Juliet pushed herself up, clearly standing on the bars at the bottom of the stool as she leaned over the bar toward Darcy. She propped herself on her elbows, inches away.
As if magnetized, Darcy leaned in, her breath catching in her throat, her hand curling into a tight fist against the bar.
Justbefore their lips touched, Juliet breathed out, “Now, show me where the magicreallyhappened.”
Oxygen fled her lungs, and she felt a little lightheaded as Juliet shot her a knowing, glinting stare as she slid off her stool.
“Gladly,” Darcy breathed back,morethan ready –
Only to realize as she moved out from behind the bar that Juliet hadn’t walked toward the door next to the back entrance, where the stairs were that led up to her apartment.
She was sauntering across the room toward the small dais with the microphone, piano, and amps.
“Thatkind of magic,” Darcy clarified, her hands on her hips as she walked closer.
Juliet fluttered her eyelashes at her while she sat on one side of the bench. “Of course, Darcy. What else could you possibly think?” With that, Juliet patted the bench next to her. “If you dare.”
“I think you know I wouldn’t back down from a dare, especially from you,” she returned, moving to sit next to Juliet.
They were pressed tightly together on the small bench, hip to thigh, Juliet’s body heat pulsing through Darcy, able to feel her right down to her core.
Maybe they weren’t going upstairs yet, but this… felt almost as electric to her, as she watched Juliet flex her hands in preparation. Watched the tendons in them stretch, the way she then curled each finger in quick succession, rolling her wrists.
Maybemoreelectric, really.
She flashed back to Emerson teaching her how to play. By the time she’d gotten lessons from Emerson, she’d managed to teach herself crude basics from the secondhand – more than likely third- or fourth-hand – keyboard Blythe had managed to finagle for her for Christmas when the music department at the high school had gotten a grant for new keyboards. She’d written thenotes on the keys to memorize them and had then painstakingly learned simple songs by ear.
Emerson taught her like this, though, sitting right next to her on the bench. Mostly because she’d been so soft-spoken Darcy hadn’t been able to hear her when she’d been sitting several feet away.
But, undeniably, sitting next to Juliet didn’t feel anything like sitting next to Emerson.
Juliet held her hands above the keys on her end, turning that intent gaze to Darcy. “I’m not going to be playing nursery rhymes. Can you manage a piano duet?”
She snorted, derisively. “Haven’t you forgotten?” She flattened one of her hands against her chest. “Why,Ican’t even play on my own, because I always have mygrouppropping me up,” she shot back, the words Juliet had once used to belittle her having no sting in them anymore, not now. “The question, Miss Independent, is: can you?”
God, she loved the way Juliet’s eyes darkened and narrowed before she growled, “Put your talent where your mouth is, and play.”
Darcy did.
Without warning, she decided to see if Juliet could drop in and play with her. See ifshecould put her talent where her mouth was.
She started simply with “Jingle Bells,” and to the utter thrill that shot through her, Juliet promptly fell in line.
Their arms brushed together as they played, and Darcy had to make sure she stayed focused on her own hands, on the notes she was responsible for on her side of the piano, rather than on Juliet’s hands.
As they were coming to an end, Juliet surprised her, switching into a new song.
Darcy paused, thrown for a loop and needing to focus a little more for a second –“Carol of the Bells.” She dropped in, turning to give Juliet a smugly satisfied stare, but she didn’t know if she accomplished it. All she knew was that she was smiling so widely she felt it in her cheeks.
At the end of that song,shepivoted before Juliet could, into “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Slowing down their tempo, the end of the song reverberating through the air in a much gentler fade.
She still felt exhilarated, but also soft.
Really, really soft, as she kept her fingers pressed on her final note, looking at Juliet. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they wereso close, and Juliet was staring up at her intently, as she stated quietly, “I concede. Your talent remains untarnished tonight.”
Juliet’s hands slid from the keys, but she didn’t move away.
Darcy thoughtlessly moved into playing “Silent Night,” wanting to keep this atmosphere. Wanting to pause it, right here. She didn’t look away from Juliet for a moment.
