Page 27 of Speechless

“No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to having a bed to myself. It’ll be weird but I’m sure Rowan appreciates some new smells.”

Henry cocks his head and looks at me like he sees through everything I’m saying, like he knows exactly how much I’m dreading getting into bed alone tonight. I wish I could read him as easily. Maybe then I could have figured out what happened tonight that had him so frozen.

“Well, I can’t remember how many times I’ve fallen asleep on this couch. Maybe your luck will really take a turn for the worse and you’ll wake up next to me again.”

His crooked grin is so endearing. If he only knew how I actually woke up this morning, not next to him, but wrapped around him as if he were a eucalyptus tree. My face heats and I push the thought away. He really just offered to sleep on the couch so I don’t feel alone. It’s refreshing to be around someone who can read me so well, who cares about how I’m feeling. I give him a silent thank you.

“I’m gonna go throw on some pajamas, just in case. Feel free to pick a movie.” I scurry across the living room to go change and pick out a warm but flattering pair of PJs.

Once we’re settled in, he turns onThe Vampire Chronicles. I look over to see him trying, and failing, to stifle a grin.

“Really? This is what you want to watch?”

“Hey, I have a new appreciation for this one. If I hadn’t heard you humming along to the music, I may never have met you.” He’s right, it still feels surreal that I met him at all, let alone that I’m now living in his house. I decide to be quiet and give the movie another shot. At least I know I love the score.

A little over halfway through he turns it off and looks at me apologetically.

“You’re right, that film is absolute crap. Are we really expected to believe vampires glow like the bloody northern lights? Absolute idiocy.”

I can’t stop laughing. I love this side of Henry. His wit, sarcasm—it’s infectious. At dinner, he wrote a song about a love triangle between the rigatoni, ravioli and gnocchi. It was hilarious, and somehow still more romantic than this movie.

When you’re hollow inside, she’ll take you for a ride

If you’re stuffed with cheese, she’ll bring you to your knees

Gnocchi is the bite you’ve been dreaming of

So soft so smooth, you’re falling in love

A bit of a slut, she wants them all

Pastas big, stuffed, or small

Now I can’t getit out of my head . . .

“Lucy, you all right?”

“Yeah, just thinking about your upcoming album:Love & Pasta. Think you’ll win another Grammy?”

“Only if I can get John Legend on vocals. Pasta’s quite soulful, don’t you think?”

We spend the rest of the night coming up with more lyrics and picking the right singer for each one. Hearing Henry rhyme “bucatini” to “string bikini” and “shells and cheese” to “oh baby please” has me giggling to the point of being completely breathless. I’m not sure when he goes to grab his guitar, but actual music is being made now, even if it’s just for fun.

Fun.

I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun. The last thing I recall before dozing off is the line “you make me want to be al dente,” and feeling his feet lightly brush mine in the corner of the couch.

13

Henry

Last night wasthe best night of my life.

Even now, sitting at the piano, I can’t stop smiling. I’m worried my face may get stuck this way. I’ve completely lost track of time today. I’m not even sure if I’ve eaten, though after last night’s feast I doubt I need any sustenance. I haven’t left the studio once.

It’s not uncommon for a melody to suddenly pour out of me. This one has been on repeat for hours now. Lyrics are usually another story—something I have to dig deep for—which is why I rarely write them. Today though, I’m not even sure where the words are coming from. It’s like they’ve manifested directly from my lips, bypassing my thinking center entirely. Maybe all the pasta rhymes from last night jump started something inside me.

Maybe it’s just Lucy.

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