"God, I really don't want to go back there," Graham grumbled as they got on the subway.

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I do, I need my purse, phone, and coat and all that," Cressida answered imperturbably.

Graham grew more and more morose as they got closer to the Thurmans' apartment.

Finally, when they were walking up Fifth Avenue, Cressida noticed that she was walking alone. She turned around to find him leaning against a lamppost.

He looked white as a sheet.

"Graham? You okay?"

He shook his head. "Feeling kinda woozy."

Cressida put an arm around his waist. "Come on, it's like getting back on a horse that threw you. You have to conquer this, the sooner the better, so the fear doesn't get too big."

Graham nodded and let her lead him up the street and into the building.

He let them into the apartment, and Cressida steered him toward the music room. Ideally, she could get him to play through the piece, but she didn't think that was going to happen today, not with the way he was acting.

He stood, staring at the piano, feeling ill about what had happened.

The other door opened and Professor Thurman entered. She was obviously furious. "Graham? Did you really punch Phillip Kennedy? In the face?" She took a few steps toward him. "Let me see your hand."
Graham sighed and held out his hand. It was still a little swollen. "I can move all the fingers, though, see? And no wrist pain." He moved his hand in a slow circle to demonstrate.

"And did you really stop in the middle of the third movement? What's that about?" She looked at Cressida. "Good heavens, is that a black eye? What exactly went on while I was gone?"

"Why don't you ask Katherine? Seems like she's dying to tell you everything."

"You will kindly leave Katherine out of this," the professor said, her voice clipped. "It sounds like all she wanted to do was help you, but you just ran out of here like a child."

Katherine chose that moment to enter the room. "Graham, thank god! How are you, how's your hand?"

"Please, don't pretend to care," Graham snapped.

"Graham!" Cressida gasped.

"Cress, you can go," he said without looking away from Katherine.

Cressida turned without another word and walked out of the room. She grabbed her things from his room and left as fast as she could. She was furious.

She was so furious she walked two subway stops beyond where she had to, just to cool down.

She was just letting herself into her apartment when she got a text from Graham:

"Where did you go?"

"You told me to go, so I left."

"First of all, I didn't tell you to go, I said you could. Second, I meant leave the room, not the apartment! Please come back."

"No. I just got home, I'm not going out again. You were damned rude to them, not to mention me, and I don't want to see you right now."

She turned her phone off and opened her laptop. She had homework to do, and she was damned well going to do it. It was actually very satisfying homework, in which she had to edit a story written by someone in her teacher's freshman English class with a red pen. She tore into it with a vengeance, getting about half way through before realizing that this probably wasn't something she should do while angry. She deleted all her changes and put her laptop aside, huffing a deep breath in and out through her nose.

She sat back, thinking about Graham, how hard it was to be with someone so prickly. Being with him was like trying to hold a cactus, you never knew when a thorn was going to jab you. Why couldn't she just be with someone normal, like Josh or Andrea? But there was no denying it, she was in deep with Graham; she loved his piano playing, his sense of humor, his sensitivity, his intelligence, even his looks, which usually didn't matter to her one way or another. His imposing physique, his eyes, his hair, his gorgeous hands, all made her weak with desire. Cressida took another deep breath. Her anger had disappeared; it had just wandered off somewhere.

But damned if she was going to go back. It was another subway ride, and her metro card was already low.

No, if he wanted to see her and possibly apologize in person, he'd have to come and see her.

She made herself a cup of coffee and went out to the garden, feeling in need of some fresh air. The maple tree was flaming in orange and yellow, and the chrysanthemums were making a last splash before going to sleep for the winter.

Cressida sat, bundled up in her coat, enjoying the peace of the small space. In the absolute silence, she could hear the powerful fans that were going in Graham's apartment, drying out the walls and floor so it would be habitable once more.

She checked her phone and saw no messages from Graham.

Asshole.

*

Graham threw himself on his bed, so blisteringly angry he didn't know what to do with himself. For the Prof to rip into him like that, in front of Cress! And for Katherine to just wander in, when it had nothing to do with her. Infuriating. He really needed to practice, but he didn't feel like doing it where they could hear him.

And now Cress was pissed off at him, for absolutely nothing. He hadn't wanted her to hear or witness the skirmish he knew was coming, so he'd excused her, that was all.

He pulled his laptop toward himself. He might as well go over the sheet music for the Rachmaninov. He pulled it up and put his earbuds in with it playing on his phone. He lost himself in the music until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped and turned around.

It was Kath, looking worried and contrite, and beautiful, as usual. Today her hair was just left down in all its golden beauty, and she wore a sweater with leggings that really hugged her curves. She also brought with her her scent, specific to Katherine, which he remembered so well from back when things were good between them, before she'd let him down so appallingly. She sat down on the edge of his bed, one leg tucked under her like a teenager.

He took his earbuds out and looked at her questioningly.

"I just wanted to—to apologize for mum. She means well, and her only concern is for you, your performance. I hope you know that."

Graham hesitated, then nodded.

"And—and me as well, Graham, I only want the best for you, for you to be happy." Katherine looked miserable as she spoke. "I know I ruined things between us, but couldn't we—try—to be friends?"

"I have enough friends, thanks."

Katherine drew her head back, corners of her mouth pulled down and trembling. She knew she looked alluring; how could she not?

Graham wasn't moved in the slightest, not by her tears or her words. Still, he supposed she deserved for him to hear her out.

"Graham, we live in the same house, and mother is your teacher, surely we can get along? I mean, we're both adults here, right?" She put a soft hand on his shoulder.

Graham looked away, out the window, towards downtown.

Katherine removed her hand.

It was true, though, that if Professor Thurman were to withdraw her tutelage, her support, his life would become much harder. The Rach 2 still needed work, and her contacts in the music world were priceless. He needed her.

"Okay," he finally said ungraciously. He sat up, holding his earbuds in his hand. The Rach 2 could be heard coming through, very faintly.

"You know, if you want, I could go through it with you," Katherine said, gesturing toward the earbuds. "I mean, I can't help you with the playing of it, but I could listen, be another set of eyes and ears to help figure out why it happened, why you froze."

"Okay," he said again, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Would you like to try now? I have some time."

"I was going to go to Cress', maybe try to smooth things over with her. I seem to have pissed everyone off today."

Katherine smiled. "Not me, I'm not angry." She shrugged. "Anyway, it's up to you. I'm free until evening."

"What the hell," he said, closing his laptop. He knew he had to try, he had to get over whatever block was setting up in his brain.

"You know, you did play through it once already, right after, so maybe it's not a problem anymore," Katherine said as they went to the music room. She cued the accompaniment to the third movement and Graham began to play, trying to just feel what he was doing, to relax, relax, relax. He got to the crisis point and played smoothly through again, going all the way to the finish.

"There, that's twice now, you see?" Katherine said. "No issues at all. I think that whatever happened was just a one time thing, brought on by all that unpleasantness with Phillip."

"But it shouldn't have been brought on at all, no matter what happened before," Graham said in frustration.

"Well, I think you're spot on in your interpretation of that third movement, and I think it will be nothing but smooth sailing from here on out."

Graham and Katherine smiled at each other.