Page 16 of Texting Mr. Stranger

I want to tell her I’m not and that she’s wrong. Yet I can’t because I can feel the heat pushing against my cheeks like so many feelings are about to burst out. It’s all so silly. Yet, it’s sort of cool to have a crush. Is that what he is, then?

“Okay, listen to this. We’re talking about a Vivaldi piece, and he says it’s like a stormy night. It has a raw energy. It’s untamed.”

The worduntamedespecially made my mind go to all kinds of steamy places.

“That’s intense for sure,” Emily says, leaning forward. She’s looking at me in that familiar, searching way. It’s difficult to hide my true feelings from her. “Untamed … Is that a hint?”

I roll my eyes as if I have no idea whatshe’shinting at. “Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb. Maybe he’s sayinghewants to get untamed with you …”

“Oh, yeah,” I mutter sarcastically. “I’m sure thatmustbe it.”

“You’re attracted to him.”

“He’s attractive,” I mutter. “That’s just a fact, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to ruin this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by making a silly move.”

It would beanothersilly move, I should say since I already crossed the line and called himcrazywhen we were talking about the “he-doesn’t-listen-to-music-in-his-car” thing.

“Ruin it?” Emily asks.

“Duh. Let’s say I let this crush get out?—”

“Wait …crush?” She’s leaning so far forward on the chair now that it’s a miracle she doesn’t spill out of it. “I didn’t know we’d entered officialcrushterritory.”

“Is this the part where you throw a big party because I’ve finally entered Crushland?” I say, trying to play it off in a jokey way.

“I was starting to think you were asexual,” she says in a teasing, loving tone. “Or that you were going to get married to your violin.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” I say, glancing at the clock. “They’re going to be here soon.”

“What about the other texts?”

I shrug, handing her my phone. “I think I’m just letting myself get carried away.”

“I don’t know,” Emily says softly, scrolling through the texts. “Like a violin whispering its secrets… Bella, you may have found the rarest kind of man. A big hunk mixed with a poet.”

“Maybe that’s just how he talks. It doesn’t mean it’s romantic, right?”

My tone is almost desperate. I need to know there’s no chance of anything ever happening between us so I don’t get my hopes up. Anyway, I was telling Emily the truth. Risking a high-value client for a crush would be the stupidest decision I could ever make.

Emily has always been good at reading me. I think she does it now as she hands me my phone. “I wouldn’t stress about it. We don’t know enough to say one way or the other.”

“Exactly,” I agree, nodding vigorously. “That’s just what I was thinking. Okay, I’m going to do some prep for the lesson.”

Emily stands. “Is that my cue to make myself scarce?”

I smile as she leaves, but the smile falters when I’m alone. I can tell Emily and myself anything I want. The truth is, I can’t stop myself from scrolling to the start of the text conversation and rereading it.

“Your bow pressure is improving,” I tell Sofia once the hour ends.

I always enjoy the look of pride on my students’ faces, but there’s something about Sofia that fills me with even more warmth. “Really?”

“One thousand percent,” I say.

When she frowns, she looks even more childlike than usual. It’s probably because of how petite she is and how young and innocent her features are.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

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