Page 148 of Things I Read About

“Open that drawer.” He looks at the nightstand.

I sit up and lean over to do what he instructed. I am not sure how to describe the noise I make.

“That’s right. Handcuffs, blindfolds, straps, ties, toys.”

“I don’t even know if I want to try any of that,” I squeak.

He laughs as he scoops me up into him and puts us back on the bed.

“You can throw it all in the trash, baby, I don’t care. I just want you.”

I reach up and cup his scruffy cheek. “You have me.”

He sighs and kisses me on the forehead, then the nose, then the mouth. “Then I’ve got everything.” He settles back into the pillow, blissfully closing his eyes. “What’s next, school? Back next week?”

“Yes, school and…an audition.”

He doesn’t open his eyes, but he smiles.

EPILOGUE

A FEW MONTHS LATER

“You’re ready, baby,” Nate says softly. He kisses my head and I look up at him.

As always, he takes up the whole hall where we stand outside the audition room. It’s almost strange to see him outside of my house. I’ve been so consumed with studying or practicing, we’ve barely left. Nate doesn’t seem to mind, working constantly from multiple devices.

Every girl who’s walked past has ogled him, but he keeps ogling me. Probably because I wore a low-cut shirt. It increases my confidence, which is beneficial for auditions.

I think I am ready. I’ve practiced non-stop for weeks. I picked a piece I love that fits the requirements, and I’ve had a blast perfecting it.

Nate says it’s incredible.

And that he never wants to hear it again after today.

He hasn’t moved in, but he’s over so much, he basically lives with me. I did get a roommate, a friend in my class. She is an amazing study partner.

But she doesn’t love my playing.

Understandably, she’s moving out at the end of the semester.

Then, I don’t know what Nate and I will do. He’s renting and, apparently, he has a huge savings so breaking his lease is not a big deal. Him moving in before we’re at least engaged, if you ask Susan or Dad, nowthat’sa big deal.

What would his family think? I have no idea. I haven’t met them, but he did go to Boston once. Because they begged him. He’s trying. I can’t imagine being lied to by everyone I love, but he’s trying.

“Sal,” Nate says grabbing my hands. “You’ve got this in the bag. That one isearly 20th century. New York Giants baseball team carried a ball bag off the field when the team was in the lead, superstitiously claiming that the game was ‘in the bag’ and they wouldn’t lose.”

I smile.

He does that all the time now and I adore it.

He lets go of me and turns me around with a whisper, “I love you, go get ‘em!”

Right.

I’m next.

It’s a blind audition, so I go in and play behind a screen. The judges don’t know my last name. They don’t know I’m not a professional, nor do I have a degree in piano performance. All they’ll know is my audition number.