Page 51 of Crescendo

“You’ll be thanking me later,” Sian said, pulling a bag from under the table.

“What’s it even for?” I asked, bewildered. I’d just thought she’d gone shopping before meeting us.

“Think of it as a celebration gift—doing Crescendo, making it to the end of your first week, making friends… You know, the whole thing.”

I took the bag tentatively. “You really didn’t need to do that.”

“You haven’t seen what it is yet,” Alisha said, half warning, half amused.

I frowned. “Should I…?”

“Yes,” Sian said before Alisha could get a word in.

I slipped a purple gift box out of the bag. It shimmered slightly in the lights.

For reasons unknown—other than simply knowing Sian—my heart pounded nervously. I shot the two of them another look before pulling the lid up and away from the box, just a little, to peek inside.

“Oh, god. Sian!” I snapped the lid down again. “What the hell is that?”

She cackled. “What? Never tried one before? Now, I’m extra glad I got you one.”

“What—I… I… What?”

She waved a hand casually in the air. “I just thought you might be able to findsomeoneto have some fun with it.”

I knewexactlywho she thought I should be having fun with. With that.

I looked around, ensuring nobody had seen inside the box. “I cannot believe you had me opening that here.”

“It’s fine,” Sian said, glancing at the people around us. “They’re all adults. People have needs.”

“Not ones I need to… show off to an entire restaurant.”

She laughed again. “Eh. I guess exhibitionism isn’t for everyone.”

“Sian,” Alisha chastised again.

“Nobody saw, don’t worry.” She nodded at the box. “And, you’re welcome.”

I stared at her. She was unbelievable and, yet, entirely believable.

And I definitely wasn’t about to get into the fact that I didn’t necessarilyminda little exhibitionism if it was the secret, touching you up under the table kind that I’d been doing with Lydia lately…

Despite the embarrassment, it wasn’t like I couldn’t see the… potential of the gift either.

I wondered whether Lydia would like it.

∞∞∞

It wasn’t too late when we finished dinner and walked a few minutes down the street to a café, grabbing dessert to take home.

Callum hadn’t come up again, and the rest of dinner had been wonderful, but I could feel the shadow of that conversation weighing heavy in my mind and my body, making me exhausted. I’d planned to take the Tube home but maybe I’d grab a taxi instead. And, if I was doing that, I could bring hot drinks too…

We ordered, collected our things, and said goodbye as I flagged down a black cab, both of them hugging me tightly. I wasgrateful for the night with them—and the gift, even if I wasn’t sure I was ever going to tell Sian if I’d used it.

The ride home wasn’t too long, but I regretted not taking the Tube when sitting in the back of the taxi, alone, just made me dwell. My body was itching to get home, to be back with Lydia, to have her do whatever it was that let her shut down my brain until all that existed was her.

I found her in the music room, playing something a little different than usual. It was beautiful, but she stopped as soon as she saw me, looking up with delight that drooped when she seemed to see through my carefully constructed façade.

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