“Right now, I’m still here because I fell in love with this grand piano. Honestly, it feels totally different from playing the electric piano at home.”
I nod. I can imagine that. I’ve never played an electric piano. We had pretty much the same kind of piano as this one in our living room.
“Aside from that, I have to go to the record store anyway.” He looks at his watch. “In about an hour. It’s not really worth going home in the meantime and then leaving again in half an hour. I’d rather stay here and play a little.”
My fingers pause mid-motion, and only the notes that Easton is playing ring out for a moment. Then he stops too.
“Sorry. I interrupted you, didn’t I? I can leave and let you play.” I make a move to get up, but Easton grabs my wrist and gently pulls me back onto the stool.
“You didn’t interrupt me, and I don’t want you to leave,” he says, looking directly into my eyes. So directly that I can feel the blood rising to my cheeks.
“Okay,” I say.
“Besides, there’s still a lot I have to tell you.”
I have to smile, and he stares at my mouth, which suddenly feels terribly dry.
“You have a beautiful smile,” he says. He sounds so sincere that my face gets even hotter. His voice sounds a little hoarse too. Help, what’s going on here?
“You wanted to tell me some things,” I remind both him and myself.
He clears his throat. Is he blushing too? “Right. So basically, I’m here because the school needed a replacement for Deborah, and Jase suggested me.”
“How do you and Jase know each other, anyway?”
“He lived with me over the summer. Not last year, but the yearbefore. He was having problems with his parents. He needed a place to sleep, and we had room.”
“That was nice of you.”
“That’s just the way I am,” he says, nudging me, and now I roll my eyes. But I can’t stop the smile that’s sneaking its way onto my face. How does he do that? How can he make me smile so easily?
“I know.” I look at him more closely, and now he’s definitely blushing. I shouldn’t find that cute, but I do.
“Anyway,” he continues, “Jase got me the job, and that’s why I’m here.”
“Isn’t that a lot? The job at the record store, here, and also the Lighthouse. You’re still working at the Lighthouse, right?”
“Yeah, I am, but it doesn’t hurt to have some extra money. We really need a new van.”
“But will you have enough time for the band?” I can hear the worry in my voice.
“Yeah. It’s no big deal. I’m here in the mornings, at the record store in the afternoons, and I only DJ at the Lighthouse on weekends anyway.”
“How’s the band going?” I ask, immediately feeling guilty for not asking sooner. I’m a terrible friend.
“Pretty good. We’re still waiting for our big break.” He laughs, but it sounds hollow.
“So the search for a label is—”
“Slow? Yeah, you could say that.”
“Sorry to hear it.”
“Don’t be. You can’t do anything about it.”
“Is there any way I can help?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
Easton turns to me in surprise. “No. I really couldn’t ask you to do that.”
