Ice on Fire (Treble and the Lost Boys Book 1)

by G. R. Lyons

  A sudden commotion tore him out of his thoughts, and he realized class was breaking up for the day. Adrian blinked and looked down. He'd stopped taking notes at some point, and hadn't a clue as to anything the professor had said.

  “Here.” Zac shoved his own notebook toward him. “You can copy mine.”

  Adrian stole a glance at him, giving him a questioning look before he quickly glanced away.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zac smirk. “You weren't exactly paying attention,” he murmured.

  Adrian blushed and tightened his hand around his pen.

  “Not that I mind,” Zac went on, then leaned closer and lowered his voice even more. “You can stare at me all you want.”

  Adrian shivered, the purr of that voice trickling right through him to a place that no one had ever touched. Just like that, he was hard again.

  Zac chuckled quietly, the sound low and husky, close as they were. “And I definitely approve of that response,” he murmured.

  Holding his breath in an attempt to ignore Zac's words, Adrian quickly copied down Zac's notes, gathered his things, and left the room. Zac's chuckle followed him out the door.

  The next thing Adrian knew, he was standing inside his apartment, blinking dumbly at his surroundings. He couldn't remember any of the walk home. Couldn't recall a single moment of having to run through his inner pep talk, reminding himself that he was almost home, almost safe.

  He looked down at himself, then slowly crossed the apartment and set his bag on his desk. He stood there silently for a long while.

  No desperate urge to run for his razor. No shaking. No sense of anxiety whatsoever.

  What the hells?

  He kept standing there, waiting for it to hit, but minutes passed, and it never came. Not so much as a tremor in his hands.

  His heart rate was steady. His breathing normal.

  He shrugged experimentally. Not even the tiniest sensation of a nervous sweat anywhere.

  Shaking his head, Adrian slowly lowered himself into his desk chair and methodically pulled out his texts. He laid everything out carefully, as usual, then sat there, staring at it all. It took a few minutes before he managed to force himself to reach for his list of assignments and start going over the first one.

  He slowly lost himself in the work, tuning out everything else and focusing on the tasks at hand. One assignment done. Then another. Then the next. Finally, all that remained was whatever he needed to do for his last class of the day.

  Adrian grimaced as he looked over his notes. They felt incomplete compared to what he normally expected of himself. Still, it was better than nothing. If it hadn't been for Zac, he wouldn't even have this much.

  He went over the notes, filling in details as he went to help make more sense of it all, comparing the lecture to what he'd read in the text. There was no way he could let himself slip like that again. Bad enough he'd let his concentration waver in the first few introductory days when he could work around it and still be fine. If he did that again later on, as the material became more in-depth and crucial to his exams, he'd be in a world of trouble.

  And that was something he could not afford.

  He worked on his last homework assignment until he was satisfied that the result was what the professor required, then carefully put everything away, resolved to never let his attention slack off like that again.

  He would just have to ignore Zac during class. There was no other alternative.

  But how could he now, knowing who Zac was? It was one thing to try to ignore a tormentor, finding something to focus on other than the anxiety, but to have to ignore the one and only man who had ever managed to capture Adrian's interest, the only man to have ever starred in Adrian's forbidden fantasies?

  Of course, he had no choice. He'd have to push those fantasies aside and at least try to pretend the man didn't exist. Hells, chances were great Zac wasn't even gay.

  Except…

  Had Zac been flirting? His words certainly seemed to hold a layer of innuendo that Adrian had only experienced in films and books, though never directly aimed at himself in real life. Had Zac been flirting? Or was that just wishful thinking on Adrian's part?

  And did he ever want to wish! He'd had the violinist up on a pedestal in his mind for so long that a part of him was desperate to have the man as an actual, concrete reality. Though, at the same time, the shocking revelation of his identity was almost a crushing blow.

  The pedestal held, but how long would it last? Did he actually want Zac to be real? Or would it ruin the fantasy?

