Love Songs (Secret Songbook #1) (19 page)

“You have a really nice home,” Kaley said politely, really the only thing she could say. She didn’t want to tell him it was the biggest house she had ever seen and was afraid to touch anything in case she broke it. Nothing looked cheap, even the door handles looked like they cost a thousand dollars apiece.

“It’s a house really, nothing special about it.”

“You must think my home is tiny.” She was suddenly embarrassed about her little house in the suburbs. It was a mere shack compared to the mansion.

“Your home is cool, it was friendly. Here, everything is about the things. There’s nothing personal about it. My parents didn’t even decorate it themselves, they hired someone to do it for them. I don’t know what half the things do in this place.”

Kaley saw the sadness in his face, something was obviously on his mind. She didn’t know him well enough to pry into his life yet. She didn’t know where the line was that she shouldn’t cross. Instead, she looked around the room for something to save her. Something that could help make conversation.

She spotted the electric guitar sitting in a stand next to the lounge. Finally, the luck gods were smiling on her. “Your guitar is really cool. How long have you been playing?”

“For a few years. Do you want me to play you something? I’m not really good, but it’s fun anyway.”

“Please do.”

They moved over to the lounge suite while Eli picked up his guitar and plugged it in. He strummed a few bars and Kaley instantly knew he had been holding out on her.

He wasn’t really good, but great.

His fingers and hands moved effortlessly across the strings and frets. He owned the tune, he played it with experience. If there was something Kaley knew, it was recognizing a fellow musician.

When he was finished, she clapped. “That was fantastic. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Now it’s your turn.” He held out the guitar for her to play. She just looked at it, unmoving.

“I can’t, really.”

“Come on, I showed you mine, now it’s time you showed me yours.”

Kaley shook her head, she had never played for anyone other than her music teachers before. Never, not once. She tried to think of an excuse, something to get her out of the situation. “I play acoustic, that’s electric. It’s not my thing.”

“Come on, electric is easier, you’ll be fine.” He kept it held between them, unrelenting. “Just so you know, I can do this all day. I’m holding you hostage until you play.”

She had run out of options and didn’t have any real excuses. Reluctantly, Kaley took the guitar and slid the strap over her head, doing anything to delay the inevitable.

She didn’t even know what to play. On the acoustic, she could have gotten away with something classical she had learned at some point. However, on the electric they just wouldn’t sound right.

In a moment of panic, she decided to play one of her own songs but without the words. The first one that came to mind was the one she had written the previous night on the piano. She prayed it would sound alright on the guitar.

Hopefully he would think it was some pop song from years gone by. She started strumming, trying not to remember that the reason she had written the song was seated right beside her.

She fastened the speed from how it was written, making the torture go by faster. In her head, she heard the words and she tried to get them out of her thoughts. If she heard them, she would start blushing, and she didn’t need the extra embarrassment of that happening.

Kaley managed to get through the song, beginning to end. Eli clapped, genuinely happy.

“That was awesome! I bow down to you, guitar goddess.”

She handed him back the guitar, relieved it was over. The ground hadn’t swallowed her up, but it was almost just as bad an experience. She didn’t like playing for others, it was too stressful hoping they would like it. She much preferred playing for herself and never having to worry about the audience.

“Play something else,” he urged, holding up the guitar again.

“No way, I don’t do encores.”

“You should. It’s really hot.”

Kaley raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had heard right. Her and hot didn’t belong in the same sentence, she had to be mistaken.

Eli slid along the lounge suite, closing the gap between them. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close. So close she could hear his heartbeat through his shirt. She looked up at him, his lips met hers in the next instant.

He kissed her mouth, her chin, her cheeks, her neck. She felt a shiver run through her with each one. His touch was light at first, but grew more urgent with each kiss.

Kaley felt herself let go of everything she normally held on to, she surrendered to him and the warm feeling he was giving her. She didn’t care about anything else at that moment. Not the party, not his parents, not Harvey, not Abigail. All she could think about was the searing kisses he covered her in.

If their first kiss had been sweet, these ones were outright hot. She had never imagined how good it would feel to have someone so close to her, touching every part of her and causing electricity to jolt through her body.

She felt his hand sliding under her dress, rubbing her leg. It continued higher, finally bringing her back to reality.

“Eli, I think we should stop,” she whispered. Her brain was telling her one thing and her body another but she had to listen to one of them. It was the brain’s lucky day.

