Page 10 of Better Than the Beach
“Do you take requests?”Nolan asks as I take a seat on the wooden piano bench.
The deep timbre of his voice vibrates through the air and across my skin, and I have to fight to keep from shivering.
I’m surprised how well I’ve maintained my calm in front of this man. I can’t remember the last time I was this attracted to someone. Those hazel green eyes. That thick chestnut hair. The beard—oh, my god, the beard. He’s absolutely gorgeous.
Even the last guy I liked didn’t have quite this effect on me. He didn’t make my heart squeeze in my chest or turn my legs to jelly, all while still filling me with a strange sense of confidence. It’s the way Nolan looks at me—like I’m fascinating, or beautiful, or maybe both.
God, let it be both.
“Depends on the request,” I quip, then play a few warmup scales. The entire time, I can feel the weight of his gaze, and I’m emboldened by the attention.
“Piano Man,” Nolan says, and I roll my eyes with a laugh.
Without another word, I launch into the Billy Joel classic. When I start softly singing along, Nolan joins in, and of fucking course, the man’s voice is just as sexy as the rest of him. I stop after the first chorus, then turn my eyes on him.
“You thought you’d stump me with ‘Piano Man?’” I deadpan.
“No,” he jokes. “That was a softball toss.”
He taps his full lips with a long, dexterous finger, and my eyes stick on the motion. How can such a small gesture be so hot? Damn. I amsucha virgin.
“Your Song,” Nolan suggests after a moment, and I shake my head at him.
“Child’s play,” I say as I tap out the opening notes. “The beauty of Elton is that you never really get the same version of his songs twice, but this is the way I play it.”
Like the last song, I play through the first chorus, but I let Nolan sing solo. When I pull my fingers from the keys and turn to him, I find Nan has joined us.
“Girl, that is talent,” Nan beams. “How about ‘Blackbird’? You know that one?”
I smile and play, singing along with Nan and Nolan, and this time, I play straight through. They suggest a few more songs, and I surprise them by knowing all of them. I love the challenge, and I surprise myself by how much I can remember. It just feels good to play, to remind myself that I can, that I love it. It’s magic, music. Cathartic and healing and pure magic. What I wouldn’t give to be able to share this with people who need it...
“Enough requests,” Nolan says, shaking me from my spiral. “Play something you love.”
I think it over for a few seconds, then arch a brow playfully at him.
“You’ll probably know this one. It’s from yourera.”
He gasps, feigning offense, and I launch into “On The Way Down” by Ryan Cabrera. I get lost in the lyrics and chords, and by the time I finish, I realize I’m the only one singing. When I turn to my audience, Nan is gone, and Nolan is looking at me with such intensity that my stomach erupts with butterflies.
No one has ever looked at me like that before. Ever.
The longer our eyes stay locked, the faster my heart races. My nipples harden and brush against the rough fabric of the baggy sweatshirt. My panties dampen and I resist the urge to rub my thighs together. I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and drag my teeth over it, reveling in the way his eyes track the movement. The way his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. It’s thrilling and nerve-wracking. I can’t handle it, so I blink and look away.
“I think I’m going to, um, go. Do some reading. For class or something.” My words come out rushed and mumbled as I stand quickly from the bench. I’m a terrible liar. I don’t have reading to do for class. I’m sure he can see right through me.
“Sure,” Nolan says. “Thanks for playing for me.”
I nod awkwardly and hurry out of the room and up the stairs.
When I get to my room, I shut the door behind me and pull out my phone, but instead of texting one of my sorority sisters, I open my group chat with my friends, Ivy and Bailey. It’s kind of weird how we became close—I had a thing for Ivy’s boyfriend before they were dating, but he only had eyes for her—but now I’m just glad I have them regardless of how we met.
Me
SOS
Ivy
Uh oh. What’s up?
