Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 03:13:54 +0800
From: kkrimson
Subject: Singing Hearts chapter 2

Disclaimer: This work is of pure fiction and any resemblance of the
characters and settings to real life persons, events, circumstances, etc. is
purely coincidental. This work involves the youthful discovery and pursuit
of love between two teenage boys in contemporary time. If you are not a fan
of this kind of literature, pleace proceed somewhere else. This is not a
quick jack off story. Instead, the characters are eventually developed as
new chapters in their lives unfold, mainly revolving around love and the
things that go along with it (i.e. pain and pleasure).

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Copyright kkrimson 2013

--- Kentucky Original

	The next day, I woke up with a new vigor in me. I was looking
forward to seeing Andre again. My mom was mildly surprised with me waking
up at 7:00 am. My dad was already enjoying his coffee while my mom was
cooking bacon and eggs. I sat at the table and waited for my breakfast.

	"So, who's this Andre kid you're talking about?" My dad eyed me
through his specs. He was leaning on the table, in front of me.

	"He's just a new kid having the same lessons I do. And he's really
good."

	"Your mom told me so. You like him?" He was clearly asking me if I
had a crush on him, which I didn't want to admit being true. Instead, I
masked the question as if he was asking me if I already made friends with
Andre.

	"Uhm, he's cool," and he told me I was cute, I thought to
myself. My mom served me breakfast, breaking the growing silence around the
table. My dad left it at that and ate breakfast as well.

	Neither of my parents had work on a Sunday. My dad wasn't dressed
in his usual suit. He was a music teacher at a nearby college. My mom was a
musical director at some theater center. She was working on a play for some
high school drama club. I finished eating and decided to take a shower.

	Feeling refreshed afterwards, I picked out a blue striped shirt and
denim shorts. I even put on some of my brother's deodorant which I thought
was his anyway. I smelled great, I thought to myself. I headed back
downstairs, finding my brother in front of the TV. He was watching some
band play on some music channel. He had his nose sniffing the air and
looked at me.

	"Is that my deodorant?"

	"I don't know. I found it in the bathroom," I said as I approached
the couch he was on.

	"Heh. So, going on a date or something?" He changed the channel to
some crappy morning show.

	"Well, no. I just wanted to smell nice, I guess."

	"For a change, you mean," he laughed a little. "Anyway, that's a
very strong scent for someone your age. You should ask mom for something
milder, like strawberry or something."

	Strawberry? I might be into boys but I didn't want to smell like a
girl. I was sure no boy ever wanted to smell like strawberries.

	"You won't smell girly, trust me. It's just a milder scent that
will probably suit you." Did he just read my mind? "Of course I can read
your mind. I'm your brother." Okay, that was just freaky.

	"Peter, let's go. I still have so many things to do for today so
I'll drop you off early." It was my mom, hurriedly walking towards the
door.

	"Hey mom, you might wanna buy Peter some strawberry perfume!" Kyle,
my brother shouted after her.

	"Strawberry? Why would he want that?" See? Even my mom thought it
won't suit a boy like me.

	"Well he's too young to be wearing my deodorant." That put a smile
on my mom's face as if she understood the situation. She then looked at me.

	"Yeah, sure. We have to go, hunny."

	I followed her out the house and into the driveway. It was only
8:15 as I checked before going out. It sure was very early for me to go to
the studio. Inside the car, my mom started a conversation.

	"You do smell like a teenager. You're still a kid while your
brother's already 17. You should smell like a kid and not like some Axe
test subject."

	I smelled like a test subject? What the hell? I liked how I
smelled. And I was already 12- well into my teenage years. But, she's
right. I smelled a lot like my brother. Well, I saw visions of strawberry
fields suddenly becoming more vivid before my innocent eyes.

	After a 15-minute drive, we arrived at the studio. I got out of the
car and my mom said that she might pick me up a little bit after lunch. She
asked me what I wanted to eat then so she could just order a take out. I
instantly told her I wanted KFC. She sighed, but agreed. What? I loved
KFC. She drove off and I waved goodbye at her tail lights.

	I went inside and found Erika carrying her own guitar. All I had
with me was my little music book and some water bottle in a small backpack.

	"Hey, Erika. Need some help with that?" It didn't look heavy, but I
wanted to be a gentleman.

	"Oh. Thanks, Peter. But I got this," she said, her red lips curved
into a small smile. So much for me being a gentleman. She added, "You're
awfully early today," while strapping the guitar to her back. She fiddled
with the Hello Kitty hairclip that was on her blonde locks which made her
look cute.

