“No, he left for class already. What’s up?”
“Mase slept in my room last night and he is in the bathroom,” I whisper with my hand over my mouth. “Can you do me a favor? I have this song I need the exact lyrics for. It is one of my ’90s songs I love so much. I’ll send it via text.”
She grins because she knows how I am about morning breath. It’s gross and I’m all about hygiene. “Sure. Will you be at the music hall later? Maybe play it on the piano and sing?”
Khalani is taking music as a double major—Aiden insisted she not waste her talent—so we meet in the music hall once a week. I play and she shows me what new mixes she’s working on.
We love talking about music and she mixes the best songs together. My mother paid for piano and singing lessons for me religiously since I was eight. In between the self-defense and training sessions my father secretly fit into my schedule.
“Of course. Thank you, sis.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mason
I’m walking down the hall at Hillside University looking for Lucy. She was gone by the time I got out of the shower.
“Hey, what’s up, Mase?” Josh from our football team says. “Are you looking for someone?” He walks out of the English lit class Lucy has at this time of day. Leo gave me a copy of Lucy’s schedule, so I know when all her classes are.
“Yeah, I’m looking for Lucy. She has this class.”
He tilts his head in thought. “The fine one with the pretty blue eyes and straight black hair?” I clench my hand into a fist, trying to stay calm. He is obviously interested and I want nothing more than to choke the shit out of him for noticing Lucy.
“I think she was heading to the music hall with Aiden’s wife. That’s Aiden’s sister, right? I wasn’t sure, but they do have the same eye color and dark hair.”
I walk away. “Yeah, she is Aiden’s sister. Catch you later at practice. Thanks for letting me know.”
When I enter the music hall’s auditorium, the sound of a piano drifts through the air. I move closer to get a better look, and stop. Lucy sits at the piano, playing and singing a song I have never heard. Khalani is frozen with a look of pure sadness in her eyes. I quickly pull out my phone and Shazam the song to see who it’s by. “Spark” by Tori Amos.
It’s full of loss and pain.What did you lose, baby?
Khalani is now crying. I step closer and Khalani looks at me with heart-wrenching sadness. Lucy ends the song and turns around on the wooden bench. Her eyes widen when she notices me. She blinks and glances at Khalani.
“Can you give us a minute?” Khalani croaks. “Please, Mason. I need a minute with Lucy.”
Knowing this is a personal moment between them, I nod. “I’ll see you guys later.” I head toward the exit, frowning.
What the fuck was that all about? I pull out my phone and call Aiden.
“Hey, it’s me,” I say when he answers. “Are the girls okay? I just saw them in the music hall. Khalani was crying while Lucy was playing the piano and they practically kicked me out.”
“Khalani was fine this morning. I spoke to her ten minutes ago. She would have said something. She gets sentimental about music. Maybe whatever Lucy was playing was sad. You know how Lucy and Khalani like those emo songs.”
I exhale, “Maybe you’re right. Okay, I’ll see you later.” I hang up with a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Chapter Twenty
Lucy
Khalani knew what that song meant, and she cried. I’m glad Mason couldn’t figure it out. Khalani kept sobbing, and I kept telling her I grieved and processed while she was processing the loss of her brother the same year. We both have suffered loss.
I knock on the door at Mason’s house. When no one answers, I try the door handle, the door gives way and opens.
The living room is empty, so I make my way upstairs in search of Mase. My stomach flutters like that day in the pool house. When I get to the second floor, a door opens to my right. Colton appears, shirtless.
“Hey, Lucy.”
Stopping short, I make eye contact with Colton. “I-I was looking for Mase. I need to give him something.”