“We don’t have to,” Eli managed to say. He was making a line of kisses along her neck, buried in her hair. His actions weren’t stopping, not even slowing.

“Yeah, we do.” Kaley pushed at him half-heartedly. She wished she didn’t have to be so sensible, surely it would be more fun to be reckless. Unfortunately, the consequences wouldn’t be so amusing.

Her whole body went rigid, she just wanted Eli to stop now. She pushed him again, this time a little harder. He didn’t remove his hands but he did look at her. “Nobody has to know, we can just have fun.”

“I’m not ready for this.”

“I can help you be ready.”

Kaley picked his hand off her leg and moved it to his own, signaling it was not going to happen. All she could think of was Georgie’s words in her head telling her she would know when she was ready.

And today definitely wasn’t going to be that day.

“Maybe we should get back to the party,” she suggested, waiting for him to tell her to leave and never come back.

She bet Abigail was ready. Abigail was probably the perfect girlfriend who did whatever he wanted. She was angry at herself for being so immature.

Eli hesitated, long enough for all her insecurities to flood through her mind. “Right, the party. Maybe we should.”

Kaley nodded, moving to stand but feeling like a frozen ice sculpture. She wondered how things had grown so awkward all of a sudden. Everything had been going so well, they had been doing really great together.

And then, in a second, it was lost.

She felt like a five year old playing tag in the playground, having been pushed by the boy that everyone said only did it because he liked her. Why was it the person that could hurt you the most was the one you wished wouldn’t? It was like a cruel practical joke.

They made their way through the house in silence. By the time they reached the party in the backyard, Kaley was glad to see other human beings.

“Do you want to dance?” Eli asked, nodding toward the far end of the veranda where a band was playing. A few dozen people were happily dancing to the music. It wasn’t exactly the songs they were used to, but the contemporary ones were still half-decent.

“That would be nice,” Kaley replied, at least it would give them a reason not to talk instead of it being so awkward.

She wanted to apologize for what had happened upstairs. She wanted to explain he was her first boyfriend so she needed to take it slowly and that’s why she had freaked out. But none of those words she would be able to say.

She was embarrassed by the whole situation, she would rather forget it had happened at all. Perhaps Eli would change his mind about her, perhaps he would realize she wasn’t meant for a guy like him.

He led her to the dance floor and spun her around before holding her close and moving to the music. It was three full songs before they spoke again.

“I’m sorry about before,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to push.”

“I’m sorry, too. It’s just…” She didn’t know how to explain.

“Too fast, I know.”

Kaley looked him in the eyes, making sure he wasn’t making fun of her. His blue eyes looked sincere, like he was actually sorry for trying to make her do something she wasn’t ready for. She smiled, relieved. Perhaps she wasn’t as immature as she had first thought.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything, he just dipped her to the beat of the music and brought her up in a sweeping move. She giggled. Despite everything, she was having a really great time being there with him.

Chapter 20

“Oh my gosh, his parents really said that?” Harper closed her locker, revealing the shocked look on her face. “What did they think you were going to do at their precious party?”

“I know, right? Like I was the riffraff they were meant to keep out.” Kaley had been giving Harper a minute-by-minute account of the Stone party the previous day. So far, she was only up to meeting Eli’s parents.

“So what did you do?”

“Ignored it. Then went upstairs to make out with Eli.”

Harper hit her teasingly on the arm. “You harlot.”

“It got quite intense, actually. I think Eli wanted to do more than make out,” Kaley said out loud for the first time since it happened.

When she had arrived home from the party, the last thing she felt like doing was talking it over with her mother. She would probably have given her a pamphlet on diseases and told her to be better prepared next time.

“Oh my gosh, what did you do?”

“I freaked out and told him to stop. I feel like such a baby.”

Harper stopped in her tracks to face her. “You’re not a baby for not being ready. You did the right thing. It would have been stupid to go along with it when didn’t want to. Do you hear me, Kaley Thorne? You did the right thing.”

Kaley smiled, so in love with Harper and the way she always knew what to say. “What about if Eli hates me now?”

“How did he act afterwards?”

“We danced for a while and he apologized for pushing me. Then he drove me home in complete silence.”

Harper pursed her lips while thinking it over and considering all the possible scenarios. “Maybe he was embarrassed about his parents and that’s why he didn’t say anything? If he apologized, then he couldn’t have thought you did the wrong thing.”

