Beats of the Heart - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Shawn and Miles had fallen into a routine. They did not prioritize dates but often had homemade dinners at Miles' place, where Shawn would spend the night. Shawn seemed to prefer the warmth of Miles' home and would spend most of his time there. To Miles' delight, more of Shawn's clothes and accessories filled his closet, while other small pieces of him appeared around his house.
After seeing Shawn conduct meetings at his kitchen table, he set up a desk in his studio. He would work on the turntables while Shawn ran his business so they could stay together. No part was hidden at this time, and Miles felt liberated.
These small details breathed more life into Miles' house and his heart.
Miles left the house alone the day before Christmas Eve and parked in a familiar lot. The snow had started to come down and blanket the ground. He got out and slipped on a scarf and gloves. He grabbed a blanket and a small wreath arranged with clusters of pine needles and holly.
The snow crunched underneath his foot as he walked through the serene graveyard.  The white blanketing the gravestones gave Miles a sense of peace, and the city's noise faded away. He used to hate this place, but now, he found it almost therapeutic. He ignored the snowflakes melting on his face, feeling more refreshed than anything.
His feet carried him to a humble gravestone, and he smiled. He placed the wreath on the ground before the grave as he knelt.
"Hey, Mom," he said softly to the gravestone. He spread the blanket over the snow and sat down, leaning his back against the cold stone.
He sighed softly, watching his breath fog in front of him like smoke. The snow started to fall a little heavier, echoing his silence. The trees were bare in the cold, and their dark bark stood in contrast to the snow, painting a beautiful scenery.
His fingers brushed against the pine needles and then pinched a holly leaf. "I think this is the first Christmas visit I've come with flowers instead of a bottle of bourbon... so you know things have been better."
"The business is... a lot. It's time to let go of this role in Dirge, especially because I may have a place to go. I know if I move to Aura, I can focus on music." He grinned happily. "And, Mom, the music is good... better, actually. I'm making something you would be proud of."
Miles chuckled. "I still need to get the vote from the group, but they seem to be on board. They all like Shawn, even though it was a little rocky when they first met him."
He was quiet for a moment. "I've mentioned Shawn plenty of times, but I've got to know him recently and... fuck... I really like him... Who am I kidding? I'm hopelessly in love with him."
He laughed at himself, feeling a sense of relief. "That was the first time I admitted it out loud... Considering how often I have brought him up these last 12 years, you probably already knew how I felt. You always knew where my heart was before I did."
He rubbed his hands together, feeling the cold making its way through the gloves. "I'm actually going to go to his family's house for Christmas. I'm going to ask Danny to come with me too. You remember Danny, right? He's a good fucking kid... I know he's technically an adult, but he's still a kid to me, and I just want to protect him. He's lived a hard life, so he's much more mature than others his age. You would have really liked him."
He adjusted the scarf around his neck a little. "A part of me resented you for asking me to give Larry a chance. He didn't deserve a chance, but perhaps Larry wasn't your intention. Maybe you were pushing me toward Danny in your own way. You wanted me to be a good big brother to him. And maybe, I needed him as well.
"Honestly, I wish he had you in his life, Mom. He deserves to have someone special like you guiding him. Unfortunately, he got stuck with me instead. I'm a pale imitation of you, but I'm doing my best by him."
"I'm going to bring him and Shawn to meet you soon." He stood up and picked up the blanket, using it to wipe off her gravestone. He gently pressed his fingers over her name. "I love you, Mom."
He turned but paused before he walked away. "Between music, Danny, and Shawn... I can see it. I can see that magic you always told me about. And, hell, it's fucking beautiful."
He got back to his car and cranked up his heater. His cheeks and nose were red, and his pants were damp from the snow. However, he couldn't regret this visit. He felt proud of the things he told her. And he was sober.
He was about to call Shawn to see if he was still working in the office so they could have lunch. However, he frowned when he saw a text message on his phone.
Will: Call me
Miles tapped his phone with irritation. He had gone nearly a year without sharing a single word with Will, yet he could command him to call him? Miles responded with the most appropriate message he could manage.
Miles: Busy. Fuck off.
However, his phone rang shortly after. He groaned and answered it.
"What do I owe this pleasure?" He asked with as much disdain as he could muster.
He heard Will scoff on the other line. "I need you to meet me today at Solo Mio."
