Brody waited for Mark and Hilary near the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. He was looking forward to the show and seeing Ryan perform. When he thought about growing up, he always remembered music in the background. Classical, rock, blues, even some punk—his parents had played a little bit of everything, and he and his siblings had all added their contributions as they'd grown up. He'd tried to learn an instrument, but it had been plain from the first squeak on the clarinet that music was not his strong suit. That had been disappointing, but then he'd found hockey, and all had been right in his world.

Still, he thought, it was cool to know someone in a band, and he wanted to hear one of Ryan's completed songs.

"Brody, over here."

He heard Mark call out and looked up. "Hey, guys. I didn't know you were coming, Nils."

Nils Birkeland, a teammate from Sweden, grinned. "It sounded like fun."

"He just wants to meet girls. I told him he should come here; they'll think he's a student." Mark snickered while Nils just rolled his eyes.

"So, where's the show?" Hilary shook her head at the two of them and looked at Brody.

"It's about three blocks up and one over. Let's go."

Brody led them over to the stage area, where a crowd was starting to gather. He remembered Ryan's fears of a no-show audience from the morning and smiled to himself. Told you so, Ryan.

"This is so cool." Hilary looked around as the crowd grew. "I've never known anyone who was in a band."

"I had a friend in high school who got a band started," Mark said. "They were pretty good but didn't last long."

"Ryan told me a lot of bands go through lineup changes," Brody said. "She said her band is really the exception to the rule, with the four of them together for so long." He told them how they'd gone through a number of guitarists, and that Ryan wasn't sure about the current guy. "She was pretty nervous this morning."

Mark narrowed his eyes. "You saw her this morning? I thought you weren't going out with her."

"I'm not. What?" Brody looked at the others. "What?"

"Brody, think about what you just said." Hilary arched an eyebrow. "You were talking to Ryan this morning. You've been talking to her and hanging out, and you talk about her a lot. You obviously like her. What are we supposed to think?"

He stared at her. "Seriously? Come on, guys. Yeah, I like her, but Ryan's the one who says she doesn't want anything else. She called me this morning and said she was nervous. I made her breakfast, we talked for a while and she left."

Mark was silent for a moment, considering. "Okay, then. But if you screw her over, I'll have to hurt you."

"Christ, what are you, her older brother?" Brody stared for a moment and shook his head. "This is ridiculous. Nils, help me out here, man."

"Well, you have to admit, it sounded like you could have . . . ." The Swede cleared his throat. "You know what it sounded like. And you have a reputation." He looked at Mark and Hilary and had to laugh. "Come on, Brody. You set yourself up."

"When's the last time you were 'just friends' with a woman?" Mark asked, then clarified, "Who wasn't already someone else's girlfriend?"

"Look, Ryan's the one who said she wasn't interested, okay?"

"Okay, okay. Let's leave the guy alone." Hilary stepped in and smiled. "It is possible that not every unattached woman will throw herself at his feet."

"Thanks, Hil." Brody looked down at her. "I think."

"No sweat." She linked her arm through Mark's. "Now, let's find a spot. I want a good view of everything."

x-x-x-x

She was something else, Brody thought as he watched Ryan up on stage. He wondered if she knew how happy she looked up on the stage. Serious and intent, but happy.

They'd come out on stage to a loud welcome, and Brody realized Ryan hadn't been kidding about them having fans. In fact, he wondered if she'd underestimated, or had just been modest. As they announced or launched into songs, there were cheers, and he saw more than a few people singing along.

He wished he'd had a chance to check their songs online. Ryan had told him they were on Facebook and had links to songs, but he'd never gotten to it, seeming to get sidetracked every time he thought about it. It was just amazing, he thought, that he knew someone who could do this.

She started out on the keyboards, with the guitar strapped on but shifted to her back. When she switched to the guitar for the next song, his appreciation went up a few notches on more than one level. There was something intriguing, he thought, about a woman with an electric guitar. His appreciation rose again when she performed a solo.

"Wow, they're great!" Hilary whistled and applauded as a song ended. "I never imagined Ryan up on stage, but she's right at home."

"Yeah, I have to say, I wasn't sure what to expect." Mark nodded. "But they are good. And Ryan, wow. She's better than the other guy. I don't know why she's not the main guitarist."

Nils echoed their comments and Brody found himself pleased that his friends were impressed, and couldn't wait to tell Ryan afterward. Assuming, he thought, that she wanted to meet up later. She hadn't replied to his earlier text, and for all he knew, she had plans with her band mates. He frowned as he realized he'd be disappointed if he didn't get to see her, surprising himself.

After the singer—Lara, he recalled—announced the last song, he took a chance and sent Ryan another text, suggesting they meet for dinner or a drink later.

After the band finished, Lara thanked the crowd for coming out and announced their upcoming shows. Brody watched as some people advanced to the stage, and Ryan, Lara, and the bassist came down to talk to them while the guitarist and drummer began disassembling their equipment.

"That was great. Thanks, Brody." Hilary grinned. "I haven't been to any kind of show in a while." Then she made a face. "But I have to say, being around all these college students makes me feel really old."

"You don’t look that old," Mark said.

"Gee, thanks." Hilary raised an eyebrow. "Just how old do I look?"

"Nope." Mark shook his head. "No way. I've learned that anything I say can and will be used against me, so I'm not saying anything."

Brody's phone buzzed and he flipped it open, laughing as Hilary tried to goad Mark into a response.

There was another text: About to pack up. Come back and meet band.

