Heartstrings

By Nova Arisól LaMason

They were perfect soul mates... and then, HE showed up.

Vladimir Andante and Guy Largo are not only esteemed students at the world’s most prestigious university for musical prodigies, but perhaps the most watched couple on campus. Vladimir is regally beautiful, bearing the most adored male singing voice, while Guy is handsome and friendly, besting all with the piano. Their love for each other is candid and true, and steamy behind closed doors.

While observing the entrance examinees’ performances, they notice that one man, the mysterious and good-looking Sergio Grave, stands out on stage. His passion with the violin, like tendrils of magic, captivates them and the entire audience. But when Sergio is assigned as their new roommate, his attitude, unlike his talent, turns out to be far less than stellar. What drives his harsh, repellent behavior, and why does he intend to endure the trials of the world’s toughest music school alone? While Guy always tries to see the good in others, Vladimir hardly cares to find out. When they unwittingly do, it starts a whole new roller coaster of emotions that shakes the lovers’ relationship.

Reader Advisory: Contains certain sexual scenarios that should not be attempted by the inexperienced, hurt/comfort, and angst—a lot of angst.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luminosity Publishing LLP
• Release date: Jan 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781910397657

Nova Arisól LaMason

Nova is a budding homoerotic romance author ten years in the making, debuting with Sapling in 2014 at age 25. His journey began in high school, with a love for anime, yaoi manga and fanfiction, foreign cultures, and all things magical and occult. Eventually, he learned that writing is the power to create whole worlds.After years of writing erotic role-plays with online friends, he broke away from his hobby to focus on stories of his own. An avid gamer, he draws inspiration from deep and colorful RPG characters. He especially loves the Tales series. He also loves faeries, autumn, and hot dessert, fruit, or floral teas loaded with sugar, and hates distractions, writer’s block, and summer.

Book preview

HEARTSTRINGS

Nova Arisól LaMason

They were perfect soul mates… and then, HE showed up.

Vladimir Andante and Guy Largo are not only esteemed students at the world’s most prestigious university for musical prodigies, but perhaps the most watched couple on campus. Vladimir is regally beautiful, bearing the most adored male singing voice, while Guy is handsome and friendly, besting all with the piano. Their love for each other is candid and true, and steamy behind closed doors.

While observing the entrance examinees’ performances, they notice that one man, the mysterious and good-looking Sergio Grave, stands out on stage. His passion with the violin, like tendrils of magic, captivates them and the entire audience. But when Sergio is assigned as their new roommate, his attitude, unlike his talent, turns out to be far less than stellar. What drives his harsh, repellent behavior, and why does he intend to endure the trials of the world’s toughest music school alone? While Guy always tries to see the good in others, Vladimir hardly cares to find out. When they unwittingly do, it starts a whole new roller coaster of emotions that shakes the lovers’ relationship.

Reader Advisory: Contains certain sexual scenarios that should not be attempted by the inexperienced, hurt/comfort, and angst—a lot of angst.

HEARTSTRINGS

Nova Arisól LaMason

WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

HEARTSTRINGS

Copyright © March 2015 Nova Arisól LaMason

ISBN: 978-1-910397-65-7

Cover Art by Erin Wong

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Dedication

Thanks to Brittany and Candis, my two best friends, pillars, and saviors of my sanity. Thanks as well to Keighley, Sabu-sabu (Sabrina), Sarah, and all of my other friends who keep me going when I get myself down.

Especial thanks to my Editor-san, Kate, for tolerating me, and Erin, for doing the gorgeous cover art for me.

*~Chapter 1: Plus One~*

What began as an entrance exam near-instantly became perhaps one of the greatest performances in the history of La Università di Prodigi Musicali. Only the elite students were permitted audience seats for exams, and Guy Largo and Vladimir Andante sat among the privileged few. Threads of life poured forth from the stage, weaving through their minds and speaking to them on a level that only they could to each other, all channeled through one violin. Conducting the psychic strings was Sergio Grave, a taciturn man in his mid-twenties. Despite his cold silence when he took center stage and his carefree dress of a black, middle-buttoned shirt and black slacks, he played with a blaze in his soul. Each stroke portrayed a struggle. Each pluck illustrated a footstep. His bow was the pen that wrote what could only be a fascinating autobiography.

When Sergio finally lowered his bow, he opened his emotionless eyes to a standing ovation. It didn’t even seem like a surprise to him, that he was praised, that he was immediately accepted into the world’s most prestigious music university, as if he’d known the whole time. Five of the untested examinees turned tail in shame, but those who remained were given no acceptance, faint applause, mostly apathy. At the end of the exam, the remaining twenty-five examinees took a group bow. Their agonizing wait in silence held for several minutes before the headmaster and his two men came to their consensus. Only three were admitted into the school.

