Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s meet for a drink sometime next week.”
“Sounds good.”
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even remember how I’d gotten to my parking space in the lot. Nolan drew me into his arms as soon as I stepped inside his apartment, and that made everything click into place like the final piece of a puzzle. Or maybe the perfectly held note of a final chord. My apartment might not really feel like home—might never feel like that—but he sure did. And that was all I needed.
I gasped when I felt something slide against my foot and looked down to see Wednesday circling me as if wanting my attention. I crouched down to pet her, already expecting to be rebuffed, but she actually let me stroke behind her ears. And that was the damned cherry on the cake, wasn’t it? This grumpy cat making me feel at home too.
29
Nolan
Ellis and I were at Mom’s for Christmas Eve with Annabeth and Collin. Once dinner was finished and we made a toast around the tree, using eggnog spiked with brandy, we began opening gifts.
Ellis handed me a package, and I carefully unwrapped it to find everything a musician could want: a new guitar strap to replace my ratty one, high-quality strings, and a coffee-table book of guitar legends.
“You realize nothing I give you will ever compare to your gift, right?” Ellis asked.
“Stop. I love all of it.” I flipped to the first page of the book, which featured Jimi Hendrix. Had I been alone, I would’ve started reading because it was a cool gift.
I could feel Annabeth’s gaze on me. “Wait, what did Nolan get you?”
“You didn’t tell them?” Ellis asked.
“We’ve been busy,” I muttered.
“Yes, too busy to have a phone call with your mother,” Mom said with a mock scathing look. “So tell us now.”
“Can I do the honors?” Ellis asked.
I chuckled because I could see the excitement in his eyes. Plus, I loved that he appreciated it so much. Damn, if that was how he responded, I’d make him a hundred instruments. “Go for it.”
“Nolan made me an acoustic bass, practically from scratch,” Ellis said with wonder in his voice, and Collin’s eyes went wide.
“I work in a repair shop and have access to pieces and parts,” I explained. “So it’s really not that big of a deal—”
“Of course it is.” Ellis threw me a pointed look, and I almost laughed out loud. “Mine was taken during the robbery, and I was definitely missing it.”
“Um, okay, who stole my brother and replaced him with this romantic human being?” Annabeth stared at me as if seeing me through new eyes.
Mom grinned. “I always knew he had it in him.”
“Right?” Ellis replied. “And then the song?”
“What song?” Mom asked, and I felt hot all over.
“Oh, no, we don’t have to—”
“Shoot, you didn’t want me to mention that?” Ellis frowned. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Oh no you don’t!” Annabeth scoffed. “The cat is out of the bag, so you need to fess up.”
Ellis looked away, probably afraid he’d ruined everything, but I reached for his hand, prompting him to look at me. “I guess love makes you do all sorts of wild things. Like write a song about the guy you fell for.”
“Oh my God,” burst from Mom’s mouth as Annabeth clapped in approval and Collin grinned.
“And he sang it in front of the crowd at our show.”
“No way!” Annabeth exclaimed. “No doing that again unless we’re there.”
“It was spontaneous, believe me.”
“Why don’t you write me love songs?” Annabeth asked with a fake pout to Collin.
“See what you started,” Collin said accusingly. “Quick, open a gift from me.” He pulled a package from under the tree, and she immediately beamed.
I put my arm around Ellis and pulled him closer as Annabeth unwrapped theater tickets to her favorite play. Her excitement was contagious as she lifted her arms and cheered like she’d scored a touchdown. And maybe she had because Collin was good for her.
I scored too, I thought as I leaned over and kissed Ellis’s temple. When our eyes met, his pupils glittered in the lights of the tree. “That look right there is all I need for Christmas.”
30
Ellis
“Is that why the band broke up?” Mom asked in a concerned tone as Nolan and I ate Christmas dinner with her and my stepdad.
I met Nolan’s gaze because it was a sore subject for him. Regret came swiftly after that night, and he’d wondered if he’d gone too far. But like I told him, it was bound to come to a head anyway.
I suddenly understood why it was so hard to hide who you were, especially in front of people you loved. It was actually painful, like poking at a bruise that never healed.