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I nod, giving Henry one last pet before shifting my focus to my friends and food. Maybe now I’ll finally be able to finish these waffles. “I think I want to find a job or maybe volunteer. I don’t know.” I nibble at the corner of my mouth, waiting to hear what they think.
“Do you need the money?” Rei asks.
“Well, no.” I shrug. Between Kate and Emmett insisting they’ll pay my rent and my aunt sending me pocket money every month, plus my SSDI benefits, I really didn’t need the money. “I guess it’s more about getting the experience and trying something new.”
Grace hums. “Okay, so do you have any idea what you’d like to do?”
“I don’t really know,” I admit truthfully. “I’m good at music, but that’s about it. There is also the fact that I can’t do just any job.”
I like to think of myself as an independent person. Iaman independent person, but I’m not blind to the fact that my independence has limitations. No pun intended.
Most college students worked in cafés, bars, or stores, which was a big no for me, considering all the people that were moving around the space. I also couldn’t ask my colleagues or my boss to keep the place spotless and everything in its place so I would be able to find it easily.
“True. Did you think about maybe giving music lessons?” Jade suggests.
“I’d tell you to come toBright Haven,but I know they don’t have a music room,” Grace chimes in. “Although I’m sure there are people who’d be interested in learning how to play the piano on campus. Maybe you could post it on the board in the library or try advertising online? It might be a good option since you’re planning on helping Kate with music therapy at the ranch, right?”
I’ll help you with your bucket list, and you’ll help me with my music. It’s a win-win.
I nod my head absentmindedly, Sebastian’s words still ringing in my head. “That’s the plan.”
After finishing college, Kate decided to open a new branch on Emmett’s ranch. While they’ve mostly been focused on cattle when we moved to Bluebonnet, they’ve also had a few horses. At first, Kate was terrified of them, but over time she fell in love with them too and decided she wanted to open a rehabilitation center focusing on horse therapy.
“I’ll think about it. Thanks, girls.”
“Oh! I just had an idea.” Jade bounces in her seat. “I know you have Henry, but maybe you could think about volunteering at the dog shelter?”
“A dog shelter?”
“Yes. I remember Alyssa telling me about it a while ago. They always need people to help around.”
“Huh, I never thought of that.” I could totally see myself doing that. The excitement blooms in my belly at the idea. “Do you have time today? I wanna go and check it out.”
* * *
Although I was slightly worried, Angie, the manager of Blairwood’s dog shelter, was more than happy to welcome Henry and me. She showed me around and promised to send me an online form to fill out so she could have my info.
Jade stayed with me until I was done, and then we walked back to campus, where the rest of the day passed in a blur of different classes.
Unlocking the door of my building, Henry and I walk inside. We’re halfway up the staircase when I hear it—that familiar strumming of the guitar.
Sebastian.
Just thinking about him has my heart speeding up in anticipation.
How I didn’t connect it that first day, I’ll never understand. Then again, I wasn’t really expecting Sebastian Black to walk out of the apartment next door.
But if you listen intently, you can hear it—that tone of the music was uniquely him.
I carefully listen as we climb all the way to our floor, pulling Henry to a stop and letting myself take it in. The melody is choppy at best and not at all what I’d expect from Sebastian. You can hear his frustration with himself in every pull of the strings. He stops for a second before starting again, but the result is the same.
The melody is soft and haunting. I can hear the potential in it, but once again, he stops playing before even giving himself time to get into it, and this time I can hear soft muttering coming from behind the closed door.
I bite the inside of my cheek.
What must it be like? To want to play but not be able to?
I couldn’t imagine it. More importantly, I didn’t want to imagine it. Music was such an essential part of my life. I might not have been performing for thousands of fans in sold-out arenas, and I was fine with that because my music was just for me. Sitting down at the piano, feeling the cool, ivory keys under my fingertips filled me with joy unlike anything else. But more importantly, it gave me peace.
