Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Fernando just couldn't let go of his PA-turned-boyfriend. He didn't even want to try. After lunch, he grabbed the guitar propped up nearby and handed it to Noel.

Noel took it, blinking down at it for a moment before looking up, blond brows tilted quizzically. "Yes?"

"Play something for me." Fernando hadn't made the request just to kill some time. He really wanted to hear Noel play. If Noel said he could "do something," then that meant he had basically mastered it.

"Play something, eh?" Noel got situated on the couch, sitting sideways to accommodate the guitar. He strummed a few chords, getting the feeling for it. "Fender Catalina. I like their sound, it's warm and mellow."

"That's one of my favorite guitars. It's not my most expensive, but it has a nice sound and feel to it." Fernando settled on the couch next to him, taking in the confidence in which Noel handled the instrument. "What's your guitar?"

"Also a Fender. So we have similar taste." Noel shot him a smile. "What kind of music do you like?"

They had a lot to learn about each other, but starting with a common interest sounded good to Fernando. "I don't like bluegrass and heavy metal."

"Everything else is good? What's your favorite genre to play?"

"Easy rock and ballads."

There was a hint of mischief in Noel's expression. "You realize that after I play a song, you have to play one for me, right?"

Fernando had expected that when he'd made the request so simply shrugged.

"Well, if you want to see how well I can play, then…" Noel strummed once more, thinking. Then he grinned, and the look was full of impish anticipation.

Noel moved his fingers up and down the Strat with the opening notes to Mason Williams's "Classical Gas." Fernando's brows shot up into his hairline. That was one of the more complex songs to play. It was demanding as you plucked a very unique rhythm on the strings, all the while constantly changing chords. Noel played it at full speed, too, with an ease that suggested he had been able to play this song for a while. His hand left the strings long enough to give the guitar a percussive slap before returning, head bopping along to the beat.

Damn. His boyfriend could really play.

Noel strummed the last note, the sound lingering, and waggled his brows at Fernando as if to say See?

"You could be a pro playing at that level, you realize that, right?"

Noel just shrugged. "You pay better than a struggling artist."

Thank god for that, too.

"All right," Noel said while handing the guitar over. "Your turn."

Wait. Fernando had to follow up that performance? Well, actually, he could think of a song that had a tricky guitar solo. Taking on the challenge, he played "Hotel California" by the Eagles. To Fernando's surprise, Noel started singing along, tapping a hand against his knee to keep the beat. He had a beautiful, clear voice.

Unable to help himself, Fernando joined in, singing in harmony. Their voices blended well together for all that this was the first time they'd ever sung together. It made him itch to keep singing, to draw Noel further in.

When he played the final note, he immediately stood, holding out a hand to Noel.

Noel took it, asking a question as he stood. "Where are we going?"

"Music room."

"You have a music room?"

Oh, if he only knew. Well, he would soon. A smirk slipped out as Fernando drew him back into the marbled foyer and to a room further down, turning as he cleared the door so he could see Noel's expression.

It wasn't just a room with a few instruments in it. There was a recording booth setup in one corner, a grand piano in the center, and one wall was covered in mounted guitars and violins. A drum set lurked in another corner. The cabinets right next to the door, running the length of the wall, were full of sheet music.

Noel stopped dead in the doorway, head panning as he took it all in, and gave a whimper. "Fernando. Can I just live here?"

Boyfriend successfully baited. "You can come here whenever you like. Play something for me?"

"How about we both play?" Noel countered.

He hardly needed to twist Fernando's arm. "What can you play on the piano?"

Taking that as a challenge, Noel went straight to the black grand, lifting the keylid before setting down. He warmed up with a quick scale, then started playing. It took only a few notes before Fernando recognized the song; it was Ellie Goulding's"How Long Will I Love You." Then Noel started singing, looking at Fernando all the while.

Now that was just playing dirty.