  Not that he had a choice. He was going to have to work with the guy. Adrian frowned and pulled out the syllabus for that class, going over it again. He couldn't recall any mention of a group project, but as he read the class outline once again, he spotted it, right there in black and white.

  He must have denied it was there, trying to pretend it wasn't real.

  But now it was, and he was going to have to deal with it.

  And with his fantasy man as his partner.

  Oh gods. What had he gotten himself into?

  Chapter 9

  ZAC FORCED on a smile as Treble took the Underground stage Filday night. Adrian had studiously ignored him all through class that day, his eyes moving from the professor to his notebook, never straying from that steady, back-and-forth path. The man had barely acknowledged Zac's greeting, giving Zac nothing more than a simple nod.

  Hadn't so much as glanced his way.

  Zac had given up after the first few minutes, turning his own attention to the professor, where it ought to be directed anyway. He was so close to graduating. If he just got through these last few classes, he'd make it. He knew he needed to pay attention and do a good job, but how could he when he had so much temptation sitting just a few inches away?

  The crowd's applause died down as he, Vic, and Ryley took their places. Zac gave the audience a quick glance, afraid to look at that back corner and find the table empty.

  But there was someone there. As the music began, Zac turned his gaze directly at that shadowy table in the corner. Sure enough, Adrian sat there alone, as always, his eyes fixed intently on Zac himself.

  Zac grinned, almost blushing under Adrian's look, and threw himself into the music, pouring his soul into every note, wanting to please the audience but especially wanting to arouse something in Adrian that would bring the man closer to him. Now that he'd finally met the guy, he wasn't giving up. He had to know if there was even the slightest chance of this becoming a thing.

  Even if the thing lasted only a night, Zac just had to experience him. He had to know if any sort of reality with his mystery man could be anything like the fantasies he'd conjured up in his mind.

  That control, though…

  Zac shivered at the thought, grinning to himself as he kept playing.

  He stole a glance at the back corner table. Adrian still stared intently at him, watching his every move as he strolled about the stage, playing off his bandmates. It was difficult to tell with the shadows and the distance, but Zac imagined the look was almost possessive.

  Now if he could just get that look up close.

  Treble finished their set for the night and took their final bows. Zac straightened, scanning the crowd with a smile plastered on his face. It was all he could do to force the smile to stay there as he watched Adrian sneak away and disappear into the elevator, once again robbing Zac of his chance to approach the man.

  “You alright?” Vic asked, leaning close and lowering his voice.

  “Huh? Oh. Yeah. Fine,” Zac told him.

  “Hey, come on,” Ryley said with a grin. “Drinks time.”

  Zac rolled his eyes, as did Vic, but they followed Ryley off the stage all the same.

  The rest of the night was a dull blur, going through the usual motions of working the crowd, accepting thanks and tips. Zac knew it was necessary—hells, he needed the money—but all he wanted to do was run after Adrian even though he had no idea where to fi
nd the guy.

  Even family brunch the next day couldn't quite lift his spirits. He didn't want to wait one more day to see Adrian again, especially in such a cold, serious environment as the classroom. Just once, he wanted to leave Underground with Adrian, letting the high of performing carry them on to the bedroom the way he'd always imagined.

  Still, once again, it wasn't meant to be. He'd just have to wait for class. There was nothing else he could do.

  But he caught sight of Adrian a few hours earlier than expected. He was in the middle of lunch on Marday, between classes, when he happened to spot the man.

  It was all he could do to keep his seat and not go running after him.

  “Yo, Blaze.”

  Fingers snapped in front of Zac's face, tearing his focus away from Adrian as the man crossed from one campus building to another, not fifty feet away from where Zac sat with Smitty and Kade.

  Zac blinked and looked at his bandmates. “What?”

  “You haven't heard a thing I've said,” Kade accused him.

  “Oh.” Zac blinked again, scrambling for an excuse. “Sorry. I was thinking about that new song and got kinda lost in thought.”

