“You’re coming on a little strong here, love.” I speak low under my breath.
My fingers never still, nor do hers as she blinks a few times, shaking her head. “Fuck.”
The corner of my lip twitches as I fight a smile at the infuriatingly charming girl. “You’re alright, just start dialing it back gradually.”
She does so, lessening the magic she’s pouring into the air slowly. It takes nothing away from her skill, leaving people just as captivated, but entranced of their own merit.
“Why didn’t you tell me you could play?” she asks, and my amusement grows, feeling lighter and less stressed.
“You never asked.” We play a little longer before I admit, “It’s been years, and like you, I don’t have the fondest memories attached to it. I’m surprised you’re even up here playing.”
She doesn’t falter, even turning her attention away from the keys and onto the side of my face. I’m not nearly as confident, keeping my eyes downcast.
“On the contrary. Music is the one thing they can’t take away from me no matter how hard they try,” she states adamantly, her voice clear and steady despite the heavy buzz she’s feeling.
I lick my lips, being careful not to make a mistake on the complicated crescendo. “You’re something else, Cambria Alina Lark. Every time I think I have you figured out, you say something like that and make me question everything.”
Even she refocuses on the keys during this section, the two of us unable to speak as we push ourselves harder, faster. The music swells, and I lose track of our conversation, caught up in the music just as much as her now.
A line of sweat trickles down my temple as we finish. She managed to draw back her abilities completely and the room wastes no time breaking into applause and excited chattering, but she doesn’t give them a moment’s notice.
She pivots in her seat to face me, chest rising and falling rapidly with her quick breaths. “Whatever may have happened, I’m glad you decided to play again. I’m not going to pry; it’d be hypocritical of me after everything, but I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
I groan, suppressing the urge to kiss her and undermine an entire night’s worth of effort. “You, breed-who-must-not-be-named, are without a doubt the biggest challenge I’ve come across in my thirty-one years on this earth.”
She gasps melodramatically, getting to her feet. “Lie all you want, but Dorian’s rubbed off on you.”
I grab a glass of water from a waitress. “If you’ll recall, it’s Atlas that mocks his obsession with anime and manga; anything he constitutes as ‘nerd’ stuff. Not me. Though this, on the other hand, was a popular movie reference. Who do you think raised him?”
Her grin splits her face as Atlas returns to steal his date back for the evening. She rises on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and the two leave smiling, dancing to the gentle music now flowing through the intercom system someone was inspired to utilize.
Cambria changed the tone of the entire event with just that one act, and everyone is enjoying themselves far more than they were before. The terse business deals give way to laughter and the sniping is replaced with humorous anecdotes.
If only she could see herself the way the rest of the world does instead of the way she was trained to.
Chapter 19
