Free Preservation by Rachael Wade

wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. After a glass of wine, a bath, and some Melissa Porter tunes on the iPod, I felt calmer and more collected; less angry at Ryan and more with this Alisha chick.
    Screw it. I’m going.
    When eight o’clock rolled around, I tossed my hair up and threw on some jeans, a blazer, and my black boots, then made my way to Queen Anne.
    Easy Street Records was packed. There was a line out the door and the tiny parking lot was total chaos, filled with more people than cars, just gathered around talking and laughing. I could hear music blaring from inside. Making my way across the street, I scanned the line down the sidewalk and spotted him. My pulse accelerated when our eyes locked.
    And then I saw the rest of him.
    No gray tweed jacket tonight. No business slacks or tie. Instead he donned a worn-out, black leather jacket and jeans. His stubble was perfectly intact and his golden brown hair was effortlessly unruly. Delicious. And I thought the pool attire was good...
    His eyes brightened when I approached him and he opened his mouth, about to say something. I waited.
    “You—you came,” he stammered. Wow. Where’s the uptight, asshole professor tonight?
    “Looks like it,” I gestured to the sign above the door. “This place is one of my favorites.”
    “Yeah?” His smile brightened too, and it was contagious. My face lit up and suddenly all I could think about was how normal this all felt. Like a real date, with a normal guy—not my teacher—about to watch some live music. I was overwhelmed with the desire to just have fun and enjoy myself, to forget all of the crap I knew we were here to deal with.
    “Yeah, I come when I can afford it. Which isn’t often,” I looked down and stuffed my hands deeper into my coat pockets, trying to recall how much cash I had left for the week. “I didn’t know there was a show tonight. I thought we were just going to walk around the store and talk...”
    “Sorry, should have mentioned that. I’ve been planning to come see these guys play for a few weeks now. It’s all on me, don’t worry. I’m just shocked you came after...”
    “How about we talk about it later?” The beers started to flow in front of us and the line began to move.
    Relief evident in his voice, he said, “Sounds good to me,” then stopped to pay for two drinks when we made it through the door. We worked our way to the back of the store near the door, crammed in shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the crowd. The store music died down as the band got ready to play. “Ever heard of The xx before?” he hollered over the crowd’s hum.
    “No, is that who’s playing?”
    He nodded, leaning down to reach my ear. “I love them, I’ll pick you up a CD of theirs before we leave tonight.”
    “So this is what Mr. Campbell does in his free time.” Without thinking, I slipped my arm in his, locking us at the elbows. This is what music did to me: possessed me with euphoric bliss, shifted me into giddy gear.
    “Contrary to what you might think, Ms. Parker, my nose is not always buried in a book.” He smiled down at me, pleased, and tightened our link, hollering as soon as the band came on. They began playing a song called “Crystalised,” and I was immediately sucked in to its hypnotic melody. The tempo picked up and Ryan moved behind me, slipping his arms around my waist. He sang along and tried teaching me some of the words, shouting them and spilling beer on me every few seconds, moving my hips to the rhythm. I laughed and nudged him in the ribs, continuing to sway with him as the song reached its climax.
    His warm lips grazed my earlobe and I turned to meet his gaze, giving him permission to touch me. Hesitantly, he lowered his mouth to my neck, sending delicious shivers down my spine. I reached back and tugged the hair at his neckline, eliciting a soft moan from his throat, feeling it vibrate against my skin. The swarms of warm bodies around us rolled back and forth in