Kyle was thankful he didn't have to teach today, though he had to admit just sitting around at home killing time was pretty boring. He decided to finally get some groceries delivered so he didn't have to order takeout again, and he also did a load of laundry while organizing some of his sheet music. It was all pretty dull, and Kyle couldn't help but feel that being with Stephanie was a lot more fun: the memory of this past weekend made his arousal spike and a happy smile instinctively spread across his face. Being with Stephanie felt so effortless, and he couldn't help but wish she could stay with him every evening from now on. He wondered how much convincing it would take for her to come over to stay the night with him again tonight.

It was late in the afternoon now, and Kyle, after having finished all his other errands, was currently sitting at his piano practicing a tricky Schumann piece. His phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming text, and after glancing at who had sent it, couldn't help but grin widely before picking it up and texting back:

Are you at your place right now?

Yup, why?

Can I come over? I need to vent >:(

Uh oh. Not about me i hope?

No not u. Can I come over?

Of course. Ill be ur punching bag ;)

Thx. Be over in a few.

Kyle set his phone aside and got up from his piano, figuring he should tidy up a bit before Stephanie got here. He whistled happily to himself as he cleaned his house – despite the fact Stephanie sounded like she was upset about something, he couldn't help but feel happy he was seeing her again. He had just been thinking about ways he could get her to come over, and just like that, she had asked to see him.

Sometimes fate really could be on his side.

About fifteen minutes later, Kyle heard someone knock on his front door before letting themselves inside.

"Hey," Stephanie appeared in the main room from the foyer, setting her violin case down in a nearby chair. The scowl on her face was apparent even from the kitchen, where Kyle was busy setting out two wine glasses and a bottle of pinot grigio for them to share. Stephanie saw the wine and grimaced.

"Thanks. I definitely need that," she said with a sigh, walking over to his kitchen island and taking a seat.

"I guessed as much," Kyle said with amusement, uncorking the bottle before pouring her a glass. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't even know where to start," Stephanie ground out, taking the glass of wine Kyle handed her and taking a large gulp. She set the glass down and wiped her lower lip. "Well, actually, I do know... I got a callback this morning from Professor Lyndon about the string quartet."

Kyle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? That's great! But why would that make you upset?"

"I wasn't upset, at least at first. I was actually really excited," Stephanie explained, staring down at the countertop. "Lydia helped me prepare with a Bach violin solo to play, and I thought I did really well."

Kyle felt a swell of pride in his chest, but still knit his eyebrows in confusion. "So what was the problem? Did Lyndon cut you?"

"Nope," Stephanie stated, taking another drink of her wine. "She said that she wanted to help me reach my full potential, and she actually offered me the spot on the string quartet, right then and there."

Kyle gaped at her. Holy shit, she really got the violinist spot on the string quartet? That was fantastic news, but that didn't explain why she was so upset right now. "I'm sorry, what? I don't understand. Isn't that a good thing?"

Stephanie fixed her gaze on Kyle's face, her expression flat. "She only asked me because of my connection with you."

Kyle definitely wasn't expecting her to say that. His raised eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline. "What? Why me?"

"Because you're Kyle Lancaster, that's why. She was hoping that if she gave me a spot on the string quartet, she could then use my relationship with you to have access to better marketing resources and to use your touring company for when the quartet performed around Europe." Stephanie shook her head, scowling angrily. "Can you believe she would actually say something like that to me?"

Kyle blinked before scratching the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable. He was a bit unsure of how to respond to that. "Wow... so, erm... Lyndon straight-up asked you to use me for my marketing team?"

"No, she just subtly implied it at first, but I figured out what she was getting at," Stephanie shook her head. "I am so pissed right now."

"So you ended up rejecting the spot in the quartet?" Kyle asked. Stephanie stared at him as if he'd gone mad.

"Of course I rejected it! I wasn't about to accept a position I didn't actually earn!" she snapped, and after a moment she deflated slightly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell like that. Lyndon's behavior wasn't your fault."

Kyle grimaced slightly. "I mean... if you'd asked, I wouldn't have said no."

Stephanie gazed at him, clearly confused. "What?"

"If you'd asked to use my touring company and marketing team for the string quartet, I wouldn't have said no," Kyle explained. "It wouldn't have been that big a deal, and I know Reg and everyone would have been happy to help if I'd asked."

"I didn't want you to ask," Stephanie insisted. "The fact that Lyndon wanted me to ask you in the first place was what pissed me off. I was not going to take a spot on a string quartet that I didn't earn on my own merits."

