Page 116 of Cream & Sugar

Rory clenches his fists as he wrestles with himself. I decide to go for broke. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to.”

Rory’s head falls back and he lets out a deep sigh. “I guess. Maybe. A little bit.”

I tap a few triumphant beats on the drum skin with my fingertips. “Then let’s do it!”

After a few tense seconds, Rory’s shoulders slump and I know I’ve got him!

“Fine.”

I punch the air. “Yaaas!”

“Yaaas?”

“That’s gay for ‘yes’,” I explain.

“Right.” Rory trudges over to his armchair and picks up the bongos. “I’m very rusty.”

“That’s okay,” I say, standing up to unzip my guitar case. “We’ve got a week to practice.”

“A week? Till what?”

I waggle my eyebrows at him and realisation dawns. He baulks.

“You want me toperformwith you?”

“Oh my gosh,” I act surprised, winding him up. “I thought you’d never ask!”

Rory slaps a hand to his forehead. “You’re out of your mind! I’ve never played in front of anyone before!”

Unfazed, I sling the guitar over my shoulder. “That’s precisely why we need to practice.”

Rory stares at the bongos like they’re a bomb about to go off.

“I can’t, Freddie—”

“Okay,” I interrupt, “none of this ‘I can’t’ nonsense. You totally can. I get it’s scary, but I know there’s a part of you that wants to show off. It was there when we were kids and while it’s been buried under all this grown-up stuff, it won’t have gone away completely.” I strum a C chord on my guitar. “There’s nothing like it, Rory. Playing for people who actually want to listen to you. It’ll be nothing you can’t handle and we’ll do, what, six songs max? Half an hour and it’ll be over and if you don’t have fun, I promise I’ll never make you do it again.”

Letting those words settle, I see he's still on the fence. Swallowing my pride, I resort to fighting dirty. “I want to do this with you, Rory. It would mean the world to me.”

He rolls his eyes. “Well don’t say that! Now I’ll feel like a dick for saying no.”

"Exactly." I grin at him. “So say yes!”

He’s grinding his teeth so hard, they’ll surely turn to powder.Come on, Rory, I scream internally.Just say yes!

Rory sucks his teeth. “I’ll say maybe.” My face erupts with glee, but Rory’s is stoic as ever. “But if Ididsay yes, please can we just play covers or something? None of the old songs. Nothing that reminds me of Mum.”

“No problem, brother dear,” I plop down on the sofa and start tuning the guitar. “Actually, I’ve been thinking of writing something new.”

30

Shaun

One Week Later...

Theplaceispacked.More packed than I’ve ever seen it. From behind the counter, I count almost fifty people, squeezed together like marshmallows, not that I can chuck any of them out; they’ve all paid to be here, to see him play.

For a moment there, I was worried we’d have to turn people away, but thanks to Freddie and I, we’re still down one table so there’s a bit more floor space than usual.