He was smiling, and the affection in his eyes was almost too much. Fernando felt his heartstrings pull and tangle. He had no idea why Noel felt so much for him when he'd done nothing to deserve it. He did know that moving forward, he wanted to secure more of that affection. He wanted to keep this man no matter what.

Also, Noel really thought he could sing this and hit Fernando right in the feels without retaliation? He was very much mistaken.

Leaning over the side of the piano, Fernando looked his boyfriend dead in the eyes and sang the lyrics back to him, meaning every word.

Noel looked a bit misty-eyed, his eyes a touch bright as Fernando sang to him. He looked at that reaction and knew without a doubt that connecting through music was a good way to reach his lover's heart. Noted. Fernando would sing love songs to Noel from now on whenever he could find the chance.

With the last note still in the air, Noel let his hands rest on his thighs for a moment. "I think you just took that as a challenge. Who's trying to make who cry, here, anyway?"

"My turn." Fernando's smile was wicked as he slid onto the bench next to Noel.

"Oh god, what was I thinking challenging you?" Noel said with mock-horror.

"You could just forfeit now, you know."

"Like hell I will."

Fernando had expected that answer. He retaliated with another Ellie Goulding song—

"Love Me Like You Do"—since two could play that game.

Spending the afternoon flirting with his boyfriend and indulging in music sounded blissful to him. Fernando settled into the moment and enjoyed their time to the fullest.

Noel dropped hints that he'd be home alone that night as his brother worked nights at a bar, which meant Fernando was absolutely not letting him go home. He still hadn't properly settled things at Noel's house enough for him to rest easy on that score. He managed to talk Noel into staying the night, and he didn't even hint for sex as that wasn't the point of Noel staying over.

Fernando just wanted him there, safe. That's all.

Maybe Noel felt the same, or understood why Fernando had asked, as he didn't argue the point. He just shrugged, texted his brother that he would be out that night to avoid worrying him, and asked to borrow pajamas. With everything that had happened that day, Noel was understandably tired, so they turned in earlier than Fernando normally did.

They curled up in the middle of Fernando's king-sized bed, talking in soft tones. Fernando had never in his life indulged in pillow talk. Especially not pillow talk that wasn't even attached to sex, but it was oddly…comforting? Relaxing? The ease in which they talked about everything yet nothing was baffling. He hadn't slept next to another person throughout the night since the early years of his disastrous marriage, so he had expected it to be awkward. It wasn't. Which was telling in and of itself.

Eventually, Noel fell asleep in his arms, his breathing deep and even.

Fernando lie there quietly, eyes closed so he could better absorb the sensations. Noel was draped over him, head on Fernando's shoulder, his body tucked in close. He was incredibly warm, a pleasantly solid weight against his side. He breathed deeply in sleep, his breath a gentle caress over Fernando's bare skin.

He turned his head slowly to avoid waking Noel, eyes roving over his lover's face. Noel looked even more innocent and young while asleep. Fernando knew he was only twenty, but without all of the cares and concerns riding on him, he looked even younger. It sent Fernando's instincts into a tizzy because part of him wanted nothing more than to protect this man, but the other part desperately wanted to possess him. Hardly a healthy clash of emotions.

Unable to stay the impulse, he turned his head enough to softly kiss Noel's forehead, lips lingering.

I'm going to fuck this up. The thought made Fernando's throat tighten. His heart pulled painfully with a mixture of despair and need. He didn't want to drive a wedge between them, didn't want to do anything to disturb this relationship he was building with Noel.

It was just that Fernando had no idea what he was doing. He hadn't done this in over three hundred years, where he tried to keep someone in his life like this. Everything with his wife had been a lie from the start, and his previous lovers had been casual hookups. None of them lasting more than one night. None of them had made him feel what he felt for Noel—hadn't even come close enough for comparison. Fernando had no idea how to build anything lasting with Noel. He was absolutely terrified he would screw his chance up past redemption.

He let his brow rest against Noel's, and this time, his eyes closed in a prayer.

Please don't let me fuck this up.