, Ian.” Megan
chuckled as they climbed a long set of stairs. He continued to stare down at
Cassie until they rounded a corner and faced the daunting second set of stairs.
“Don’t they have an elevator in
this lovely building?” Ian gripped the railing as they climbed more steps.
“You need to get in better shape,”
Megan said. She reached over and patted his belly as if it were rounded and fat
instead of the tight six-pack of abs he was so proud of. He firmed his muscles
under her hand and raised his eyebrows suggestively. The gleam in her eyes teased
him as she turned back around, reached for his hand and pulled him up the last
few steps to the third floor.
In a little nook, a small group of
students sat together with textbooks on the table. They all looked up when
Megan came into view. One of the girls at the table jumped up and came running
toward them, squealing quietly.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my
gosh. You brought your husband.” She was talking to Megan but staring at Ian.
“Can I meet him?”
Ian took the initiative and stuck
his hand out. “Hi, I’m Ian.”
“I know who you are,” she said. He
could hear the implied ‘duh’ to the end of her phrase. “You’re Ian Taylor of
Buxton Peak! Oh my gosh, I love you!”
She held his hand in both of hers as if she was planning to detach it and take
it home with her.
“…thank you,” Ian said. He pulled
his hand away and placed it protectively back into Megan’s.
“Ian, this is my classmate, Gina.”
“Nice to meet you, Gina.” Ian kept
his hand securely in Megan’s and squeezed it gently. She winked up at him.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone else.”
The two other girls stood up and
reached out to shake Ian’s hand, with gleaming eyes and excited smiles. But the
one guy at the table narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. Ian narrowed his
right back but reached across the table, forcing the young man to put down his pen
and return the gesture. Megan didn’t seem to notice the hesitancy in the
exchange. She draped her arm through his and beamed at her classmates. She told
him their names, but Ian only remembered one: Jared. I don’t like him.
* *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
*
“Well, Ian’s going to find
something to read or explore the library or something while we work,” Megan
said. She finished introducing her husband but knew she’d kept their study
group waiting long enough. “We took too much time house hunting and didn’t get
back early enough to drive him back over to the hotel, so he’s stuck with me.”
“I’m very happy to be stuck with
you, babe. We were apart for too many months already.” Ian pulled her close and
planted a quick kiss on Megan’s cheek. “As long as you promise to take me to
see that very intriguing music building soon.” Ian craned his neck in that
direction as if he could see it from here.
“There’s a great view of the music
building from this floor,” Gina said. She pulled Ian’s arm and tugged him in
the direction of the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Better from the fourth floor,
but come look. It supposedly looks like a grand piano from an aerial view, but
I personally don’t see it.” Ian didn’t hesitate, his apprehension of being
mauled by a super-fan briefly overshadowed by the opportunity to see the music
building. Megan noticed him shove both hands in the pockets of his jeans,
probably preventing Gina from holding his hand again.
While Gina played tour guide, Megan
sat down at her usual seat, which Jared had conveniently kept empty for her,
like he always did.
“You’re moving in with this guy?”
Jared whispered through clenched teeth. “Whatever happened to a long-distance
relationship?”
“We got married over Christmas
break,” Megan said. She chuckled. “I take it you haven’t seen the YouTube
video?”
“Your wedding is on a YouTube
video?” He sounded shocked. Jared picked up Megan’s left hand. “Why aren’t you
wearing a wedding ring?”
“We just haven’t gotten around to
buying any yet.” Megan pulled her hand away quickly and creased her eyebrows.
“What’s it to you, anyway?”
“What kind of guy doesn’t buy his
wife a wedding ring?” Jared scoffed.
“A guy who needs to keep his
marriage a secret for a few months.” Megan was growing uncomfortable with
Jared’s interrogation.
“A secret?” Jared’s eyes grew wide. “I have been waiting patiently for
you to get over this long-distance relationship so you’d finally go out with
me, and you marry a guy who wants to keep your marriage a secret? That’s just
wrong!”
“Jared, I was never interested in you as anything more than a friend,” Megan
said. She scooted her chair a little farther away. “Plus, I deserve a little
anonymity for a few months while I finish college.”
Ian walked quickly back and sat
down in the chair next to Megan, glaring at Jared with vitriol in his eyes.
Jared shifted away and seemed suddenly very interested in his textbook. He
picked up his pen and readied it as if he was taking notes. Always the
gentleman, Ian casually changed the subject.
“That music building is beautiful.
We should go check it out tomorrow.”
“I’d like that,” Megan whispered.
She opened her textbook and pretended nothing was wrong even as she felt the
heat rush to her face.
“There’s a stack of magazines on
that table over by the windows,” Ian said, nodding his head toward the table.
“I’ll go sit over there and enjoy the view and relax for a bit while you all
study, alright?”
Thanks
for understanding. Megan bit her lip and looked him in the eye. Ian winked
at her, glared one more time in Jared’s direction, and stood up. Jared never
looked up from his notes. Ian leaned down and kissed Megan lightly, then walked
away.
“He is so dreamy,” Gina said as she
sat down. She didn’t seem to notice the tension at the table. “You are the
luckiest girl alive!”
“Thanks, Gina.” Megan decided to
brush off the incident and begin their study session. “Okay, tomorrow’s test is
over the molecular proteins we observed in lab last week…”
“Did you know your husband is
flirting with two girls?” Jared interrupted. “Oh my gosh, he just gave her his
phone number!” They all looked over to where Ian was sitting talking to two
students who had sidled up next to his magazine-covered table. One of them had
slid her notebook in front of him and he was leaned over it, smiling and
flirting.
“He’s just signing autographs for
them,” Megan said. She laughed and realization clicked into place. “You have no
idea who my husband is, do you?”
Jared creased his forehead and
frowned. He glared in Ian’s direction.
“Oh my gosh, you don’t?” Gina said.
“He’s Ian Taylor from Buxton Peak!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking
about.” Jared lifted his chin and sniffed dismissively. “Who’s Ian Taylor? and
what’s Buxton Peak?”
“Buxton Peak is, like, the coolest
rock band ever,” Gina said. “Ian’s
their lead singer.”
“I don’t listen to rock music,”
Jared said. He glared back over at Ian as the two girls walked away. Ian looked
back over at them, winked at Megan, propped his feet up on a chair and picked
up a magazine. He looked a little smug.
“I thought I was the only one,”
Megan said, chuckling softly. She turned back to her books and picked up her
pencil. “Nice to know I’m not alone in my ignorance.”
Buxton Peak Book Two: Center Stage is now live on Amazon!
Also, I highly recommend reading
Buxton Peak Book One: Who Is Ian Taylor? before reading
Buxton Peak Book Two: Center Stage:
