Page 33 of Crescendo

Lydia was standing waiting at the door. She hadn’t even unlocked it yet.

I climbed the stairs towards her, feeling her watching my every move.

“Well, that was fun,” she said as I stopped in front of her.

“It was.”

“Your friends are entertaining.”

I grimaced and hummed. “They’re great, if a little… enthusiastic.”

Lydia laughed and I finally met her gaze, seeing that look in her eyes again, the one she’d had when I thought she might kiss me.

She nodded towards the door. “Ready?”

“Yes,” I said, though I had no idea what she was really asking. Probably the obvious, but it felt like something more.

Either way, the only answer in me was yes.

Chapter 9

Lydia

This time, Ella caught me after the morning classes, pushing through the crowds on my way towards the exit, and I felt her hand on my back—a little low on my back, but I didn’t mind. I glanced back at where she gave me a glowing smile, still a little nervous but radiant compared to yesterday.

“Hey,” she said. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“A favor. Well, let’s bargain, then,” I said, stepping off to the side, leaning against the wall. “Tell me what you’re after, and I’ll name my price.”

“Would it be too much bother to ask your help with going over my notes for today? I want to make sure I’m actually learning what’s in the lessons and not fall behind.”

Seemed like her letting her anger out into the piano was good for her, after all. Or maybe the piano lessons with the two of us on the bench side-by-side. Or maybe the part where we spent the whole night flirting. At least one of the above was good for her. “Going to be a high price for that,” I said with a playful smile, and she raised her eyebrows, meeting my smile.

“I was thinking of buying you lunch.”

“See, I was just going to ask for your radiant smile. But lunch sounds great too.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes affectionately. “Let’s see how well you do and then I’ll decide whether to give you myradiant smile.Won’t do if you get distracted two minutes in, now, will it?”

“Depends on what I get distracted by, Ella.”

She blushed, fumbling and losing her cool for a second, and I stood off from the wall.

“So, what’s for lunch, then? I was going to see if Clara or Bansi had any hangers-on today to have lunch with them, but I’d rather go with you.”

She took me out for the classics—off to the pub just down the street, where we had the dubious pleasure of spotting Eliza and Hannah with a little group of poshies, trying to suck up to them, but we went the long way around and sat down in the far corner under the window. I helped myself to a grilled halloumi salad at Ella’s recommendation while she got a veggie burger and chips, and we looked over her notes together, me pointing her through the key parts, filling in the gaps she missed, explaining concepts that were referenced and she didn’t know. By the time we’d polished off our food and helped ourselves to sharing a sticky toffee pudding—which did not look like any pudding I’d ever seen—Ella shut her laptop with a satisfied look of relief.

“Feeling better, then?” I said, and she put a hand on my arm—just a casual little touch, like we’d been doing constantly since we’d played the piano together, since our game of footsie at dinner last night.

“Much,” she said. “Shall I deliver your payment now?”

She gave me a radiant smile. Payment in spades, as far as I was concerned. Wondered how she’d react if I leaned in and kissed her right now, stole a bit of the peach lip gloss she had on.

“You know how to pay out,” I said. “C’mon, let’s get back already. Tempt me and I’ll want to skip the second half of classes to just look at your smile.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed, as if she wasn’t blushing and avoiding my gaze. I really wasn’t supposed to be flirting with her, given the circumstances, but… it was just a little fun.

I felt the eyes of my mortal enemy and her sidekick watching us as we headed out, and I figured I’d be in for it later, a whole lecture about staying away from Ella. Punctuated by Hannah agreeing with it. But I didn’t care too much about that right now.

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