Guy and Vladimir exited the ivied theatre and crossed the stone-tiled courtyard of orange sunset hand-in-hand. Their relationship was not unknown. Truth be told, it was probably the best-known fact in the entire school, minus the intimate details—which could also be assumed, considering that they were roommates. Vladimir was the several-times Best Male Vocalist whose regally beautiful countenance, high tenor voice, and lovely hair of near purest white had won him the eyes and ears of his peers and professors. Guy, on the other hand, was the handsome hulk and top pianist on campus. Although intimidatingly tall at six-foot-two and rather impressively muscular, he was a cool and friendly guy. His short, ginger hair seemed to spiral downward from the left-side point of his crown. That distinctive hair, his blue eyes, and his warm smile were the trademarks of his inviting aura. Three girls ogled at them from a bench by the central flowerbed, but the guys walked right past them, obviously used to the attention.

"That was Ravel’s Tzigane," Vladimir commented, stuck on Sergio’s exam performance with wonder and a hint of refusal to believe.

Amazin’… agreed Guy. He pulled open the oaken door of the palatial men’s dormitory, stepping aside for Vladimir to enter the lobby first. I don’t think I heard a single mistake, either.

The lobby was lit in the center by a grand structure—a great ring, like a halo, supported by three gorgeous pillars sculpted like written calligraphy. Back when he first saw it, Vladimir contemplated the circular beam quizzically, assuming it was made of stone. Since realizing that it was the light source, he had stopped several times to admire it. "Sergio is a passionate musician. He’s certainly earned his place here, mastering a piece like that without piano accompaniment. He might even give you trouble, if you two played together."

The resultant laughter that erupted from Guy was startlingly unexpected, especially for the other students studying in the lounge area. Vladimir slapped a hand over his mouth to shut him up. Guy waved off in front of his face in apology to the glares that he received. Sorry, what? he asked, muffled, but still chuckling.

Vladimir removed his hand, wearing a wry grimace. "Come on, Guy. He just knocked out five hopefuls and got immediate acceptance back there. Even you and I had to suffer the wait at the ends of our exams."

"Ya’re talkin’ to the man who mastered Frédéric Chopin’s Revolutionary Étude, Vlad."

Vladimir couldn’t take the eye daggers being thrown at them anymore. They were clearly disrupting the dedicated students, and in a school like this, there were quite a few students who already held grudges over the elite class. One guy had a double bass at his side, and he didn’t look unwilling to sacrifice it. Vladimir pressed the elevator button and hurriedly stepped in. Guy followed, hitting the button for the top floor. "Yes, Guy, but Revolutionary Étude is a piano solo. You can’t fairly compare that to—"

Vlad, love. Guy suddenly pushed Vladimir to the far corner and trapped him with a hand pressed to the wall beside his face. He faked a disappointed frown. "Ya’re not thinkin’ that guy’s cooler than I am, are ya?"

Vladimir went defensive for a moment, but then dropped his shield and picked up a sword. Guy was clearly trying to lay on the pressure. "Well, he is pretty good looking…" he slashed, donning a cheeky little smile. He had been with him for long enough to know that he wasn’t the jealous type. Guy knew the strength of their bond.

But at the same time, Guy was innately competitive. This kind of teasing always switched him on. Maybe I should remind ya who knows ya best, he almost possessively suggested, though the fire in his eyes had already communicated his intentions.

Perhaps you should, Vladimir replied. My body doesn’t seem to remember. He sighed and let his eyes shut as Guy closed the space between their lips, passing on a message that he already knew. He could feel his heartbeats quicken, a familiarity that he embraced as if new every time.

Guy sneaked his free hand up Vladimir’s white blazer to tweak a nipple through his shirt, eliciting a whimper that brought a kiss-breaking smile to his lips. I might have to retrain it, then. He leaned forward again, but this time lifted Vladimir by the ass, pressing crotch-to-crotch with him.

Vladimir struggled to maintain his balance, his face awash with a hot blush. Guy’s kisses and touches always left him weak in the knees. There was never a time when such flirtatious banter failed to excite him either. Just shut up and fuck me, please, he begged as he threw his arms around his partner’s neck.

Whoa! Impatient, aren’t ya?

But Vladimir knew what was really going on. Guy was ready to rip off their clothes and run his mouth all over his naked body. He could feel