Page 14 of What He Always Knew

It was the longest, most torturous hour of my life.

While playing the piano for someone other than a student again should have brought me nothing but joy, all I could do was force a smile as I played through my set list, all the while checking the time on my watch for an acceptable amount of time to pass for me to take a break.

When I wasn’t charming the crowd with the occasional wink and smile, I was staring at Charlie.

Blake seemed to be the one filling all the conversation at the table, and the more she made everyone else laugh, the more I watched Charlie drink. The more she drank, the more her brows lowered as she glared at me.

It was literally the worst-case scenario, and I cursed myself more and more each passing minute for not making time to explain to her before the night had arrived. Trying to catch her at school earlier today had been impossible, but I should have somehow found a way to make it work. I should have waited to use the damn bathroom until she was here.

Rookie mistakes, ones that would cost me.

Still, I wasn’t out of cards, and I played one I hoped would salvage the night as I rounded out my set list.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I said, fingers softly grazing the keys as I addressed the crowd. “It’s time for me to take a short break. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon to continue playing your requests. Before I go, here’s one last song. This one is an original, one I wrote for a very special girl.” I smiled then. “I think that’s how all the great love songs start, isn’t it?”

The crowd chuckled a bit at that, and I found Charlie’s eyes once more, wondering if she was starting to recognize the tune as my fingers moved. Blake pressed a hand to her chest where she sat beside Gloria. She thought the song was for her.

But I didn’t have to say for Charlie to know.

It was the same tune she’d woken up to, the one I’d written after I’d had her for the first time, after I’d touched her, kissed her, existed inside her. And when the first crescendo played, I saw recognition hit.

Charlie’s frown faded for the first time that night, and I begged her with my eyes across that crowded room to listen. I tried with the only tool I had to bring her back to that night, to the weekend, to the night not so long ago before everything got even more complicated between us.

That night seemed so far away now.

Had it really just been days before? Was it really only Wednesday now? For some reason, that first night we shared seemed like years ago, and my chest ached with the need to bring it back to Charlie. I wanted to take her home. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to remind her how she could be loved, if she chose me.

Cameron had forgotten their anniversary. He had forgotten to be a husband to Charlie when she needed him most. Now, he begged her for more time, but he didn’t deserve it.

He didn’t deserve her.

Then again, I was the one with a “girlfriend” sitting at the table with her right now. As much as Cameron had hurt her, now I had, too.

I just hoped the song would reach her.

Charlie watched me as I played, her face stoic, hand reaching for her wine every now and then. I still cast my gaze over the entire crowd, but I found her more than usual that song, trying to read her, trying to hold her with the song since I couldn’t hold her in my arms.

Near the end, I watched the candlelight catch in her eyes as they glossed over, and she shook her head before standing abruptly, whispering something to Cameron before dashing back toward the bathrooms.

There was another full minute in the song, but I ended it early, thanking the restaurant for their applause all the while making sure I didn’t lose Charlie in the crowd. Once I’d taken my bows, I stopped by the table long enough to ask Blake to order me a drink and thank the Reids for their kind compliments.

Then, I excused myself for the bathroom, chasing after the only girl who mattered.

Charlie

I flew into the women’s bathroom with steam rolling off my skin in waves.

Stomping into the first open stall, I slammed the door closed behind me and fisted my hands at my sides. If it wasn’t such a nice restaurant, I would have screamed. I would have cursed. I would have probably cried.

Because I’d been duped.

Reese had done nothing but look at me like I was the only woman who mattered in the world for the last two months. He’d taken his time, slowly making his way inside my heart, and once he’d had it, he’d dug his claws in deep. I believed every word he said — how could I not with the sincerity I found in his emerald eyes?

But Blake Springthorpe was living proof that all of it was a lie.

Reese had a girlfriend, and suddenly everything that had existed between us felt like the reflection of a fun house mirror. It was warped — a fat, distorted version of the truth.

He’d lied to me, he’d kept any mention of Blake out of every single conversation we’d had, and even worse — he’d cheated on her.