later? I want to see this girl.
Me: Absolutely. And Mom? I really like her so maybe don’t tell her it took me until I was ten to learn how to tie my shoes the right way.
Mom: Sorry, that text didn’t come through.
Me: MOM!
Mom: Will you look at the time?
Me: MOOOOMMMMMMMMM
Mom: LOVE YOU!
I stared down at the phone, irritated but smiling, and then wiped my hands down my face as I thought about it more. Could I just tell Piper how I felt? Even though it was so soon?
I groaned and tossed a pillow to the floor. My mom always did say that when I fell, it would be instant and hard. I remember laughing in her face. Not laughing now. No, I was suffering and wondering how Piper’s phone calls were going, and wishing we were both naked.
“Hey!” Piper knocked on my door. “You okay?”
I looked up. “Is that my shirt?”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “Possibly?”
“Damn, it looks better on you.”
“It’s black.” She grinned, and I tossed a pillow in her direction. She dodged it. Suddenly, she was running toward me and jumping on top of me.
I kissed her first—I think.
Her hands found my face, pulling me closer as she hooked her legs around me.
Bliss.
This was what people wrote love songs about.
This was what people fought wars for.
This feeling right here, where her heart seemed to beat my name.
I wanted to tell her I was keeping her. It was on the tip of my tongue, and I opened my mouth—
“I got an interview.”
I stilled, eased out a breath, and tried for a fa?ade of nonchalant interest. “Where at?”
She pulled back and smiled. “It’s a secret.”
I laughed, even though I wanted to immediately do something illegal like lock her in my room. “Ah, well, I bet I have a few ways to get you to confess.”
“Mmm, really?” She tugged my shirt over her head and pressed an open-mouthed kiss against my lips. “Still so sure?”
I couldn’t think beyond the word mine, so I didn’t talk at all. I used my actions to show her how I felt, to show her I was owned. That a life coach had waltzed into my world, tipped it upside down—or maybe right side up—and made me realize that I had something to give the world beyond a gimpy leg, my voice, and my life.
I had my songs.
And that’s why we needed music. Because sometimes words weren’t enough. But pair those words with notes, and you had a masterpiece that moved people to tears, moved them to action, moved individuals in general.
Piper pulled away and tilted her head. “Did you get a lot of writing done?”
I jerked my chin toward my notepad. “Take a look.”
She slowly crawled out of my lap—topless, might I add—then grabbed the yellow notepad and started reading.
I’d never been nervous about anyone going over my lyrics before. Not until that moment. Suddenly, she started wiping tears from her cheeks.
Without speaking, she grabbed the notepad and went into the living room. I slowly followed.
She grabbed my vision board and started drawing.
I let her sketch, though I didn’t know how she was seeing through her tears to do it.
When she was done, I was stunned into complete silence.
She’d drawn a small globe and then had written my name over it. After that, she drew a sun next to it.
“I knew you would never put this down, but it needs to be on here. Because the minute this album drops, you’re going to change the world with your light, and I’m so damn proud to be a part of it, even in a small way.” She turned, and I almost lost it, almost told her I loved her. I knew that my love was too soon, but I didn’t care.
Instead, she beat me to it by kissing me again and again. I was lost to her and barely had any time to take her to the couch before our clothes went flying and our touches became a hurried mixture of pain and pleasure. When I thrust into her, felt her heat around me, I knew I would never want anyone else.
Ever.
“Stay,” I whispered as we moved in sync.
Her eyes were glassy as she answered, “Where else would I go?”
I flipped onto my back, letting her ride me as she pressed me into the couch, her hair draped over her face.
“Away,” I barely squeezed out, finding myself getting choked up. “Would you believe me if I told you, you were my soul?”
“Would you believe me if