Page 53 of Play Me

“To me.”

“Well, to the school. That’s what this money was meant for, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, but.”

I press a finger to her lips.

“Just...just shush for a minute.” And I move a finger to her temple, “And shush up here, too, and just listen to me, hear me out. And then decide.”

She starts to say something, and then bites down on her tongue. And nods.

I lean over and press a gentle kiss to her lips and she sighs.

“You’re no longer tied to me for any reason. And the money is no longer contingent on any contract. I wanted to donate this money to the school, and it’s done. You couldn’t send it back if you tried. So now...we’re not bound by any contract. You don’t have to play in the band if you don’t want to, and I don’t have to keep my hands off you to make you stay. We can make decisions based on what we should’ve done this whole fucking time.”

“What’s that?”

“What we want.”

Her head whips up and her eyes lock on mine. I can see a sparkle coming to life deep in the deepest pit of her pupils.

“I never thought you wouldn’t come through with the money, Seb, it wasn’t about that, the contract. It was about...it was about...it was about not giving you the chance to break my heart.”

“I’m not going to do that, sweetheart. I promise you.” I grip her soft hand in mind, squeezing it with every word, hoping she’ll believe me.

She looks down at the cash receipt, and up at me. “Can we really do this?”

I tuck my finger under my chin, lifting her pure, sweet face to look at me. “Is it what you want?”

She nods and my heart does a backflip.

“Then yes, we can, just trust me.” And I lean in and kiss her softly.

I pull away and she shakes her head sadly. “I don’t know how.”

I smile and graze her cheek with the side of my finger.

“I’m going to show you.”

And before she can change her mind, I grab her hand and pull her to her feet.

“Come on!” I pull her out of the classroom. “Come on!”

“Where are we going?” She pants, trying to keep up with me.

“Does it matter?” I ask.

And her sweet laugh tells me it doesn’t.

***

“Are we there yet?” She asks for the tenth time, twisting around in her car seat, trying to figure out our destination.

“Where is ‘there’?”

“I don’t know!” She yells and faux glares at me.

“I know, so stop trying to get me to tell you!” I laugh.