By My Side, Always

Instead, she stepped closer and gave him a hug. That seemed to settle his nerves.

"Sorry," Gary said afterward.

"I understand, Gary. It matches how I feel when I see Jasmine getting clingy with you," she said softly.

Gary sighed with a nod. "I tell her not to and tell her I'm with you. I like Jasmine, but I have no interest in her romantically."

Emma's lips tried to hide her smile. "You don't lust after her big boobies?"

Gary snorted in surprise and chuckled at the sweet look on Emma's face. "You're my benchmark for perfection, and I save up all my lusting for you."

"Good!" Emma said cheerfully. "I'll give these back to Dennis today," she said, lifting the purple workout clothes in her hand.

"Good!" Gary replied with a smile. He gave her a quick kiss and then rushed off to take his shower.

They had a day to start.

-=-

Gary's meeting with the business law professor was scheduled for ten to ten-thirty, so he'd only be able to spend an hour with his study group before he had to duck out to see the prof.

Their last exam was at eleven, so Gary promised to return to the cafeteria to meet his group before heading to the exam room.

Gary heard good things about Mr. Nishimura and was looking forward to taking his course in year two.

The professor was a small man with a great deal of enthusiasm. The classes he taught were well attended as he was as entertaining as he was brilliant at teaching business law.

One of Gary's accounting profs made the introductions. The law prof was gracious enough to set aside some time to review the contract. Gary showed his appreciation by being on time and thanking him when he arrived.

Then the meeting got weird.

Haruki Nishimura was doing his best to not completely butcher Selina Moreno's My Soul, Your Sanctuary on an electric guitar. He had some talent but not enough to compete with his overabundance of zeal.

"Wow, that's... a lot of energy," Gary slipped in during a gap in his playing.

The man's face fell. "You don't think she'll like it?"

Gary raised his hands. "It's your interpretation of the song. There is no right or wrong. It's just not what she was going for when she wrote it."

The prof nodded as he thought about that.

Gary had no idea how the man heard he was the guitar player on Selina's latest song or what his expectations were.

Instead, he pushed those thoughts aside and tried to get the meeting back on track. He only had thirty minutes of the man's time and hadn't expected to be ambushed with an impromptu audition, especially with the man's wife and daughter in the room. They were looking at Gary like he was a celebrity. It was beginning to weird him out.

"I-I've been asked to do a studio album with Selina Moreno--"

"So exciting!" Mrs. Nishimura gushed as her teen daughter's smile got wider.

"Uh, yes, but I have a problem. I was given a contract to sign, and I don't understand its language. I can't tell if it's a fair contract or not," Gary said.

"You must help him!" the missus insisted to her husband.

He snapped something back to her in Japanese, and her voice went up an octave as she shouted something angry back and waved her hands at the guitar.

The prof sighed and reluctantly unslung his guitar. "Okay, give me the contract, and I will take a quick look." He caught his wife's hopeful expression, then he looked a Gary. "While I do, play something for them."

He plucked the contract from Gary's hand as he pushed his guitar into it.

"Oh! Well, I guess I could play something for you--"

"Play My Soul, Your Sanctuary, as Selina likes it!" the teen begged, and her mother nodded vigorously.

Gary did a quick tune on the guitar as three of the strings were flat. "Right, okay. I've never played that on an electric guitar, but I'll try." The woman gave him a confused look.

He tested the sound on the strings with a quick scale, and the younger girl squealed just a little until her mother grabbed her hand.

He looked over at the professor, but his head was down over the contract, and he was furiously scribbling notes on a pad next to it. So, he was occupied.

He began the song gently as the music department amp was a little too powerful for the small office, and its volume dial was only turned to one.

Gary closed his eyes and reached for the music. It felt different playing the song on an electric guitar. The instrument was delightfully responsive, but he had no idea how to adjust the sound to make it as rich and deep as his acoustic. Still, he did his best.

As he played the final notes, he opened his eyes to see the professor staring at him with a pout. His wife and daughter were trembling.

"You play so beautifully!" Mrs. Nishimura sighed.

Gary smiled at her. "Thank you." He looked at the professor. "Your guitar is a joy to play, but I don't know enough about electric guitars to do it justice."

