He lets out a loud exhale and his lips tip upward. “Perfect.”
Ethan claps, grabbing both of our attention and telling us to give him a minute before we leave. He reemerges with a keyboard and guitar. My mouth falls open as he lifts his chin. “Bring your guitar?”
Levi runs out, shouting, “Be right back,” over his shoulder.
For the next hour, Ethan plays and hums, not being a singer himself. I touch the keys for the first time in weeks and sing to Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Queen, and Elton John. And Levi plays and sings with me for some of the songs, still being somewhat unsure of himself in the vocal department.
Throughout our jam session, we exchange some sweet and heated glances. The way his body has relaxed since we left the bathroom tells me he believed me when I said I was staying.
Still, I can’t help but wonder if we’re moving too fast. Then again, we’ve been friends for months, and what’s a better foundation for a relationship than that? He helped me find myself, and I like to believe I’m helping him as well.
The night ends with Kami, Cam, Levi, and me having pizza, then going our separate ways in Cam’s house. We both get drowsy in each other’s arms the second our heads hit the pillow. There’s no energy for sex, only kisses and sweet touches. It’s intimate and different. He’s different. We’re different in the most amazing way possible.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
LEVI
“You weren’t exaggerating when you described the town as depressing.” Stevie looks out the window, examining the main street.
Letting out a sigh, I squeeze her thigh. My anxiety is already at an all-time high, but as soon as I touch my girl, it lessens to almost nothing.
We drove for four hours from Long Island to Binghamton, and our conversation was easygoing. I let her pick all of the music—what else are boyfriends for? We made a pit stop and Stevie went to the bathroom while I bought us snacks.
When I handed her a bag of BBQ chips and gummy bears, she kissed me and smiled like I’d given her the damn moon.
I love that about her. It’s fun making her happy, and the smallest things do.
She sang almost every song when we got back on the road. I know she thinks I’m not singing because of my insecurities, but that’s not the truth. I’m comfortable enough to sing in front of her, but I would rather her voice fill my ears.
I’m falling for her. Hard and fast. It has barely been a week since I asked her to come to my house with me, but I can’t help it.
“We’re close to my grandma’s place,” I say, and she begins to look around.
Two minutes later, a small, one-story white house with light blue window panels comes into view, along with two smaller women waiting outside. One with long, brown hair and my same blue eyes, and the other with short, white hair and brown eyes.
Mom jumps from excitement as I park in the driveway. I’m such a dick for not visiting more often. Neither of them deserves how shitty of a son and grandson I’ve been.
“Hey.” Stevie grabs my hand, which is touching the wheel. Turning, I see her green eyes soften as she examines my expression. I swear this woman can read my mind, like the other day in the tattoo shop. “I’m here for you.”
Those four words mean so much more than she fucking knows.
And the three words I’ve been thinking about the past couple of days almost slip.
No, I’ll sound insane. I’m not going to rush this.
“Thank you,” I say instead.
Mom knocks on the window, startling us.
“They’re going to love you, Bambi. Let’s go.”
Two hours later, Stevie and I are cleaning up the table from the late lunch. They both fell in love with her, just as I predicted. Mom was kind and asked a lot of questions about her and her hobbies, and Grandma almost made Stevie piss her pants with her vulgarity. All in all, I call it a success.
“Honey, there’s no need to do all of that.” Mom stands and takes the plates from Stevie’s hands.
My girlfriend looks around and tries to grab something else off the table to bring to the dishwasher, but my grandma stops her. I blow out a breath and roll my eyes, waiting to see what she’s going to say next. “Normally I’d let you help out, but you made half the sandwiches and Levi has yet to show you aroundtown.”Show her what?There is nothing to see except a couple of stores and crappy restaurants. She lets go and wags her finger. “Go visit Joan at the office and get some ice cream on your way back.” Grandma smiles at Stevie and shoos both of us away.
“Thanks, Mrs. Clarke,” Stevie replies.