	"My mom was in a hurry to drop me off. She's in the middle of some
errands, I think." We were now walking down the hallway towards the first
two rooms. Mr. Seville, the studio's guitar tutor, crossed our paths.

	"Good morning, Mr. Seville, sir," we both said in unison.

	"Ah, so formal! I told you to call me Fred," he smiled at us,
holding a Starbucks cup in his left hand.

	"Okay, Fred," again, in unison. We were so used to Ms. Jane's
formalities that we sometimes forgot how friendly on the personal level the
other tutors were.

	"You can go wait for me inside, Erika. John and Michael are already
there. I'll join you in a moment." Fred entered the lounge room and left
us.

	"I'll see you later Peter. And say hi to your friend for me. I
think he looks hot," she entered the room to our right and closed the door,
not bothering to wait for my response.

	Great! 'Erika has a crush on him,' I thought. And she had better
chances than me of being liked back just because she was girl. And she was
actually beautiful at the age of 12. If I wasn't completely into boys, I
would have fallen for Erika.

	"...A crush on whom?" I jumped out in surprise and turned around
just to come face to face with Andre. Did I just say that out loud?
Clearly, I did.

	"Uhm, nothing. What're you talking about?" I played the oblivious
boy again.

	"Erika has a crush on whom?" He looked really curious waiting for
me to respond. It gave me the idea that he might have a crush on her (which
was impossible since he had not seen her yet) and was waiting for me to
tell him that Erika has a crush on him. Then, in all sense of the phrase,
they could live happily ever after. 'Not on my watch,' I thought, making
sure I didn't blurt that out.

	"Well, she likes a boy from our school who is my friend. We were
just talking about him," I half lied. It was true that Erika and I went to
the same school, but I didn't really know if she had a crush on any of my
friends. We weren't really that close around campus. She had her group of
girl-friends while I had my own group of boy-friends. I blushed at the
thought. As long as we didn't hate each other, it was cool. We were
acquaintances outside of school which was okay with me.

	"Right. And you're blushing." Well, thanks for pointing that out
Captain Obvious. You just made me blush some more. He just laughed and
walked off towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. He added, "Well,
come on. We still have our lessons."

	"It's still too early. Ms. Jane won't be here for another 25
minutes," I protested while catching up behind him.

	"I know." And just like that, we went to our room.

	We placed our things on a table by the door. He was carrying a
small backpack, too. It must have had some water bottle and our musical
notes inside as well. He proceeded towards the piano and gently played with
the keys. It was a simple do-re-me. I went to him and stood beside the
piano.

	"You know, I've always wanted to play an instrument," he started.

	"You could ask your parents for lessons here," I suggested,
following his nimble hands on the keys.

	"Yeah, I guess so." He remained quiet after that. He looked
crestfallen, actually. Maybe there was something bothering him. He started
once more, "Listen, about yesterday."

	I looked at him, but his eyes remained fixed on the keys before
him. I said, "What about it?"

	"I really meant it," he said, moving his head up to look at me. I
was quite confused. Meant what?

	"Uh, I don't get it."

	"You really are cute," he told me, half smiling. I couldn't tell if
he was teasing me again, but his eyes didn't hint of any mischief. I felt
hotness on my cheeks once more.

	He continued, "And I'd really love to run my hands through your
thick hair. Is that naturally blonde? And your eyes; god, I swear I can see
a garden in them – lush and all green. And you have an absolutely
fascinating nose! And you have no idea how much I wished for lips like
yours. It sort of reminds me of...cupid's bow. Yes, that's it – pink and
shy."

	I was rendered speechless for a moment.

	"Uh, thanks?" I was lame in this subject. "I think you are, too," I
silently confessed, looking down on the keys. "I mean, cute and all," I
whispered. He giggled which drew my eyes back on him.

	"Do you blush a lot?" I could tell that he was amused. "Oh, by the
way, cool deodorant," he added after short giggles.

	I couldn't bring myself to comment on that. At least, he thought my
[brother's] deodorant was cool. We engaged in brief exchanges of awkward -
on my part – conversation.

	"You just moved here?" I asked.

	"Yeah. My dad and I are from Sweden. My mom passed away a few years
ago, when I was five or something. There's just the two of us now"

	"I'm sorry about your mom. But, you don't seem to have any accent."

	"I was born here in Dallas. I grew up here and learned to talk
here. We moved to Europe when I was six, shortly after mom's death. My dad
wanted to start a new life there, where he grew up. But, he missed this
place and he missed mom so we recently moved back."

