Page 36 of Our Little Moments

I’m about to agree when I hearher voice. It’s pure magic.

I glance up at her face through the window, and the emotions I see there knock the breath out of my lungs. She’s focused, grounded, andhappy. Not happy as in joyful, but a soulful kind of happiness.

It’s almost as if she didn’t just find the piano room, but rather found herself. And I hope with everything in me that she did.

Stella

I hit the final note, feeling high from happiness. This felt good.So good.

I turn around to leave when I see Layla leaning on the doorframe. My cheeks flame. Then I notice that her eyes are teary. “Crap. Are you okay?”

I rush over to her side, guilt rushing through me. I should’ve stayed with her. Layla giggles and wraps her arms around me in a hug. Relief washes over me.She’s fine.

“That was beautiful, Stella.” Her voice is full of emotion, and it’s makingmeemotional.

“I’m still a little rusty.”

Laylacackles. “Rusty? Stella, there wasnothingrusty about that.”

I grin. “Stop showering me with compliments.”

She shakes her head, still giggling. “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

We both laugh as we make our way outside of the library, the late afternoon sun casting a warm glow.

“This library has to have some magic in it! A piano, Stella! Apiano! What are the odds of you finding a piano in a library?!” Layla stops mid-sentence when she notices us standing there.

She suddenly looks at me, a frown pulling at her brows.

Adrian and Isabella are standing near the library. My smile widens.

“Why are they here?” she mutters to herself.

I glance back at Layla, just as confused. “I don’t know.”

Adrian

My eyes lock onto Stella’s face, and for a moment, I can’t look away. She’sgorgeous. Her eyes are dazed, crinkled at the corners from a smile so big. Her smile could rival the sun.

“I heard you playing the piano. You were amazing,” I tell her, ignoring my sisters’ curious gazes.

Stella’s smile widens, if that’s even possible. “Thank you. I’m out of practice, but I hope to get better.”

If Stella practices, her music will be out of this world with the talent she already has.

“Well, I gotta go now,” Layla says, eyeing us both suspiciously. “Have a nice rest of your day, Stella.”

She starts to walk away but pauses, turning back to me. “And, Adrian? I’ve got my eyes on you.”

I chuckle, ignoring her comment, and take a step closer to Stella. “You played before?”

Stella tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, obviously nervous. “Yeah. I played as a teenager. I stopped before I joined the tournament, and . . . I never picked it up again until today.”

“Well, you clearly aren’t out of practice.”

She laughs nervously. “If you all keep saying that, I might start believing it.”

I chuckle. “I thought you were the honest one here. You can tell the truth, but you won’t accept it?”

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