Page 3 of Only You
‘What is happening to me?’
The silence of her apartment had no comforting words for her.
Chapter Two
Washington, D.C.
July 2013
I’m fine. It was a random migraine. Nothing to worry about, Dani tried to reason with herself the next morning. After a long night of staring at the ceiling and researching all her symptoms until she was sure it wasn’t a sign of an upcoming aneurysm, all she was left with was the embarrassment of running out of class. She blamed that stranger and his hypnotising music. He and his stupid, cute smile were the cause of something wrong—
‘Nope,’ she declared as she tossed her bag over her shoulder, turned to her full-length mirror, and pointed at herself. ‘You are fine. You are going to go to orchestra practice and work on your composition and everything will be fine. Then, you will pick up your favourite tacos for dinner and go home because everything isfine. Got it?’
Mirror Dani nodded enthusiastically, enough for her to leave the room confidently. She grabbed her cello and lugged it out to her car before driving to the auditorium, greeting people in a blur; her pep talk had made her late. She chatted to a viola player and the second chair cello, quickly tuning her instrument. Finishing just in time, the director came in mere seconds after she checked her last string.
‘All right, people,’ the conductor, Dr Carver, said as he went to the podium. ‘As I said last practice, today is our first run-through of the entire concert. We only have a few weeks to make it perfect, so let’s not waste time. On my count.’
Dani took her position and let the worries of her questionable feelings melt away, focusing on the music.
‘Good work today,’ Dr Carver told her after practice. ‘And before you ask, yes, I finally picked the pieces for our next concert and will be giving you the sheet music for it next practice.’
‘Yes,’ Dani said, pumping her fist in victory, understanding this was no small feat. As one of the few Black conductors to have led a major symphony orchestra, he took teaching the next generation of musiciansveryseriously. Dr Carver very rarely gave out advanced copies of sheet music, wanting the orchestra to bond over learning together. However, his desire to train her to be a conductor often meant he gave her more leeway. She wasn’t set on the goal, but she did appreciate the advantages.
‘Don’t get too excited yet,’ he said. ‘First, I wanted to introduce you to someone.’
He walked towards the auditorium seats, where small clusters of people talked. Dani almost stopped short at the sight of a familiar face among them. Her mind only vaguely registered that she was still following Dr Carver andnotwalking up to the guitarist – Mr Jones – from yesterday.
‘Danielle, this is Ross, a former student of mine,’ he introduced.
Dani snatched her eyes from Mr Jones and looked at the person next to him.
‘Hi,’ she said, holding her hand out. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘Likewise. You play beautifully,’ Ross complimented as he shook her hand. Dani forced a smile, despite how on edge she felt with Jones’s eye on her. God, she hoped he didn’t bring up the migraine here. She didn’t need Dr Carver thinking she was sick and giving away a potential solo.
‘Ross plays violin with the New York Philharmonic,’ Dr Carver explained. ‘They’re holding auditions soon. I wanted him to come see you.’
‘Oh, really,’ she said, stunned by her teacher’s generosity.
‘Really and honestly, as long as you play like that, your spot is all but guaranteed,’ Ross praised. ‘How long have you wanted to go to New York?’
‘Oh, um, not long,’ she said, tucking a loose braid behind her ear. ‘I’m still prepping my audition piece.’
‘Well, in that case, the only tip I would give is to make your sight-reading as good as your practised materials,’ he suggested. ‘But even if you don’t make it, you’ll leave an impression.’
Dani waved off the compliment. ‘They probably see thousands of musicians. I doubt they would remember me.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ Mr Jones interjected, his deep voice slipping effortlessly into the conversation.
‘Oh, Dani, this is Jones,’ Ross introduced. ‘He studied music, too. Not orchestra like us, but if you ever need someone to play bass, this is your guy.’ Ross clasped Mr Jones – just Jones, she guessed – on the shoulder, and he smiled modestly.
‘Okay, okay,’ Jones said, shrugging off Ross’s hand. ‘Don’t overdo it. Nice to meet you, Dani.’
She raised a brow at him but smiled politely.
‘You, too.’ She looked towards Dr Carver. ‘I actually have to go, so…’
‘Of course. Carry on. Just think about the auditions, okay?’ he urged.