"Your guitar?" the Mrs. asked in surprise as she stared at her husband. She looked back at Gary. "Haruki does not own a guitar. Is this not yours?"

Gary was caught flat-footed, unsure how to answer her, but he shook his head as all he had was honesty. He glanced at the prof, whose face was becoming red. He hoped he hadn't stepped in anything.

"You do not have an electric guitar, and you play for Selina Moreno?" the prof's wife asked in surprise.

Gary smiled self-consciously. "I own an acoustic guitar. Greg Yossman loaned me an electric when I jammed with them at their house." He glanced at the young girl who looked like she might pass out when he mentioned Greg's name.

He turned his eyes to admire the glossy black finish of the Gibson's body, the mother of pearl inlays in the fingerboard, and the gold pickups and bridge. "It's beautiful and responsive."

Mrs. Nishimura barked something at her husband, and he looked at her incredulously and snapped back. His wife went silent, but she and her daughter were giving him a serious case of the stink eye.

Gary finally leaped in to try to defuse the silent battle of wills. "About the contract?"

Haruki's expression was grim. "Do not sign this."

Gary blinked. "What?"

"This is a well-crafted contract but only for the management company's purposes. The wording is nebulous at best. Costs are identified as deductions from royalties but are not quantified. I would be surprised to see you get fair compensation for your work under this contract. Or anything all. I hope Ms. Moreno didn't sign a similar contract. I'd suggest she check that and her accounting," the man said.

Gary felt totally deflated. His plan to play with Selina and earn enough money to complete his course had just gone up in smoke.

Mr. Nishimura saw his expression and put a hand on his shoulder. "All is not lost. I made notes for you to suggest amendments to the contract to make it fair. You just need to negotiate a better deal."

Gary forced a smile on his face for the prof. "Thank you, but I don't believe the man who gave me the contract is the sort to welcome renegotiations. I understand I can't sign this contract, so I won't be doing the album." He took a deep breath. "It's okay. Thank you for your time in doing this for me. I am very grateful you did."

He handed the guitar back to the professor, collected the contract and the notes, and smiled with a nod at the two women, who gave him sympathetic looks.

As he stepped out into the hall, he heard raised voices again. Now it was the wife and the daughter arguing with the man. Gary was grateful he didn't know how to speak Japanese.

He walked down to the cafeteria and found his study group, minus Jasmine, recuperating at home. She'd be writing a makeup exam in a few days. Brock was actually smiling, so he felt more confident than he was for their previous exams.

Li turned her head, and her smile dropped as she read his expression. "What happened?" she asked.

Gary shrugged. "It's a bad contract. I was told not to sign it. The guy who gave it to me is a bossy jerk, so renegotiating is very unlikely. It's a no-go."

Li gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Gary. I know you were looking forward to doing the album and making some money from it. You should still sue him for not getting your permission for the first song. That would earn you some money," she suggested again.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm just going to call Selina to give her the bad news. Give me a moment."

Gary walked out to doors leading outside and dialed Selina on his cell. It rang twice this time before she answered slightly breathless.

"Gary?"

"Hi, Selina."

"How did it go?" she asked eagerly.

"Uh, not too well. I-I'm sorry, but I can't sign this contract. I spoke with a business law professor here at the college, and he told me there's some nebulous wording that could be used to prevent me from getting fair compensation. It was written with Stefano's company's benefit in mind. There was wording about cost deductions from royalties, but they weren't quantified. The professor suggested it might be wise for you to confirm your own contract isn't the same. Have a lawyer review it, and an auditor should check your books."

Selina was silent, and Gary didn't know what to say. Finally, he sighed. "I'm really sorry. I was really looking forward to getting together with you and Greg this weekend to work on the album. Now I can't."

"Thanks, Gary." The line went dead.

Gary felt really shitty as he'd heard the disappointment and anger in her voice. He hoped she wasn't mad at him, but he could do nothing about that. With another sigh, he rejoined his group before they headed off to the exam.

-=-

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Selina screamed to release some of the rage filling her mind.

She'd been so excited about this weekend. Her career was going to get such a shot in the arm from the album, and playing with Gary gave her creativity an enormous lift as well. Their jam session had been such a positive experience!

Selina knew she wasn't angry with Gary. He'd been nothing but honest with her, and she truly connected with him as an artist.

