Page 52 of When Alec Met Evie
Theo lifts his hands. “Sorry, sorry. I meant that as a compliment. She’s just…” He nods toward Evie. “She sounds really good.”
“She went to Juilliard,” I whisper back. “She should.”
Evie plays out the last few notes, then finally lowers her instrument.
“I thought people only played classical music on the violin,” Theo says before I can even say hello.
“You can play whatever you want on the violin,” Evie says. “Technically, ‘Memories’ was influenced by Pachelbel Canon, which is absolutely classical. It’s one of the reasons I have so much fun playing it.” She lifts her instrument again. “See? Listen.”
She plays another song, and I immediately pick up on the similarities. I don’t know a lot about classical music or the violin, but suddenly, it’s my new favorite instrument.
She stops after a few more seconds. “You hear it?”
“Totally,” Carter says. “That’s really cool.”
She looks at me, eyes warm. “Welcome back,” she says without breaking eye contact. “Are you hungry?”
“Starved,” the twins say in unison.
“Go ahead and help yourselves,” Evie says. “There’s soup and a loaf of bread you’re welcome to slice and eat.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Carter says before dragging his brother toward the kitchen.
“Please just call me Evie,” she says. “Ma’am makes me feel old.”
“Yes, ma’am—I mean Evie,” Carter says. He stops before he disappears completely and says, “I’m sure we’ll be fine on our own while we eat so don’t feel like you have to check on us.”
I have to appreciate Carter’s effort, even if it is a little pointed.
Once they’re gone, I look back at Evie, holding her gaze for a long moment. “Hi,” I finally say, wondering if she can tell how quickly my heart is beating. It hasn’t slowed since I first pulled into the garage, knowing I was on my way in to see her.
“Hi,” she says back. “You’re home.” She turns and sets her violin on the back of the piano, then takes a small step forward, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. “In my head, I thought I would hug you once I saw you again.” Her tone comes out a little sheepish, and her cheeks flush a light shade of pink. “But now I feel a little…I don’t know.”
I cross my arms and lean against the door jamb, offering what I hope is an encouraging smile. I’d love to pull Evie into a hug. In fact, as soon as she mentioned it, my muscles practically vibrated with the ache of wanting her in my arms. “It’s not too late.”
She quickly shakes her head. “It would be weird now. I imagined greeting you at the door, jumping into your arms.” She grimaces and drops her gaze to the floor. “That sounds so stupid now that I’ve said it out loud.”
She wasn’t the only one who imagined what it would be like to see her again. With all the texting and talking we’ve done over the last week, it definitely feels like we’re closer. But closer in text messages is different than closer in person, and there’s a slight awkwardness hovering between us.
I step forward and offer her my hand. When she slips her fingers into mine, I tug her toward me and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “It’s not stupid at all,” I say into her hair.
She leans into my chest, her arms looping around my waist, and breathes out a sigh as she relaxes against me. “This feels really good. I’ve been…weirdly lonely the last few days.”
In an instant, the awkwardness is gone. There’s a rightness to holding her like this that doesn’t leave room for any other emotion.
I shift my hands to Evie’s shoulders as she steps back, giving them a quick squeeze before I drop my hands. “You finally got good at that thing,” I say, motioning to her violin.
She rolls her eyes. “The last time you heard me play, I was what, eleven? Twelve? I’m feeling pretty rusty, honestly. This is the first time I’ve played since she was born.” She tips her head toward Juno, who kicks her feet like she can tell her mom is talking about her.
“You sounded amazing,” I say, and Evie smiles.
“Thanks. It felt good.”
“Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Gah,” she says, lifting her hands to the top of her head. “I don’t know. I’m so scared. I came all this way, you know? And now it’s finally here and I’m starting, and I just don’t want to screw up.”
“You’re going to do great,” I say. “You’ve got this.”