Miles cringed. Solo Mio was the gathering place for half-witted snobs like Will.
"I'm going to have to pass."
"What else do you have to do today?"
"Literally, anything other than meeting with you." Miles huffed.
Will let out an exasperated sound. "How is it that you're a year older than me and still act like a child? Meet me at Solo Mio today at noon."
"How is it that you're a year younger than me, and you sound like a pretentious cunt?" Miles growled back.
"Look at you using a big word?" Will chided.
Miles wanted to retort, but Will had already baited him. "I already have plans for lunch, and then I'm working for the rest of the day. I can't drop everything because you decided you wanted to catch up."
"I don't want to catch up. But if you refuse to meet with me today, I might accidentally let it slip to Father that Danny is living with you. He would not be pleased that his youngest is slumming it with some second-class thug like you."
Miles bristled. "What the fuck, Will? Are you looking at destroying that kid's future?"
"Don't be dramatic." Will snorted.
"Dramatic? You're fucking threatening me with Danny! You know as much as I do that Larry will pull all funding away from Danny, forcing him to fend for himself." Miles knew the funding didn't matter because he paid Danny enough to be comfortable and covered everything else. However, it was the principle of the matter.
"Maybe he deserves it after living with you. You're not really a shining role model."
"You know nothing about my life or Danny's."
Will sighed, but there was glee laced in it. "Meet me, and everything will remain undisclosed."
"No. Not worth it."
"Then maybe I'll pick up Danny from school one day and take him home. I'll tell Father everything and let Danny face the music... alone."
Miles shook. That was a threat that he was worried about. Money wasn't an issue, but leaving Danny alone with Larry was entirely different.
"Fuck," Miles murmured. "Fine."
"Excellent. I will see you shortly, big brother."
Will disconnected, and Miles shuddered. He couldn't let Will or Larry manipulate either one of them. He needed to figure out ways to protect Danny.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Miles muttered and lowered his head on the steering wheel.
The Andersons had a knack of ruining a good day. He sighed and decided to drive over.
He was grateful Aura was a few blocks away from Solo Mio. He had visited Shawn several times, and they gave him a parking pass, so he decided to take advantage of it today because parking would be hell.
He gave the security guards a quick nod when he walked out of the garage. He hid the lower half of his face under the scarf and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the busy sidewalks. Most people seemed to be doing last-minute shopping, making him grateful he already got everyone their presents.
He felt chilled to the bone when he finally got to Solo Mio, and his mood plummeted. He couldn't shake the unease he was feeling.
As he entered, he already felt out of place. Most people here were businessmen, clean-shaven and in their suits. Miles was dressed in his jeans, boots, and bomber jacket. He ran his hand over his stubble. He hadn't shaved in a few days, so it was more prominent than ever. He took off the beanie he was wearing, causing his messy curls to become even more disheveled.
The hostess didn't seem to notice his out-of-place appearance, which made him grateful. She greeted him warmly.
"I'm meeting someone. Will Anderson." He explained.
She nodded and smiled. "Follow me, sir."
Miles nodded and let her lead him through the restaurant. There was a large open area for regular tables, but he knew she was leading him toward the back with private rooms.
He was led to a room with a small table. Will was already seated and had several dishes in front of him. MIles pursed his lips, realizing he had set the table for multiple people, not just Miles.
He took off his gloves and scarf, then unzipped his jacket as he made his way to a seat opposite Will.
A server approached him. "What would you like to drink?"
Miles shook his head. "Nothing. I'm not staying long."
Wills raised an eyebrow. "Order something. I wanted to talk."
Miles felt sympathy for the server, who looked anxious. "Water, please," Miles said after a moment. When he left, Miles crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm only here for Danny, so keep this short. What do you want?"
"Maybe I wanted to bond," he said with a shrug.
Miles didn't want to waste more time than he already had. He moved to leave, but Will held his arm. "Stop being pissy. Just sit and relax for a little."
Miles took a deep breath and sat back down. He leaned forward and set his elbows on the table. "I need answers as to why I'm here."
Will rolled his eyes. "Fine, you bastard. I heard a rumor that a Miles Mendez owns Dirge Records."
Miles tensed a little. "Why the fuck does that matter to you?"
"Brian Smith is my close friend, and he is interested in Dirge Records," Will explained.