A mental pain shot through her knowing they were being prevented from collaborating because of Stefano. That man became the focal point for her rage.

She heard the front door open, and Greg walked in with some bags of groceries. He set them down on the counter as he watched her cautiously. He'd been prickly all week, and Selina had enough.

"What's happened?" Greg asked quietly.

"I just got a call from Gary. We're not recording an album this weekend. His law professor reviewed Stefano's contract and advised Gary not to sign it. He said it's a bad contract that could be used to keep him from being fairly compensated. The professor suggested we check our contracts too and have our accounts audited. Every time I've suggested this, Stefano loses his shit. Now that I'm hearing it from a third party, I'm more convinced than ever that I need to do it. I'm contacting a law firm and an accountant today to get the ball rolling on this."

Greg scowled at her. "So, some punk kid whines he can't read a contract, and we're going to piss all over the reputation and relationship we're built with our agent who's been with us from the start?"

Selina rocked back from the scorn in Greg's voice. "This isn't some kid! It's Gary! He's been completely straight with us since the night Stefano stole his music for me! Gary still hasn't been compensated for that! He never signed a release, and if he wanted to sue us, he could! But he hasn't, has he!"

"Just give him time!" Greg snapped viciously.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Selina exclaimed in confusion. "Why are you protecting Stefano and not us? He could have fucked with your contract as well! I'm going to get this question confirmed by a lawyer and accountant. If Gary's contract was the only fuckery going on, we move forward."

"Don't do this!" Greg suddenly pleaded.

"It's going to happen. The only question is, at who's side are you going to stand?" she asked with a tight chest.

Greg's expression cracked. He spun toward the door. "Stubborn bitch!" he cursed and stormed out of the house once more.

Selina was trembling with anger, frustration, and more than a little dread.

But she wouldn't let that prevent her from getting the answers she needed.

-=-

Gary grinned at Li, who was dancing around the cafeteria. She was obviously feeling optimistic about her performance in the exam.

Brock, on the other hand, was absolutely gloomy. Gary caught his eye. "What happened? Before you were so positive?"

"Hmm? Oh, that wasn't because of the exam. I was thinking about the man I met last night. He had the biggest uncut cock I have ever taken up my ass! I swear I could taste it in the back of my throat!"

While Li was mesmerized by Brock's description, Gary flung his hands up between them to block further disclosure. "TMI! Enough! Please!"

Brock burst into laughter. "Oh, Gary! You're so sweet!"

Gary raised an eyebrow at the man with a stern look. "How did the exam go?"

Brock's laughter faded slowly. Then he sighed. "I think I passed, but not by much."

Gary stared at his study partner in dismay. "You said you understood the material."

Another sigh. "Yes, I thought I did, but I went blank in the exam. All I could think of was his big juicy cock. I'm addicted... to dick."

Gary shook his head wearily. "That won't help you get a job at an accounting firm... or maybe it will."

Brock burst into laughter as he looked at Gary in delight! "My man!"

Gary chuckled. "Come on. Let's do the review so we can all start our weekend." He smiled at Li. "I'm sure Brock and his mystery man are eager to continue their game of Hide-the-Kielbasa."

Brock was almost giggling as he smiled at Gary gleefully.

"You never disappoint, Mr. Truman," he said with a smile.

-=-

It only took Gary an hour to review the material with Li and Brock, who quickly said their goodbyes and rushed away to their weekend activities. He knew what Brock was up to, but Li hadn't shared her plans.

Gary felt a swell of disappointment as his weekend plans were certainly shot. Once more, he hoped Selina was okay. He also hoped she followed the prof's advice to check her contract and bookkeeping.

As Gary put his books away, he glanced up and saw Mr. Nishimura walking toward him with his briefcase in one hand and a guitar case in the other. The man wasn't smiling.

"Hi, Mr. Nishimura. Heading home for the day?" he asked.

"Mr. Truman, you are terrible at lying. Has anyone ever told you that?" the man grumbled.

Gary recalled the man's wife asking him about the guitar. He gave the professor a crooked smile. "It takes more than one to make a conspiracy. You didn't inform me of my role in it."

"Would that have mattered?" Haruki asked.

Gary shook his head. "No. You're right. I have no poker face at all. I'm shitty at lying."