	Andre actually crossed the Atlantic twice. He had seen a fair share
of the world while I was stuck in Southern U.S. I wanted to explore the
world, but that would just have to wait until I was on tour. Oh yeah. I
dreamed of being a famous musician one day, always on tour.

	"So which school do you go to?" That was the next logical question
to ask.

	"Newton Middle. I actually start tomorrow."

	And just like that, my luck began to take a wild turn. No, I didn't
go to the same school. I went to Adamson. See? I wasn't lucky enough to be
in the same school as him.

	"Oh. I go to Adamson. It's just a few blocks from Newton, I think."
I didn't know why I added that last bit of information. Maybe I was hoping
we both could sneak out during recess and lunch and spend it together
somewhere in the middle area of our two schools? Yeah. I was definitely
hoping that.

	"We still get to see each other on weekends, right? I mean, with
lessons and all." Was he thinking the same thing as me?

	"Yeah. And weekends are way better than weekdays." He smiled at
that. It was so heartwarming to see him smile. And it made me smile back at
him.

	"Okay, boys. Time for your lessons," Ms. Jane announced as she
entered the room with a music sheet in her right hand.

	We had our usual lessons that day. We practiced on different pitch,
trying to match that of each other. Andre went on first and I followed and
vice versa. We did this for the most part of the session and only proceeded
to sing full songs during the last hour. Finally, 11:30 came and Ms. Jane
ended our lessons. We excused ourselves and headed for the first floor. The
other students were still inside their rooms, probably gathering up their
instruments.

	Andre and I waited outside for our rides. Just then, Ms. Jane
approached us from behind, patting my shoulder. "Peter, your mom
called. She wanted you to stay here for a while since she's still in a
meeting. It will be past lunch time when she gets back. You could have
lunch with Mr. Seville and me, if you want."

	Before I could speak, Andre did on my behalf. "Peter could come
with me and my dad, Ms. Jane. It'll be totally cool! We're going to get
lunch, too, anyway." He sounded hopeful and excited.

	"Well, I don't know Alexander. Perhaps I could call Mrs. Oates and
get her to agree," she pulled out her phone from her purse and dialed for
my mom.

	They talked for a bit which ended like this, "Yes, Mrs. Oates. If
it's fine with Peter and I could have Mr. Fredenham inform you where to
pick him up...okay...bye."

	"So, Peter..."

	"Yes!" Andre cut her off. "Come on Peter, it'll be fun!" He was
literally shaking me while jumping up and down.

	"Uh," I looked at Ms. Jane and she just smiled at me. "Sure. I
guess it's okay," I told Andre.

	"Cool! My dad will be here any moment." He let go of me and stopped
jumping, but was now smiling widely.

	Ms. Jane excused herself and went back inside, leaving us on the
stairs of the building's entrance. I could hear doors opening and kids
chattering when a familiar SUV pulled in front. Andre wasted no time in
dragging me towards the car. He opened the backseat door and announced
excitedly to his dad.

	"Dad, this is Peter. I told you about him yesterday. He's coming
with us for lunch." Turning to me, he said, "Peter, my dad."

	"Hi, sir. I'm Peter Oates," I nervously said.

	"Don't bother with introductions. Andre told me a lot about
you. I'm Charles. Charlie, if you like," he said in Swedish accent. He
sounded genuine and friendly.

	"Dad!" Andre whined, as if cutting off his father on what he was
about to say. They exchanged looks and Charles - Charlie - held his hands
up.

	"Alright, I get it. So, let's have lunch?"

	Andre went in first. The backseat was very spacious so we didn't
really huddle close to each other. I stayed on my side of the seat for most
of the ride and Andre didn't seem to mind. He was blurting out lots of
stuff to which I struggled to keep up with.

	"Andre, you're talking too much. Peter can barely catch up." His
dad interrupted, to which I silently thanked him. Andre did really talk too
much. But it wasn't annoying. I found it really engaging, but I just
couldn't catch up.

	"Sorry about that Peter. I get excited sometimes." Excited? It was
more like overly ecstatic. But, I liked him that way, regardless.

	"So Peter, I hope you like vegetables," Charlie looked at me
through the rear view mirror. My face must have been horrid for at the
instant he said that, he took it back just as fast. "I can see you
don't. Andre equally hates them. I honestly don't understand why kids hate
them. It's really good for you. Back when I was your age..."

	"Dad, we hate vegetables. Period," Andre cut him off again. Charlie
didn't seem offended by Andre's butting in once in a while. It occurred to
me that Charlie was not just his father, but also a very close friend - one
you can continually cut off and start comical arguments with.

