The Beat of His Drummer When Killian’s band gets its big break, he can’t contain his excitement. He assumes everyone is going to be thrilled, including the drummer, his boyfriend Malcolm. Killian can’t wait to get out of their small town so they won’t have to hide their relationship anymore. But Malcolm is skeptical and feels college is a safer bet than touring with the band, and he wants Killian to stick to their original plan and go to school with him. So they part ways, both feeling hurt and abandoned. Ten years later, Killian is in another band, and they need a drummer. Their manager convinces one of his college professors to play with them on their upcoming tour, and to Killian’s surprise, Malcolm is back in his life again. Their reunion hits a few bumps at first, but soon they’re working through their issues one at a time. This progress is interrupted when an obsessed lover from Killian’s past reemerges. He wants to keep Killian from being with Malcolm—the lost love he’d heard so much about—and he’ll do anything necessary to make Killian his again… 23, 600 word short story