His calm sincerity is such a change from his typical chaotic energy that it makes me feel weird inside. I don’t know how to respond to him like this. He’s easier to deal with when he’s making stupid jokes and being annoying.
It’s possible I only feel weird about it because it’s been a while since I had any real friends around. Most of my friends in Chicago were mine andChristy’s together, and I pretty much lost contact with them all when I left the city. Some of them knew about the cheating and didn’t feel the need to tell me, so that was also a pretty big factor.
I still don’t understand how I wound up in this crazy town with this crazy man who decided to be my friend. But I guess it doesn’t entirely suck. I could do worse.
Clearing my throat, I stare at the floor and tell him, “Thanks. I know I’m bad at showing it, but I do appreciate it. And you.”
That’s the best I can do. I think I’ve reached my limit of sharing for the day. But with the wide smile Brenden gives me, it seems that was enough to make him happy.
I leave his office, but I still feel unsettled. As my ears pick up the faintest trace of piano music and my feet automatically take me toward the ballroom, I realize that feeling probably has a lot to do with the gorgeous redhead who has somehow burrowed herself inside my heart.
The music gets louder as I approach the ballroom doors, and when I slip inside, I find Riley at the piano, wearing a peach-colored sundress with little white flowers on it. Her hair is swept over one shoulder, leaving her upper back and other shoulder bare except for the thin dress strap. Seeing her eases something inside me.
As I walk toward her, she twists her head my way and smiles, then turns back to the piano without pausing her playing. I’m right behind her when she starts to sing.
She brings me peace like I’ve never known
I was lost, feeling untethered and alone
But when I’m in her arms, it’s like coming home
A sense of safety deep down in my bones
I never knew it could feel this way
She makes me eager to face each new day
And this can’t be wrong, no matter what they say
The way she loves me is what makes me brave
And now I’m light as a feather
Now I’m walking on air
Now the colors are brighter
I see hope everywhere
And now the nights don’t upset me
Now the cold, I can bear
Now the mornings are lovely
All because she is there
I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until she stops playing and the silence settles over us. I’m not sure if she’s breathing either. She’s suddenly as still as a statue. I place my hand between her shoulder blades, and she jolts as if she wasn’t aware of my presence, even though she clearly was. Then her shoulders sag, the tension appearing to melt away.
Her skin is warm under my palm. As I slide my hand up to the nape of her neck, she leans back into my touch. But she hasn’t turned to face me. It takes a few more moments before either of us speaks, and when we do, it’s at the same time.
“Was that—”
“That was beautiful.”
Finally, she looks at me over her shoulder. “Do you mean that?”
I step over the bench so I can sit beside her, placing my hand on her thigh. “Of course. Do you not think so?”