"I understand, but I'm just saying, asking me to help out would have been a small price to pay," Kyle stated honestly. "And seriously – what makes you think you wouldn't have gotten on the string quartet on your own merits? You're a fantastic violinist, Steph."

"I know I'm not bad, but I wasn't the best. You didn't hear all the other students who had tried out, Kyle," Stephanie argued. "They must've all been savants or something! Even if I was able to hold my own against them, it wouldn't have lasted for very long. I definitely didn't deserve to get that spot on the quartet, and Lyndon basically told me as much."

Kyle didn't say anything to that, though he frowned as he took a sip of his own wine. Having lived on tour for several years, he knew exactly how much time, effort, and marketing it took for live classical music performances to happen. And getting people to come to performances was a whole other issue – Kyle was lucky he had obtained a decent audience through what he did, but not everyone was as lucky as him. He knew as well as anyone that classical music and the arts rarely got funding, and Lyndon was clearly just trying to do what she felt was best for the Academy and her students. Stephanie was being a bit unreasonable with her behavior, though he decided not to say that out loud.

His silence did not go unnoticed by Stephanie, however. She stared at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "What is it?"

Kyle looked up at her. "Nothing," he said innocently.

"If you have something you want to say, just say it," Stephanie insisted. "Do you think I should have sold out for Lyndon?"

"No," Kyle said, though he glanced down at the countertop as he hesitated a moment. "I just... don't really think what she said to you was that unreasonable."

He felt an uncomfortable lodge in his throat as he said that, and he wondered if he just should have just tacitly lied and agreed with her. However, he had always been honest with Stephanie, and he didn't feel the need to hide his true feelings right now. He finally glanced up at her, and saw that she was gaping at him in stunned disbelief.

"Are you serious?" she asked after a moment or two, blinking a couple times as if clearing her vision. "You thought I was overreacting in this situation?"

"I didn't say that," Kyle said, though even he knew he sounded unconvincing.

"But you meant it," Stephanie argued. "Why on earth would you think I would accept a spot on that quartet when Lyndon made it clear there were conditions?!"

"All I'm saying is that I think Lyndon was just trying to do what was best for her students," Kyle said, his voice calm. "There likely isn't a lot of money in the budget for her to fund the string quartet properly, and she's trying to be practical. I can't really fault her for that, considering I've been on tour before and I know exactly how bad the financial situation is in the classical music world."

"She would be using me in order to get better funding for her string quartet," Stephanie stated, glaring at him skeptically. "And you'd be totally okay with that?"

"I'm not trying to justify what she said, I'm just saying I understand where she's coming from," Kyle said, wishing they could get off this subject.

"Well, I guess I'm just having a harder time understanding where she's coming from," Stephanie continued doggedly. "From where I'm standing, she was being totally greedy and opportunistic."

Kyle bristled. "So her wanting to use my resources was all just greed? That's really all I am, then - some deep pockets?"

"You aren't to me, but to Professor Lyndon, that clearly was the case. I was defending you!"

"I know Lyndon, and I know she doesn't look at me and see money," Kyle argued back. "I've worked alongside her all semester, and it's very clear she respects music above everything. Trust me, I've been around opportunistic snakes throughout my career, and Lyndon has never struck me as one."

Stephanie looked baffled at his defense of Professor Lyndon. "Why the hell are you defending her? You think I'm making this up, or that I was in the wrong here?"

"You said Lyndon told you she saw a lot of potential in you, and I believe her," Kyle insisted. "You're an incredible violinist, Steph. I can fully believe that you would have earned your spot on that string quartet on your own merits."

"I didn't, though. Which is why I turned it down," Stephanie argued back. "I'm not doing this for money!"

"Is that really the reason?" Kyle asked, his temper rising. He knew he was goading her, but he was getting frustrated at this point, and he couldn't help himself. "Maybe you've just been feeling inferior in your musical abilities, and you're too scared to take a chance at something. It was your dream to get on that string quartet, wasn't it? And you turned it down for pretty much no reason!"

Stephanie looked as if he had slapped her. "I didn't do it for no reason. I turned it down because didn't want to be used! And it's completely ridiculous for you to say I won't take a chance in my musical career considering how hard I worked for that audition!"

"Playing with only three fine tuners, right?" Kyle shot back.

He immediately regretted his words when they left his mouth as he saw the shock and hurt on Stephanie's face. Without a word, she got up from her seat at the kitchen island and began to gather her things. "Steph," Kyle began, feeling regret sweep through his body.

"I'll see you around, Kyle," she said coldly, gripping the handle of her violin case as she stalked toward the front door.

Kyle simply stood there as he heard the door open, and then close with a resounding slam.