Page 36 of Crescendo

And of course, today of all days was when we bumped into someone right outside the doors—Ella’s friends Alisha and Sian, who always seemed to come in twos, beaming at her.

“Ella,” Alisha said, stepping in for a quick cheek kiss. “It’s so good to see you.”

“First week of classes all done,” Sian said. “So proud of our baby.”

“Ah, ha.” Ella fumbled for words. “I’m a big girl now,” she finally settled on saying.

“Something wrong?” Alisha said. “You look like you’ve had a right nightmare of a day.”

“Just—” she fumbled, and I filled in.

“We got our first big project,” I said. “Big compositions to write. We were just on our way back to get started on them.”

“Ah.” Sian got a glint in her eyes looking between the two of us. “Well, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your project.”

Alisha didn’t get it in quite the way Sian did, lighting up at Ella. “You’re already doing a whole composition? That’s incredible. And I’m sure Lydia will be a huge help anywhere you need it.”

I smiled warmly. “I’m happy to help out Ella with anything she needs.”

“Uh,” Ella said, trying not to squirm there in the street. Taking a cool, collected woman—a qualified radiologist working right here in the heart of London—and making her squirm, it turned out, was very satisfying. “I’m still—” She caught herself with a nervous laugh. “I’m still second-guessing myself. Suddenly I feel like I’ve never done music before.”

“You’ll do amazing,” Alisha said, and Sian nodded, hands in her pockets.

“I’m sure Lydia will love what you do,” she said, and Ella pursed her lips, looking pointedly away.

“Sian and I were going to invite you for celebratory dinner,” Alisha said, “but you seem to be… busy?”

Ella swallowed. “We’re just really eager to get into this project… I’ve had ideas steeping all day. Sorry, you two. Maybe, er—maybe we could do tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow works,” Sian said. “Have a good evening, you two. Enjoy the music.”

I deliberately strolled slowly once we’d lost the two of them, heading back towards Queen’s Gate Terrace. “They’re lovely,” I said, and she laughed awkwardly.

“They are. They’re nosy. But they’re sweet.”

“Seems like you have a thing for nosy people.”

“Hm. You’d like that, I’m sure.”

“I would,” I said, which won the exchange—as I always did—leaving her in a state as we got back to the apartment. She looked at me with wide, expectant eyes, her whole posture shy, as she shut the door quietly behind us.

“So… your something special you were going to show me…”

I put a hand on her upper arm, and she softened with a quiet sound. “Have you played the strings before?”

She jerked back to alertness. “What—oh—string instruments? Er—that’s what this is?”

“I think it’s time to sample another instrument.”

“Ah… right. That makes sense.” She took a long breath, putting on a smile. “Yes—actually—just a little bit. I played the violin when I was little. I switched into woodwinds, though. Just the violin, though, and I’m not very good.”

I desperately wanted to ask her about the clarinet—to see how well she would play that thing once she pulled it out—but I knew it was still the raw, bleeding heart of this wholethingshe had, so I set it aside. “You don’t need to begood,” I said, slipping my hand around to her upper back and guiding her towards the music room. “Just to build out your repertoire and understand more of the orchestra. Let’s get you set up with the cello.”

“Not the violin?”

“No, the cello. I’m very willful.” I led her into the room, shutting the door behind us, and when I looked back and saw Ella’s eyes—those damneyesof hers, long lashes fanning out with strikingly dark mascara, her green eye glistening in the light—I couldn’t help getting a little too friendly.

I put my hands on her shoulders and walked her backwards, with a nervous little giggle that broke free from her lips as she tried not to fall backwards, until I sat her down on the couch, my hands on her shoulders, looking at where she stared up at me with those wide eyes.

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