Page 32 of Silver Edge
He paused as if to contemplate something; his upper body tensed. “The song. How did you know it?” He sat stone still, except for his foot sliding between the brake and gas pedal.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
His fingers squeezed my hand and a sense of calm coated my fear. Was this what people referred to as comfort?
“It’s okay. I just wanted to know. Did I leave the sheet music out or something?”
I shook my head and kept my eyes on the bright red car zooming past us. “No. It wouldn’t change anything if you did. I can’t read music.”
Drake’s head snapped to the side. I could see his wide eyes in my peripheral vision, before he looked straight again. “Then how?”
“I, uh, hear music and it stays in my head.” I picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on my skinny jeans.
“I see, but how did you finish it? I’ve been trying to finish it for over a year and you did it in one day. One hour.”
“I didn’t finish it…exactly.” I squirmed in my seat, but his hand squeezed, reassuring me I was safe. “You see, your brother finished it.”
Drake’s mouth fell open, but he recovered quickly. “How? He’s gone.”
The strain in his voice caused a strange heaviness in my chest. “All the threads were already in the music—the patterns, the melody, the build-up. I just followed the natural pace and flow until it came to fruition.”
“You can do that?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
The heat in the car cut on, blasting warm air at my face. I shifted the vent so it pointed away. “That’s the best way I can describe it. I just play what I hear and project from the organization. I’m no musician. I guess you could say I’m more of a mathematician of music.”
“Oh, no. You’re definitely a musician.”
I shook my head. “I can’t be a musician. I can’t read music. I tried once, but my brain won’t comprehend and remember the way it looks on paper. I also can’t create my own songs.”
“Scarlet?”
“Yes?”
“You have no idea how special you are, do you?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. He glanced over at me with a reassuring grin. I tried to think of what to say to that, but there were no words. “No one’s called me special since my mother died.”
“Get used to hearing it, because you are. I can’t believe you waltzed into my life like this. I wasn’t looking for anyone. Heck, I didn’t want to feel anything for anyone, but you’re so different…unique, and I can’t wait to know you better. Can I ask you something else?”
This was beginning to feel like a game of twenty questions, but I shrugged. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to think about being special anymore. It was a foreign concept.
“Before I ask, I want you to know that I just want to talk to you, find out everything about you, but I don’t want to scare you away.”
I chuckled. “I can’t exactly run away, can I? You’ve got me in a speeding vehicle with the doors locked.”
He laughed, the deep kind that filled the car, and I felt his fingers squeeze my hand again. “I never want to make you feel uncomfortable. If we’re going to try to help each other, then we’ll have to be honest and open. I have a feeling you’re not used to communicating with people. Have you ever been in a relationship where you talked about how you felt or what made you happy or uncomfortable?”
I shrugged and realized I hadn’t, not since my mom died. “I guess not. I usually tolerate things until I can’t take it anymore and leave.”
He shook his head, causing some of his thick brown hair to fall over his cheekbones, accentuating his strong, clean-shaven jawline. “That’s what I don’t want. We need to be in this together. Make a promise that we’ll give it our all.” He flicked on the blinker and changed lanes again. “In the last year, if I felt anything I shut it out. I couldn’t allow myself to get close to anyone. I promise I won’t do that with you if you promise not to shut me out. Deal?”
I thought for a moment, digging deep. Was I capable of opening up to someone? I’d known Ton a heck of a lot longer, yet I’d never really opened up to him. “What if I can’t feel emotions? I’ve never connected with anyone before. Not in that way.”
“Then it’ll be a new adventure. Besides, I’m a big boy. If you don’t feel the same way, then you can tell me.”
I toyed with the hem of the black T-shirt he’d given me to wear. “I felt something this morning. When I saw you lying by the door downstairs. A kind of twinge in my chest, sort of a heavy yet sweet rumbling inside.” I rolled my eyes. “This sounds stupid.”
“No.” Drake squeezed my hand and this time kept his fingers tight for several moments. “It sounds perfect.”
