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“Come onn, John! They’re going to run out of tickets if we don’t hurry up!” The redhead yelled, pulling on John’s arm as she ran.
John nearly fell on his face as he was dragged along. He was going to have to have a word with Mike about his blind date setup skills later; he was pretty sure that this girl thought he was invisible. Mike had been kind enough to direct them towards the concert, even giving the girl money for the tickets, but this completely destroyed the notion of it being a proper date. She’d squealed and jumped all over, giving Mike a hug before running off, leaving John behind. John had shot him a look, but he just shrugged and gave kind of a sorry-about-your-luck kind of look.
John couldn’t even remember her name. He was pretty sure she’d said it once on the cab ride over, but he couldn’t remember for the life of him what it had been. Something with a “J”, maybe? He really should try harder to remember. After all, she at least made the effort to remember his. John was pulled out of his thoughts by his date speaking at the gate.
“Two tickets, please!” she said. The man at the stand asked for ID, and John quickly stole a look at the name on her student card.
Jennifer, that’s right.
“Here you go. Enjoy the show,” he said, giving a smile to the pair as they walked by. John looked around the venue. It was a fair turnout, maybe a couple hundred people. The show itself was on a set up stage in a grassier corner of their college campus. He’d known the show was coming up for months, but John hadn’t really paid much attention; it wasn’t really his kind of thing. The band itself was called “Magnifying Glass”. Odd name, but that was really the norm with college bands, especially rock bands. They boasted an electric violin lead on their poster; unique, for sure, but John was busy trying to make it through his classes. Nonetheless, Mike insisted he get away from the books and go out on a date. It hadn’t taken much convincing. Although now, noticing that his supposed date was getting rather friendly with a tall man beside them, John was beginning to regret that decision. He huffed to himself.
Beats studying, I suppose.
Suddenly lights lit up the stage, and Jennifer squeaked in excitement. John turned, smiling, to put an arm around her, but she was holding on tightly to the stranger from earlier. John sighed, rolled his eyes, and turned back to the stage. He considered leaving, but the ticket was paid for, and the only thing he had to look forward to going back to was an empty dorm, save for his textbooks. He resigned himself to watching the show and then going home to flop into bed.
The crowd cheered as the band members began to step onto the stage. First came the drum player, followed by a bass player… Last to step out was the main man, taking center stage in front of a microphone. John gaped.
The violinist caught his attention immediately. John was used to some odd outfits when it came to these kinds of things, but this was… different. Not in the sense that it was different from most. As a matter of fact, the outfit the man wore was pretty much your stereotypical stage costume. His hair was short and unruly, curling at the ends. It appeared that he was also wearing a bit of makeup; some to pale his face, and more than enough eyeliner. As far as actual clothing went, he wore a striped cut-off T-Shirt, and skinny jeans with a couple of torn holes. Both of these accentuated the man’s tall, lean frame, but also showed off just a hint of muscle. He looked… Good. More than good.
Wait, did I just think that?
John, still entranced, watched as he lifted a glossy black violin to the cheers of the crowd.
The song began, with the bass player letting out a low, steady rhythm. A slow drum beat went on in the background. It went on like this for a couple seconds, and John began to wonder what the big deal about this group was… Until the violinist began to play.
John gaped once again, astounded at the handling of the instrument. He took over the song immediately, working in perfect harmony with the low playing of the other two members. It was almost hypnotizing to watch; at times, he’d bow high, keening notes that were long and slow, and at others the bow would be moving so quickly that his arm was a blur. Throughout the concert the man began to build a layer of sweat from the playing, highlighted by the bright stage lights in the dark. John looked on it approvingly.
I need to stop that.
As entranced as he was by the music, John was fascinated even more so by the man behind it. He was quickly finding out here at Uni that although he’d always considered himself into women and only women before, sometimes there were others that caught his eye.
And damn, had this man done it.
The concert passed by in a blur, his date completely forgotten. After about an hour and a half of playing, the final song finished with a long, low note to the loud cheers and clapping of the crowd. The violinist stepped forward, saying his first words of the night.
“Thank you for your attendance, have a good night.”
John shivered. His voice was wonderful; a deep, rumbling sound reverberating through the speakers. He made up his mind; he was going to have to have a word with that man. He turned to his date to break the news gently, but found her kissing the other man rather heavily. She broke away, and just as John opened her mouth, she held up a hand.
“Anyone could see how you were staring at that guy the whole time, dear. Go on,” she said.
John flushed red, but nodded and ran off.
—
After a couple minutes of searching, John finally found the violinist walking down a path alone towards the dorms, carrying case in hand. John paused a moment, clenching his hand. Was this actually a good idea? He took a deep breath, deciding to go for it before he lost his nerve.
“Um, hello?” he called, running up to him. “E-excuse me?”
The man turned to look at him, and John froze again. He hadn’t been able to catch a really good look at his face on the stage, and he certainly hadn’t noticed those eyes. They were like liquid crystal; blue and green and gold all at once, catching and reflecting light even in the dark night.
“Yes?” he asked after a couple moments of awkward silence.
“I-“ John stammered. This was definitely not a good idea. “I just wanted to say, ah… You played well. It was… Good.” John gave a sharp nod and began to walk away.
“Thank you,” he replied. “John.”
John stopped in his tracks. He whipped around, staring with wide eyes at the man.
“How did you-?”
“Name tag.” He said.
Wha-?
John looked down. His nametag from work was still pinned to his shirt. He sighed. How long had that been there?
“Oh.” He replied. “What’s your-?”
“Sherlock,” He said.
Wait.
“Wait, Sherlock?” John said. “Sherlock Holmes? As in that guy in the chemistry department, the one that always pisses people off with his crazy mind-reading?”
Sherlock rolled his eyes, sighing. “It’s not mind reading. I simply observe,” he said.
“Yeah, but,” John said, “You know things like who’s been shagging who the night before. I mean, sometimes it’s obvious, but you always know. And you know things like people’s grades, what they had for lunch a week ago-“
“Yes, and I know that you’re a medical student, and you’re trying to find a way to get a flat because you want some space from your current dorm mate. He’s actually the one who set you up on a blind date tonight, one that didn’t go very well. As a matter of fact, she spent the entire time with another man while you stared at me on stage.”
John gaped, unable to move or think. He just stood there, trying to absorb what had been said. The man hadn’t missed a single thing. Christ, everything he’d heard about him was true.
“And about the flat, should you decide to take one, I’ve found a rather nice one nearby. I’ve also been looking for someone to share rent. Seeing as how you’re moving on into the army after this semester, I don’t see how it could hurt to give it a try.”
John continued to stare.
“You may want to shut your mouth now.”
John hadn’t realized his mouth was still hanging open. He shut it, then thought for a second before speaking.
“Ah… Yes, a flat share would be fine. I’ll just-“
“Good. Collect your things, you can move in tomorrow. I’ll text you the address.”
“Oh, I’ll just give you my number then-“
“I already have it.”
“Oh.”
John stopped again, looking at Sherlock.
“Right. Ok. I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said. Sherlock nodded, then walked off.
John turned to walk the opposite way. He was deep in thought.
His thoughts were interrupted a couple moments later by a buzz from his pocket.
I’m glad you enjoyed the show.
-SH
John looked at the bright little screen, then smiled, shaking his head.
This would be interesting.