  “Dude, you still haven't worked that thing out?” Smitty asked.

  “What, like you've made any progress on it?” Zac taunted back.

  Smitty scoffed. “Whatever.” He looked at Kade. “And I don't see you being any help, for that matter.”

  “What?” Kade asked around a mouthful of food. “You guys are the songwriters, not me.”

  “Doesn't mean you can't at least try to contribute now and then–”

  “Guys!” Zac called. “We'll figure it out, alright? Besides, it's not like we have any pressing gigs coming up or anything.”

  “And who was too much of a loser to get us signed up for that competition last fall, huh?” Kade asked.

  “Fuck off,” Zac spat. He started to say something else, but Smitty interrupted him.

  “Speaking of losers…” Smitty cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Iceman!”

  Zac looked around, trying to figure out whom Smitty was shouting at. He froze when he saw Adrian standing at a dead stop, staring at the ground, his jaw tight and his breathing rapid and shallow.

  Kade snickered and joined Smitty in his taunts. “Hey, fag! Come suck my cock! You know you want to!”

  Zac pressed his hands down on his knees, forcing his bouncing leg to stop. He couldn't let his bandmates see him react. Not to this. He couldn't be outed like this.

  “Come on, Iceman!” Smitty shouted.

  “Fuck off, assholes!” someone yelled at them, but Zac couldn't see who it was. Definitely not Adrian. The man still stood there, seemingly unable to move.

  “Leave the guy alone,” someone else called out.

  “Come on, fag,” Kade went on, ignoring the others. He threw an arm around Zac's shoulders. “You can do Zac after me.”

  Zac almost spluttered a response when he saw Adrian stiffen, then slowly turn to look at them. Adrian's eyes skipped over Kade and Smitty before landing on Zac.

  But not long enough for anyone to notice. Adrian turned and strode away so fast, even Zac wasn't sure that tiny moment of eye contact had even happened.

  Smitty and Kade erupted into laughter, falling over themselves in their mirth. Zac tried to laugh along, keeping up the façade, but it was all he could do to force it. He wasn't ready to be out, especially not to his mates, but he couldn't put out of his mind the fleeting look of pain and betrayal on Adrian's face.

  “Who was that guy?” Zac asked as carelessly as he could.

  “Iceman!” Kade and Smitty answered together, both slipping into another fit of laughter. Smitty recovered first and went on: “He's gotta be a total fag, dude.”

  “Why do you say that?” Zac asked. He was pushing his luck, but he couldn't help blurting it out.

  “Look at him!” Kade said, gesturing at the spot where Adrian had been standing. “He's a total pussy. All fags are pussies.”

  Zac tightened a fist at his side where they couldn't see it, fighting for patience. “Maybe he knows he could just break you in half and you're not worth his time,” Zac taunted.

  Kade shot him a look. “Dude, why are you defending him?”

  “I'm not,” Zac scoffed, hoping it sounded convincing. “I'm just saying, did you see the size of that guy? He could probably take me–” And didn't that just put all sorts of dirty thoughts into his head. Zac shoved them aside and went on: “So you wouldn't stand a chance, little guy.”

  “Hey, who you calling little?” Kade asked, jumping to his feet. All five-foot-six of his wiry self.

  Zac raised an eyebrow and stood up, towering over him. “You were saying?”

  “Dude, let it go,” Smitty said, eyeing the two of them.

  Zac forced a laugh and playfully slugged Kade in the shoulder. “Like I'm gonna fight you two idiots. Come on.”

  After a moment, Kade grinned and hit Zac back without any animosity. The three of them laughed it off as they discarded what was left of their lunches and went on their respective ways, all taking different classes that afternoon.

  As soon as his friends were out of sight, Zac let out a sigh, lifted his bag higher on his shoulder, and made his way across campus. He had his second class in the music building, the sounds of various instruments haunting his steps as he made his way to the classroom. His fingers itched to pluck at strings, but all he'd be doing for that hour was sitting through a lecture. They were studying the styles of different musicians over the ages, comparing the general merits of various artists' particular styles with respect to the times in which they'd lived, as well as their technical proficiency and mastery of their instruments. Zac scribbled down notes, storing away all the information for the sake of graduating, his leg bouncing away as he listened.