	"Well, KFC's just beyond that intersection..."

	"Yes! Peter, you love Kentucky?" Andre looked to me eagerly.

	"Hell, yes, I do!" I eagerly said, barely shouting, which earned me
curious looks from both Andre and Charlie. "Uh, sorry about that."
Apparently, I lowered my head.

	"Nah, it's cool to see you loosen up. You don't have to be shy
around us, you know," said Andre.

	"Any friend of Andre's is a friend of mine," Charlie
added. "Besides, I'm actually glad Andre made friends quickly. We just
moved here a week ago and the lack of good peers for Andre in our
neighborhood is really disappointing. You're welcome to our family, Peter."

	The assurance his father gave me felt more like a blessing granted
to Andre and me as we marry each other. Okay, I ran away with my
fantasy. And I really didn't feel like marrying anyone anytime soon. But it
felt great to be welcomed into Andre's life.

	"Thanks, Charlie. Andre's cool, I suppose."

	"You 'suppose'?" I earned a quick response from said 'cool'
boy. "If I recall correctly, you also thought of me as cute." Then, for the
first time, I saw Andre blush a deep crimson shade. And given his pale
complexion, it was an amazing display of color. Despite the urge to laugh
at this, I felt myself flushed. As this transpired, Charlie had an amused
glint in his eyes as far as I saw him through the mirror. What just
happened here?

	"Is that true Peter?" I heard Charlie's curious voice, holding back
his laughter.

	"Uhm...I...uh..but he..." I didn't find the right words to say. I
knew it would be bad if Charlie found out I 'liked' his son. I 'liked' a
boy. Then, I heard him laugh which surprised me. Andre looked annoyed,
eyeing his father through the same mirror, still sporting that blush which
became a shade lighter.

	"Andre actually..."

	"Dad! KFC. Now," Andre interrupted again. He didn't sound angry. He
sounded more like embarrassed.  Charlie conceded and drove off in silence,
with mild laughter escaping his mouth every now and then. I faced the
window, counting strangers as we passed by them. Andre was looking through
his window, as well. Silence enveloped the remainder of our drive with
occasional amused laughter from Charlie.

	We arrived at KFC, Lemon Avenue five minutes later. We found a
table and Charlie asked what we wanted to eat. We told him the same thing:
KFC original recipe chicken with large fries and coke. Well, it was more
like Andre telling him that and me agreeing to the same thing. Charlie went
off to place our order.

	"Sorry about my dad. He's weird like that. But, he's cool. You know
how parents love to embarrass their kids. Who knows, he'll show you my baby
pictures next!"

	"Don't worry about it. My mom would have been more embarrassing."
We engaged in mild talks afterwards. Andre asked about my family and said
he always wanted to have an older brother. I told him not to bother unless
he wanted his ass kicked all the time. We laughed a lot, dissipating the
awkwardness that loomed above us before.

	After lunch, Charlie asked me for my mom's number. I gave it to him
and he told us to head outside. We paced towards the parking lot as he was
nonchalantly talking on his phone.

	"Peter, I can drop you off at your house. You mother said it was
okay." Charlie said as he was disabling the car locks.

	We got inside and I gave him directions to where I lived. As it
turned out, it wasn't very far from their neighborhood. I lived in
Millermore St. while they recently bought a house at Magna Vista Dr. We
rode past their house, as Andre insisted on passing there first before
dropping me, and after about half a mile, we stopped in front of our
yard. I thanked him and Charlie for everything and said goodbye. Just as I
was opening the door, Andre pulled me back. I saw him pass a look to his
father through the mirror and I saw Charlie look away, half smiling.

	Andre whispered goodbye to my ear and kissed me on my left cheek,
almost hesitantly. My eyes widened at that while he looked flushed as he
smiled. I put my hand on where he kissed me. He then suggested that I get
going which I did. Getting off the car, I heard him say something barely
above a whisper.

	"Absolutely cute."

	He said goodbye again and I responded the same. I closed the door
and saw his silhouette waving as the car made a U-turn and sped off. I felt
my heart returning to its normal rate. I didn't even notice the few beats
it must have skipped earlier. For a good five minutes, I just stood there.

	I went inside, still in a mild daze. I still had half my Sunday to
spend but I couldn't stop thinking about that simple peck on the cheek. As
I was trapped in my thoughts, I sat still on the living room couch for the
rest of the afternoon to which my brother said 'weirdo' before going
out. That kiss. What was Andre thinking?

---End of chapter two---