The professor finally smiled. "That is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm usually expert level, but my wife can crack me open like a nutcracker. That's actually a more apt analogy than I intended. She controls our finances and saw no expense for purchasing the guitar. That's why she didn't know I had it." He leaned the guitar case against the table

Gary looked at him curiously. "If you didn't buy it, where did you get it?"

"Doing something else my wife doesn't approve of. Unbeknownst to her, I played poker at my buddy's place with some out-of-town guests Wednesday night. She has a book club that night, so I made myself scarce. Anyway, it was the last deal at the night's end, and I found myself with a straight flush! For the first time in my life! One of the visitors was short on cash, so he'd added the guitar to the pot, and he only had a lousy three-of-a-kind! I made twenty-five grand on that hand alone. It was a very good night!"

"How expensive is the guitar?" Gary asked.

Haruki shrugged. "We checked, and it goes for upwards of five grand."

Gary recalled how sweet it was to play and nodded as it was a quality instrument.

"So now, I have a problem. I'm eternally in the doghouse for gambling then lying about the guitar being yours," the prof said.

Unsure where he was going with this, Gary nodded.

"My wife and daughter gave me an ultimatum. I can only get back in their good books if I give you the guitar."

"WHAT?" Gary exclaimed.

"They said, and I agree, you will use it for a far greater purpose than I ever will," Haruki sighed.

Gary moved a little closer so they could speak quietly and not be overheard.

"You can't give me a five-thousand-dollar guitar!" he whispered.

The man looked at him. "It didn't really cost me anything. You're not currently one of my students. Most importantly, my family will only speak to me again if I do."

Gary blinked at him in shock as the man pulled his cell phone from his pocket and took a selfie with a wide grin as he stood next to Gary, who smiled by reflex.

"You really do play beautifully. Please accept this on behalf of my family," the professor said and shook Gary's hand.

As the man walked away with his briefcase, Gary wanted to yell after him not to forget his other case. The reality of what just happened hadn't sunk in yet.

Gary didn't want to open the case in the cafeteria, so he pulled on his backpack securely and picked up the guitar case. It was definitely heavier than his acoustic. The weight made it feel a little more real to him. He decided to take it home until Mr. Nishimura came to his senses and changed his mind.

He left the cafeteria and walked across the campus toward the subway entrance.

As he promised Emma, he paused to look for crazed Moreno fans before crossing the same lane where he was almost run over the previous night. There was no traffic tonight.

He reached the subway without issues and saw the train pulling away before he got to the platform. He stood watching the receding train but truthfully, his mind was miles away. Only a few other people were waiting, so he stood the guitar case on its end between his feet and rested his hands on top.

He was so glad he and Emma reconnected. They still had the challenge of making time for themselves, but Emma said she'd speak to Dennis and get him to split the available shifts amongst more people. Every day, three times a day, wasn't realistic if you wanted some quality of life.

His eyes caught sight of the next train arriving, but it wasn't his, so he went back to thinking of Emma. He wished he'd been able to do this album with Selina, as he could have made some money and maybe put aside enough for the remaining years of his course. This would have eased their burden and freed up some money to take Emma out to a nice restaurant, a movie, or even dancing.

As the train rushed toward the station, someone grabbed Gary's arms from behind and tried to push him forward to the platform's edge.

Gary was overbalanced with the heavy backpack and the guitar case between his legs, but the extra mass made it difficult for his assailant to push him completely off the platform onto the tracks. The guitar slipped back between his legs and tangled his assailant's feet.

Suddenly twisting his body just as the train shot past without stopping, Gary looked over his shoulder at the red face and bleary eyes of Greg Yossman.

"Greg? What--" Gary began, then Greg suddenly changed direction and threw him down onto the platform. Gary clocked the left side of his forehead against the armrest of a bench seat, and stars exploded across his vision.

"Fuck!" Gary gasped as he crashed to the floor.

"YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Greg screamed at him as he stood over Gary's prone body.

Dazed from shock and pain, Gary could only gape at the raging man.

"She's going to find out. She'll learn the truth about what a rotten piece of shit I am!" Greg continued to shout, though not quite as loudly as before, as his tears returned. A desperate sadness was beginning to enter his tone.