  But it did little to impact him as a musician. It was all well and good to play what people wanted to hear if one wanted to make it big, but Zac preferred Will Knightley's approach to creation: Play what feels right.

  Zac smiled at the thought. Yeah, they'd done the right thing by turning down that offer from Frost. Betraying the integrity of Treble's music would have been unforgivable, a weighty guilt that Zac would have had a hard time shaking off. Better to be true to themselves than put on the shackles of someone else's control.

  The only control Zac wanted in his life was by Adrian's hands.

  A shiver ran through him at the idea, and he had to shove the thoughts aside so he could focus on the end of the lecture, bringing him that much closer to being near Adrian again.

  Finally, the class came to an end. Zac stuffed his things into his bag and hurried to his last class of the day, throwing himself into his assigned seat and checking the door every few seconds, waiting for Adrian to arrive. His leg bounced and a pen tapped on his notebook, idle scribbles forming as he toyed with a chord progression for a new song.

  But all that was forgotten as soon as Adrian walked through the door.

  Zac let his hair slip forward over his shoulders, hoping it might mask the fact that he was watching Adrian cross the room. Adrian made his slow, steady way to their desk and carefully took his seat, not even glancing at Zac as he laid out his things in perfect lines and carefully wrote out the date on the next blank line of his notebook, ready for the day's lecture.

  The professor still hadn't arrived, so Zac took the opportunity.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  Adrian stiffened slightly, but didn't say anything.

  “How's it going?” Zac tried again.

  Adrian shrugged.

  “I saw you at Underground the other night,” Zac went on. “Did you like the show?”

  Adrian blushed, but he still didn't look at Zac, merely giving a nod in answer.

  At least that was something. Zac smiled and asked, “How come you always leave so fast after the show?”

  Adrian didn't say anything for so long, Zac thought he wasn't going to answe
r, until he finally mumbled, “It was over.”

  Zac waited, but nothing more came. The answer was simple, like that was all there was to it. The show was over, so Adrian left.

  But Zac had a feeling that wasn't the whole story.

  “You don't have to rush off, you know,” Zac suggested, lowering his voice. “Maybe, next show, we could get a drink together afterwards?”

  Adrian gave a tight shake of the head.

  Zac frowned. “Why not?”

  Adrian's hand tightened around his pen. “I can't drink.”

  Zac blinked. Can't, not don't. That was weird. “Why not?”

  Adrian visibly clenched his jaw and didn't answer.

  “Coffee, then?” Zac suggested. “Or–”

  “Good afternoon,” the professor called out over all the chatter, breezing into the room.

  Zac slumped in his chair with a sigh. So much for that conversation. He turned his focus on the professor, taking notes and trying hard to ignore the distraction of the sexy man sitting beside him.

  “Now, for your term project…” the professor announced.

  Zac straightened in his chair. He'd almost forgotten about the partner project, smiling as he remembered he'd get to work with Adrian outside of school. They'd get some private one-on-one time, something from which Adrian couldn't run away. Zac couldn't wait.

  He paid attention, taking careful notes on the project's guidelines. It was going to mean at least a few brainstorming and research sessions that he and Adrian were going to have to do in person. Not exactly the sexiest encounter, but at least it would be something.

  As soon as class was over, Zac shoved his books into his bag and turned to look at Adrian, watching the man carefully pack his things.

  “So, when do you want to meet to get this started?” Zac asked, keeping his voice low and throwing as much suggestive tone into it as he could.

  Adrian froze in the midst of slipping his textbook into his bag, then gave a tiny shrug.

  “My place or yours?” Zac asked. Adrian stiffened, so Zac threw out: “Or…you know…the library.”