Miles glowered at Will. "Shouldn't he be more concerned about the investigation?"
"Semantics," Will waved his hand carelessly in the air. He started to pick at the food in front of him. "Nothing but lies that will be overturned soon. If anything, it's a waste of time."
"Considering his character, that's highly doubtful." Miles sighed.
Will looked at him with a contemplative gaze. "I won't lie when I say the rumors hurt his business. It's unfortunate, but there is a way for him and Eclipse to weather the storm. All he needs is one powerful artist to be in the spotlight for Eclipse. Requiem can be that artist."
Miles shook his head and moved to leave again. "You're wasting both of our time. Nothing will change my refusal, and he should be well aware of that."
"Your company can do something worthwhile. You can do something worthwhile," Will implored, believing thinly veiled insults could move him.
Miles' gaze darkened. "Eclipse can burn to the ground with Brian in the fucking building."
Will bristled but tried to act as if he wasn't affected. He looked down at his phone, and his shoulders relaxed a little "You have less than a minute to reconsider it. Brian will be here shortly with the contracts."
Miles groaned. "I swear that man is a fucking cockroach."
He didn't wait for Will to protest this time and shrugged on his jacket. Will tried to grab his arm, but Miles easily slipped out of his grip.
"Do you want me to tell Dad about Danny staying with you?"
Miles' jaw clenched. "You don't want to do that."
"I'm just thinking about my little brother's safety," Will said with a disgusting smile.
Miles grabbed Will's collar roughly, causing the color to drain from his face. "If you gave a flying fuck about his safety, you would have stepped up to help him years ago." He let go of him, pushing back a couple of steps. "Don't give me that shit."
"Maybe I'm concerned about how he's living with a criminal like you. Out of everyone in our family, you're the only one who has been arrested."
Miles' anger flared. The only time he was arrested was when he hit Larry at 18. He's had a clean record other than that.
"Oh?" Brian's voice from the door of the private room made him recoil. "That is an interesting bit of news."
Miles turned his glare toward Brian. "And none of your fucking business. I'm done here."
Will ignored Miles' outburst. "This is to your and Danny's benefit. Brian can help your business become successful while I keep my little brother safe."
"You seriously have no idea what you're talking about." He would have laughed if he wasn't so angry. "Has Brian told you about Dirge Records? What it's about? What it's worth?"
Will fell silent while Brian shuffled uncomfortably. His usual swagger seemed to have been stripped away after his embezzlement accusations.
Miles tsked in annoyance. "Of course not. And for your information, Danny is safe. He's happy and thriving."
Will scoffed. "I don't think being with you is safe. I mean, considering how you grew up, it's only obvious you've been arrested. Who knows what else you've been caught up in? Statistically speaking, you're—"
Miles cut him off with a condescending laugh. "Don't bother mimicking Larry's rhetoric. I've already heard it."
He had endured Larry painting a picture of what he assumed Miles was. A thug. A gangster. An addict. A thief. He's heard everything under the sun about what he was supposed to be because he grew up in a single-parent household in a bad neighborhood.
It was a critique Miles always thought was ironically amusing—considering he grew up with a single parent because Larry was incapable of being responsible for his actions.
The statistics Larry and Will clung to were nothing more than a generalization—a gross attempt to place Miles in a skewed bar graph that failed to define him.
Still, this wasn't something he could argue with Will. His narrow-mindedness would never allow him to see past his father's teachings. It would be best to leave and protect Danny from the fallout.
Miles pushed past Brian, who tried to hold on to him, making Miles drop his gloves, scarf, and hat. Miles didn't linger to pick them up and continued past them.
Will tried calling out after Miles. "If you don't work with Brian, I will tell Dad about Danny."
Miles turned back for a moment with a dark look. "And you learn to regret that choice."
"Mr. Mendez," Brian started. "I'm giving you a courtesy at this point. Considering the information I have on you, signing with Eclipse would be in your best interest."
Miles shook his head, not giving him a chance. "It doesn't matter. The answer will always be no."
He took off before anyone else could stop him. He rushed past the hostess, ignoring her questions, and stepped out into the cold. A shiver ran through him, and he zipped up his jacket. As he walked away, he raised his collar slightly to block the biting winds. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and counted down the minutes until he was back at Aura—back with Shawn.