Page 27 of So This Is Love

“You sort of get used to it, though. And there’s a ton of people that you don’t see unless they want you to,” Bryce says.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I reply.

“I heard you when you said that you don’t want to be in my ‘orbit’. I’m going to do everything I can to honor that, okay?”

Bryce’s words feel genuine and I feel a squeezing in my chest at the idea that he’s taking my wants so seriously. I decide to focus on other things instead of the warm feelings in my chest that are trying to keep my attention.

“You talked shit about my work being my life, but isn’t that true for you too? Touring and releasing albums and all that doesn’t just happen. That takes a lot of time and hard work.”

“It does, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have hobbies or take time off. Hell, it's been almost four years since I was on tour.”

“What are these hobbies?” I ask skeptically.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Bryce says smiling. “We’re actually going somewhere for one of my hobbies now.”

The drive to this mystery location takes about thirty minutes. Bryce pulls off the main street and goes down a back alley. He parks the car behind what looks like a warehouse with only one other car in the small lot.

“I swear if you’re planning on taking me in there to murder me, I will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Bryce throws his head back and laughs. He kills the engine and gets out of the car and walks around to the passenger side and opens my door. He holds his hand out to help me out of the car but I don’t take it.

“I am so serious,” I deadpan, a serious look on my face.

“Come on. I promise you won’t be murdered.”

I give him another skeptical glance before I take his hand and slide out of the car. The back door to the warehouse opens and a white woman with long blonde hair and a fitted pantsuit stepsout, holding the door open with her back. We get closer and she speaks.

“Mr. Taylor, welcome in.”

“Thank you,” Bryce replies.

We step into the building and follow the woman down a hallway that is not very well lit. I keep my guard up, really wishing that I had actually kept up with those boxing classes Zara and I took all of two times. The end of the hallway has another door with ‘showroom’ on it in faded letters that were probably once white. The woman pulls the door open and we step into a large room full of … pianos? There are over a dozen pianos spread across the room, the bright overhead lights shining against the shiny wood.

I turn around to look at Bryce, frowning.

Bryce grins. “You should’ve seen the look on your face when we went down that hallway. Your ass was so scared.”

I smack him lightly with the back of my hand.

“You’re the one who brought me to a back entrance and down a dark dingy hallway. I didn’t know what to expect!”

“You never have to be worried about your safety with me, Laila. I won’t ever hurt you and I will never let anyone else hurt you when I’m around either.”

There it is again. Those little flutters in the base of my belly that spark whenever I’m around Bryce.

“Would you like anything to drink? Sparkling water? Champagne.” The woman who escorted us in asks with a tight lipped smile.

Bryce answers for the both of us. “Champagne is fine.”

Champagne and pianos… what in the actual fuck is going on.

“I’ll be just a moment, but feel free to have a look around the showroom.”

She disappears to a back room and then it’s only me and Bryce.

“You brought me to a piano showroom?” I ask, still confused.

Bryce walks further into the room, running the pads of his fingers over the lacquer of the top of a black grand piano.

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