Page 42 of Exactly What I Needed
“I swear that’s what you were singing,” I replied, looking up at him.
“I only have this studio for another ten minutes, Princess. I thought, as the famous Duvaldi, you’d catch on quicker than you have,” he taunted, and I clicked my tongue, rolling my eyes.
I liked this. Lying in his lap while he sang to me, and then I repeated the lyrics.
“I’ll get it right this time, I promise.”
“Oh, will you now?” He widened his eyes as I wiggled my brows. He sang the same line one more time, and I repeated it back, correctly. Sighing in relief, he closed his eyes. “You know, it’s quite haunting to hear my song sung in more of an operatic way. Your voice is incredible.”
“But not fit for this genre,” I muttered.
“I can teach you.”
“You still owe me guitar lessons.”
“Am I going to find out that that was all a ploy and you already know how to play?” He lifted an accusatory brow.
I giggled. “No, I really don’t know how to play the guitar.”
“What do you know how to play?”
“How long do you have? If it’s an orchestra instrument, I can get by,” I answered and closed my eyes as his fingers slid through my hair again. “I like this,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he tenderly replied.
Silence fell between us, but not the kind that felt strange and overwhelming. The kind that held longing and desire. The kind that bound two people together in comfort and necessity. I needed him, not just wanted. He was that relief I’d been seeking for far too long.
“Asher?” I began.
“Hmmmm?”
“You know what I’m going to say…” It killed me to merely think about it, so I left it at that.
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered.
A tear slid from my eye. Today hadn’t gone how I’d expected, and I couldn’t figure out if that made things worse or not. His thumb quickly brushed the tear away before it could drop from my skin. His touch lingering upon my face. With each passing second, another chip in my heart cracked.
“Asher?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Promise me something?”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll keep trying. No matter how many times I…”
I heard him deeply inhale and pried my eyes open to see him gazing at the ceiling with a smile.
“I promise,” he softly replied.
There. Now, even when I rejected him again and again, he’d keep coming back. There. I’d found a way to tell him what I wanted without entirely breaking my best friend’s heart and trust. It would have to do for now.
The clicking of my laptop keys echoed around the empty house. I was surprised that Sydney wasn’t home when I got back from the studio, but at the same time, she was a free spirit and often went places I had no idea about. Part of me wished I was as easy-going as she was, but apparently, it didn’t seem to be Asher’s type, and right now, he was all that was on my mind. Besides, it had given me some ample time to clean the house, fold Sydney’s laundry, and get some of my other usual chores done.
Glancing up from my laptop, I heard the front door unlock and paused my work. Giggling came from the one and only best friend of mine before she tossed her shoes to the side and crashed into the dining room.
“Cosi!” she squealed, carrying something in her hands. “You’ve got to see what I bought!”