“He warned me his parents were just as crazy as mine.”

“They sound mean too,” Harper agreed. “I thought someone like Eli would have a perfect life. By the sounds of it, they treat him like he can’t do anything right.”

“I know, it makes you wonder how he can be so normal. But would he really be embarrassed about that? Perhaps it was me that caused the silence in the car.”

“If he was sulking about what you didn’t do, then he’s not worth your time.”

Kaley nodded, wishing it didn’t have to be so complicated. When they were dancing, it had felt like things were back to normal and their awkward moment had passed.

But when he dropped her home it was like they were on their first date again and nothing was easy. She hoped it was because of his parents and not her. She didn’t want to be the reason why they broke up.

They started walking toward their first class again – Science. Not only would she have to deal with thoughts of Eli and all the damage she had done, but Harvey too. They should have spent Sunday afternoon on their science project but she had bailed on him for the party.

Both the guys in her life were going to be causing her grief. She wondered if it was too late to join an all-girls school.

As the classroom came into view, someone stood in front of Kaley, blocking her path. She saw the cheerleading outfit first, looking up at her face with dread.

Abigail did not look happy.

“You! You’re the girl Eli is using to make me jealous.” Abigail had her finger pointed directly at her. “What’s he paying you in, pity?”

Kaley didn’t know what to say, she tried to sidestep her to get around and flee, but Abigail moved too and blocked her way. She was trapped. Harper stood there, dumbfounded as the scene played out.

“It’s none of your business who I date,” Kaley said the words quietly, looking at the ground. She didn’t like confrontation, it was best avoided at all costs. She got that trait from her father.

“It is when he’s my boyfriend.”

“He’s not your boyfriend anymore.”

Abigail’s mouth formed an ‘O’. How dare anybody speak to her like that? Didn’t she realize who she was? Clearly subtlety wasn’t going to work for this girl. “Eli and I are currently on a break while he realizes what he’s missing. I don’t need little girls like you getting in my way. If you don’t stay away from him, I’m going to make sure you pay the price. Are we clear?”

Kaley looked her in the eye, instantly wishing she hadn’t. Wild rage was staring back at her, barely being contained. It was like looking into the eyes of a hyena that was about to devour you. She summoned some courage she didn’t know she had. “I think it’s up to Eli who he hangs out with.”

Abigail moved her hands to her hips, studying her. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“You don’t even know my name? We’ve been going to school together since we were five years old.” Kaley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew she was invisible, but seriously? It had been eleven years of school, surely she could have at least found out her name before she confronted her. Maybe she was just pretending she didn’t know to sound even more patronizing.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, did you really think I cared?” Abigail laughed, a patronizing chuckle to herself. “Get a life and leave my boyfriend alone. This is war now.”

Kaley and Harper watched as Abigail strutted away. They were too shocked to move, or perhaps it was the fear that kept them planted in place. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

“I think we should get to class,” Kaley finally said, still watching Abigail stomp down the corridor. Harper nodded beside her and they scurried away like mice fleeing a sinking ship.

If only it was that easy.

Half an hour later in Science class, Kaley’s day wasn’t getting any better. They had free time to work on their projects, which meant Harvey finally had a chance to be mad at her for brushing him off on the weekend.

“I’m sorry, Harvey. I completely forgot about the project,” she lied. She knew exactly what she was doing when she had accepted Eli’s invitation. She just preferred to go to a party at a mansion instead of get her hands dirty with industrial glue in Harvey’s backyard.

“We’re way behind now,” he groaned. “We need to get an A on this project or it’s going to affect our entire semester average.”

“I know, I’m sorry. We’ll make up the time, I promise. We’ll make the best rocket imaginable and Mr. Hannigan will have to give us an A. Even if it kills me.”

“We’ll need to work on it after school then,” Harvey sighed, giving in like he always did with her. “Today, after school, promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Good. Now hold this piece of wood while the glue dries.” Harvey took her hand and replaced his own with it while he moved onto the next part.

They were really behind with their project. Harvey could have finished it by himself, but he didn’t want to. It wasn’t the principle of the thing, he just wanted to make sure he wasn’t being totally pushed out of Kaley’s life. He didn’t care how petty that made him, he was a teenage boy, logic didn’t matter.