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Alex shook his head. “Just some beats I recorded when I was younger. We’ve used a few of them for our songs.” He pulled out the parking lot and headed down the road.
“So beats come into your head randomly?” Zoe asked.
He nodded. “Music’s been in my head since I can remember. It’s a part of me.”
“I like it.” Her slender fingers grazed the plastic case. “It’s amazing that you can do that. I didn’t get the music gene. Tony and Jackson took to it better than I did.”
“What about photography? That’s your thing, right?” Alex asked.
She shrugged. “It’s a hobby. I haven’t figured out if it’s something I want, though.”
“I never asked what your major in school is.”
“Psychology.”
“Wow.”
Zoe rested her elbow on the passenger door, cradling her head with one hand. “I have too many credits not to finish. I figure by the time I do, I’ll figure out what I want.”
“What do you want?”
She didn’t answer.
“Zoe?”
“Sorry. No one’s...”
“No one’s what?”
She sighed. “Few people ask me. All my life my parents thought about what was best for me. Jackson did too. I think that’s why I went wild in college. It was my first taste of freedom. Too bad they’d been right.”
Alex reached over and clasped her hand. “We all make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them. You’re doing great.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“I’m trusting my gut.” He stopped at a red traffic light.
“Thanks. My family means well, but they have every right to worry about me. I didn’t give them much choice but to assume the worst.” Zoe rubbed at her neck with her free hand. She didn’t let go of Alex’s.
He took the opportunity and kissed her hand. “Thanks for telling me. I know that took courage.”
“That’s the thing,” she said.
“What is?”
“I don’t know why, but I want to tell you everything. I want you to know me because... I want to know you.”
“Ask me anything and I’ll tell you, Zoe. I won’t hold back anything from you.”
Zoe then reached over and cupped his cheek and kissed him. Alex closed his eyes and savored the moment. He detected a berry taste in her lipstick, and it was the best fruit he’d tasted in his life. Her lips numbed his brain. When a horn honked behind them, they laughed.
Chapter 17
“Okay, you can look now,” Alex said. He kissed her cheek.
Zoe opened her eyes, spotting a picnic table. A moonlight picnic? Her heart warmed at the thought. She pivoted and hugged Alex. “It’s so sweet.”
A single candle lit the center of the table, while the moonlight cast a soft white glow. It was just enough to reveal the general shape of the table and the bench. The sky was free of clouds, showing an astounding display of stars against the black background. The fragrance of night blooming flowers filled her lungs.
