Page 11 of Absolutely Not in Love
“Do you think I’ll play like that withyousomeday?” Annabelle asks.
I smile, seeing so much of myself in Annabelle’s eagerness. “I’d put money on it, Annabelle. I’ll see you in class on Monday, okay?”
She nods and says goodbye, and I thank her mom for making the effort to get her here. Even with the discounted student tickets, it’s still a big deal, and I’m always appreciative when parents make it happen.
When the two of them have finally walked away, I look to the back of the auditorium.
Felix is gone.
My heart sinks, which is a very,verybad sign.
I may not want to have a crush on my hockey-playing neighbor, but if the way my thoughts are still spiraling is any indication, I definitely do.
Honestly, it just makes me mad. I worked so freaking hard to put up the walls I needed to stay happy and healthy. That means no hockey.
Still, once my cello is packed up and I’m making my way across the lobby of the performance hall, I can’t help but scan the crowd, looking for Felix’s tall, dark form. There’s no way I’d miss him in this sea of gray hair and polyester, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“Gracie!” a voice calls from somewhere behind me.
I spin around, all thoughts of Felix leaving my mind at the sight of my college roommate hurrying toward me.
“Summer!” I hurry to close the distance between us and pull her into a hug. “What are you doing here?!”
She squeezes me tightly, despite the enormous cello strapped to my back. “I came to see you. To surprise you!”
“You were here? For the concert?” Summer only lives a few counties over in Silver Creek, but she’s an attorney—an assistant to the DA—with aspirations of world domination. Between her work life and my teaching schedule, we don’t get to see each other nearly as often as we’d like.
She smiles wide. “You know I’m a sucker for Dvorák. Excellent job, by the way. The cellos sounded great. Are you any closer to bumping Joyce out of first chair?”
“Joyce will be first chair until she retires,” I say. “But she’s welcome to it. I don’t want the pressure.”
“Miss Mitchell!” a voice calls from a few feet away.
I look up to see another one of my students. “Hi, Sophie!” I say as I smile and wave. She runs over and gives me a hug. “Thank you for coming!” I look up and make eye contact with her dad, who waves in acknowledgement. “Thanks for bringing her!” I call out as Sophie runs back to him.
“Look at you,” Summer says. “Miss Mitchell and all her little orchestra groupies.”
“Shut up,” I say. “They’re my students.”
“They love you.”
I shrug. “They’re good kids. How long are you in town? Can you stay? Can we get food?”
“I can stay until Sunday if you’ll have me,” she says, looping her arm through mine. “Would it be a terrible imposition for me to stay with you? I promise you can say no, and I’ll grab a hotel room.”
I wave away her concern. “Don’t even think about a hotel. I don’t have a guest room, but I do have a very comfortable couch.”
“I’ll take it,” Summer says. “I’d sleep in your bathtub if it meant a little more time with you.”
We head toward the parking lot still arm in arm, my heart so full, I almost completely forget about Felix until I see his black Audi waiting to turn out of the parking lot. The windows are tinted, so if I didn’t recognize his car, I wouldn’t know it was him, but I’ve been parking next to him for six months. I’d know that car anywhere. I even recognize his license plate number.
“Hey, you okay?” Summer asks, following my gaze. “Is that someone you know?”
“Oh, no. I thought I recognized someone, but I…did we talk about food yet? Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”
Summer eyes me curiously, her eyes darting back to Felix’s car as it finally turns onto the main road and disappears out of sight. “I’m hungry,” she finally says. “But don’t think I’m letting this go. You’re telling me who was driving that black Audi while we eat.”
I scowl, and she lifts an eyebrow. “I bet people hate going up against you in court,” I say.
