Great. Now all of the control I’d had over my thoughts were now balled up and tossed out the window.What did a wink mean?
“But I am now,” he said as he sat down on the chair and then lifted his hand and waved his fingers. “Bring me my guitar,” he commanded.
I thought about making a comment about how I wasn’t his servant, but then held my tongue. We’d already done enough flirting this evening, I feared I would explode if I did anymore.
Besides, I needed to prepare myself for what was coming after the guitar playing. Ethan was literally going to have his hands all over me. Touching me. Bringing my body close to his.
My heart started thumping in my chest as I reacheddown and picked up his guitar case. There were those two conflicting emotions again. Fear and excitement made my body feel numb. I knew how to process one on its own, but together? They made my head feel foggy and my body light.
This must be what it’s like to skydive.
Luckily, once I handed Ethan’s guitar over to him, his playful demeanor changed. A sort of stoic expression fell on his face as he set the guitar case down on the ground and unclipped the latches. Then he opened it, revealing a dark wood acoustic guitar.
I’d never seen someone have so much reverence for an instrument before. The way he held it, tuned it. It was like the guitar was a part of him that had finally come home.
It was how I felt about ballet.
All witty comebacks flew from my mind and all I could do was settle down on the floor a few feet away from him and watch. He strummed a few notes and then shook his head as he stopped and fiddled with the tuning keys. Then he would resituate himself and strum again.
About ten minutes passed before he settled into his seat and raised his gaze up to meet mine. There was this shy, worried look there that caused my breath to catch in my throat.
“Are you ready?” he asked, again with a wink.
What was with all the winking? Was this new or had he always been a winker?
Icleared my throat. “For what?”
He strummed loudly and quickly as he raised his eyebrows. Then he stopped and raised his hand up in an exaggerated way. “To beblown away.”
I rolled my eyes as I brought my legs up to hug them. Then I faked a yawn. “Eh, we’ll see.”
Ethan got a determined look on his face and turned his focus to his guitar. Music filled the studio and he closed his eyes. The sound, the beat, it all flowed through me in a way I’d never had happen before.
And then, when he parted his lips and began to sing, my life slowed down. It sounds dumb to say that time moved in slow motion, but it did. All I could see, all I wanted to see, was Ethan.
His voice was deep and rich as the words left his lips. His expression moved with the song like he was living it as he created it. He was a different person. He looked whole. He looked…happy.
Once the song ended, he let the last few notes hang in the air before he clutched the neck of the guitar and turned his attention to me. I’m not sure what I looked like, but it must have been unnerving because his brow furrowed and a worried look passed through his gaze.
He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. “So, yeah, that’s me playing the guitar.”
Not sure how to express the emotions that he evoked in me, I did the only thing that came to mind. I clapped.
Ethan stared at me as I rose to my feet. “Ethan, you’re amazing,” I said as my clap died down.
He narrowed his eyes and blew out his breath. “You’re just saying that,” he said. For a fleeting moment, I saw a small smile tug on the corners of his lips.
I had no problem telling someone when they did great. And Ethanwasamazing. “I have to admit, I was skeptical. But now that I’ve witnessed it, you’ve got to pursue this. It’s not just a hobby.”
He studied me for a moment before he dropped his gaze. “Yeah, well, my dad will never go for it.” He sighed as he strummed a few cords. “You know, family legacy and all.”
I did know. I knew what it was like to disappoint and it sucked. If I could meet the requirements of dancing, I was pretty sure I would do it even if I hated it. I was desperate for my mother’s approval. Because when it’s gone, it sucks.
“Does he know?” I asked.
Ethan glanced up at me. “Does your mom know?”
Heat pricked at the back of my neck. “It’s different for me,” I said as I turned. I didn’t want Ethan to see the pain that was so close to the surface. Blast him and his emotional songs that had me all out of whack.
