Page 53 of Vespertine

“I don’t like Vespertine.”

Nicky smiled. “Okay. That should make it easier then.”

Her gaze met his and she sounded almost embarrassed by herrequest. “Fine. Play ‘With or Without You.’”

“U2. Got it.”

Nicky closed his eyes again for this one, feeling Lizzie’smeasuring gaze bore into him with suspicious judgment. She clearly doubted hecould pull this off, despite having just watched him perform many other songs.

As he picked out the notes, he tried to find the emotions heneeded to bring the music to life. His fingers moved over the fretboardeffortlessly and he let a movie play in his mind. Green-hazel eyes that shiftedcolor in sunlight and golden-brown hair that fell a little too thick anddefinitely too long for a priest. Full, almost heart-shaped lips and goldenlashes against strong cheekbones. A sunset glowed behind Jazz through Nicky’sattic bedroom windows, as, with desperation in his gaze, he forced a wound intoboth their hearts.

Yearning became a thing with a rhythm and a heartbeat, andthe song grew into the past made manifest. The sound of shifting bodies stilledand Nicky’s voice trembled as he sang on. His fingers never failed, though, andthe broken heart he’d never recovered from bled through his voice and hands.

Halfway through, fingertips gently grazed his shoulder andhe opened his eyes to see Lizzie had moved to stand beside him. She stared athim like she was seeing a human being for the first time.

He swung to the side so he was singing directly to her and,as he came to the bridge, she joined in. Her voice was a pure, thick honey andit poured over his scratchy, vulnerable tenor and soothed it. They sangtogether through the end of the song with her fingers resting on his shoulder.When it was over, she smiled at him. It made his heart hurt.

Applause broke out hard and wild, and he gestured to her totake a bow. She did and the other kids whistled and slapped her on the back,telling her she’d done great.

“Wow, Lizzie! I didn’t know you could sing like that!” Guswhispered shyly, and Jason looked impressed, too.

Lizzie’s eyes glowed.

A noise came from across the room and Nicky looked upexpecting to see Mrs. Wells’s usual stern expression calling an end to theirfun. Instead he found Jasper standing frozen by the doorway, his eyesheavy-lidded and his mouth softly open, his right hand pressed to his heart.

“When’s the last time you went on vacation?”

“Me?” Jasper gave Andrew a curious look. “Don’t really know.Why? You thinking of going somewhere? I’m probably not the right person torecommend a place.” He tucked his clerical shirt into his pants and made surethe sacristy was tidy.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I just figured you must have alot of time saved up. You could use some of it, take a break. Go somewhere new.”

“Andrew?” Jasper put a hand on his hip. “What’s going on?”

Rubbing at his wrinkled cheeks, Andrew sighed. “You weredistracted during Mass. Just like yesterday, I’m sorry to say. And now you looklike you can’t get out of here fast enough.” Jasper froze, but Andrew pushedon. “When you saw those two people waiting for confession I thought you wereabout to tell them to come back some other time.”

“I didn’t—”

“And it’s fine,” Andrew insisted, taking a step closer. “Beinga priest is having a full-time job in the truest sense of the word. You haven’ttaken a real break in years, Jasper. Calling or not, this is still ajob. If you’re getting burned out, it’s normal. But don’tlet it get to a point where you find it affecting your mental state and yourhealth.”

“It’s not. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen, but you’reright. I had my mind on other things and it was wrong of me. I’ll pray to Godfor forgiveness.”Later, he almost said, but he bitit back just in time.Add it to the list, along with lyingand giving the sky the finger. What was happening to him?

Andrew looked at him with sadness in his eyes. “You’remissing the point, Jasper. I’m not reprimanding you. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine. I just want to get to Blue Oasis.”And Nicky.

The sun beat down hard on the asphalt when he left thechurch, and Jasper’s black shirt stuck to his back before he’d even rounded thecorner. An almost feverish feeling urged him to be at the school, and he couldn’tdeny it—while spending time with the kids at Blue Oasis was always thehighlight of his day, the thought that Nicky might still be there was the truepull. And yes, Jasper wanted to help Nicky, be a friend to him, make thisfriendship work for both their sakes, but it didn’t explain why his feet seemedto have wings as they carried him up the steps to the front door.

“Father Hendricks!”

He froze in the hallway and did his very best to not curse,even inwardly. “Mrs. Wells.” He turned to the office. “What can I do for you?”

She held the door and stepped aside. “Do you have a moment?”

The faint trickle of guitar notes drifted down the hall andan ache began under his breastbone, like something had hooked him there and wasdrawing him inexorably toward the sound.

“Yes, of course,” he said and it was almost painful to makehis feet move toward her.

“Nicholas Blumfeld is still here.” Her eyebrows drew down. “Orshould I call him Nico Blue?”