"Hey, guys. Ryan said to come back and meet the band, and I asked her if she wanted to get together later. Any takers?" Brody asked.

"Sorry. I have to work the late shift. I'm afraid my afternoon plans require a nap," Hilary said.

"I'll help," Mark offered, and wiggled his eyebrows.

She scoffed. "Yeah, right." She tried a scowl but it didn't last. "You can take me home, but then you have to sleep or play video games or something."

Mark gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, dear."

Brody turned to Nils. "How about you?"

"Thanks, but I have to get going. Tell them I said hi, and it was a great show."

Brody shrugged and nodded. They said their good-byes and as the others headed back, Brody turned and walked towards the stage.

x-x-x-x

Ryan was pumped as she detached her laptop and turned it off, then began to pack up her cables. The show had gone better than she'd hoped, the crowd had been receptive and supportive, and Jason hadn't tried anything stupid. Plus, she admitted to herself, it had been nice to know that Brody was in the audience.

"Hey, that was so excellent!" Lara bounced over from talking to a few more fans and squeezed Ryan's arm. "Oh, God. I get so nervous but I love being up there."

"Ignore her, Ryan, she's just fishing for compliments," Nate called out. He grinned when Lara turned and held up her middle finger.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." Ryan laughed when Lara turned to glare at her. "Okay, okay. You were terrific; you sounded great."

"You're only encouraging her." Mitch shook his head. "Remember, we had a rule: No divas."

"We broke it to keep you in," Lara retorted. Mitch just grinned as he packed away the last of his drum kit.

Nate closed the case for his bass guitar and chuckled as he walked over to Mitch. "Here, man, I'll help load it in the car. Hey, Jason, we could use another hand."

Jason threw his patch cords and effects pedals in a bag. "Sorry, guys. Gotta run. Good show. See you at rehearsal." He grabbed his jacket, put the bag in his car and turned back for his guitar and amp.

Ryan exchanged a glance with Lara, who pressed her lips into a thin line. They watched in silence as Jason loaded the rest of his equipment. He gave them a careless wave as he pulled out into traffic.

"Hold on, guys, we'll be there in a minute." Lara moved to help Ryan finish packing up her synth.

They were all quiet for a few minutes, and Ryan felt annoyance creep in to edge out her previous good mood. Leave it to Jason, she thought, then gave a mirthless laugh. Maybe she could cite the no-divas rule as a reason to end Jason's trial period.

"Hey, there. You were right. No groupies."

Ryan looked up at Brody's voice and grinned. "Hey." Her spirits lifted and she stepped over to give him a quick hug. "Thanks for coming."

"Sorry to disappoint about the groupies," Mitch called back as he and Nate stowed cases in his car. "We can't afford them yet."

Brody laughed. "That's okay. They're probably more appealing in theory. Great show, though. We had a good time." He turned to Lara. "You sounded fantastic."

Lara turned to Nate. "See, he complimented me without any prompting."

Nate snickered. "He doesn't know any better. Ryan, you should have warned him."

Lara started over to him and Nate laughed, pretending to cower as she made to swat him on the shoulder. Trout raised his eyebrows inquiringly as he came over.

Lara shook her head and huffed out a breath. "They all gang up on me. It's brutally unfair."

"You love it," Ryan told her, then turned to Brody. "Don’t mind us, we get punchy after a good show."

"No problem. You guys look busy."

"Not really, just packing up. We'd have been done sooner but we were goofing around." She shook her head. "Sorry. Manners. Guys, this is Brody Lang. Brody, this is our bassist, Nate Campbell; our drummer, Mitch Renatti; and our jack-of-all-trades, Trout. You missed Jason."

Brody shook hands all around and again praised their performance, then turned to Ryan. "So, now what?"

"Now I get everything home."

"You free after that?"

"Um, yeah. No plans." Ryan glanced over at Lara, saw her friend's smug expression, and ignored it.

"Dare I ask if you ate lunch?" Brody gave her a skeptical look. "Be honest."

Ryan sighed as Lara failed to stifle a laugh. "No. I wasn't hungry." She thought for a moment and brightened. "I ate some of Lara's french fries."

"Well, that settles some of the plans, anyway. We'll get some food somewhere."

All right, then. Ryan gave up. "Do you need a ride back?"

"No, I drove in. I could give you a ride if you need one."

"Oh, well—"

"Go on, Ryan. I was going to head over to Trout's anyway." Lara's grin was so wide Ryan thought her friend's face might crack.

"Okay." Ryan had been friends with Lara long enough to know when the path of least resistance was the smartest route. She looked up at Brody. "Just let me help with the drums, then we can go."

"No hurry," he assured her.

"It's okay, Ryan." Mitch waved her off. "We've got it covered. We'll take your amp, too. Go on. See you Tuesday?"

"You bet. Thanks a lot." She got her keyboard, guitar, and the rest of her gear as Brody shook hands with the guys and complimented Lara once again.

"Here, I'll take that." Brody took the handle of keyboard case and pulled it behind them as they walked.

"Thanks." Ryan was quiet as they walked to the parking garage.

"Everything okay?" Brody popped the trunk, loaded the case inside, then stepped aside as Ryan added her guitar gear, and closed it again.

"Yeah." She stood for a minute, then looked up at him. "Lara thinks she's pretty slick, setting us up to be alone like this."

He raised an eyebrow and took a step closer. "She did look pretty pleased with herself, I admit. Is it a problem?"

Ryan flashed a grin. "I guess we'll just have to find out."