How to Seduce a Band Geek (11 page)

His ears go red. “Sorry. I know I get carried away, and it bugs the hell out of my sister.” He does a pretend zipper across his lips. “I’ll keep it down.”

“No.” I take a deep breath and give a quick glance at the door before doing something I didn’t think I’d have the guts to do—I slide across the couch and land on the middle cushion. I leave enough room so there’s definitely space between us, but so it’s up to him to close the distance. If he wants. But now he knows that
I
want it. I let out that breath I’d sucked in. “I like hearing you talk. So don’t be quiet.”

His eyes are stuck on the couch cushion. “This isn’t exactly opposite ends.” He gulps, and I panic for a second, thinking he’s about to jump up and sit on the floor because I’m too close.

Instead of sliding over to meet me, he takes my hand and pulls, leaning back into the couch so I can collapse onto his chest. I settle there like he’s my big body pillow, only I never hear my pillow’s crazy heartbeats, and my pillow never holds me back. His hand rests on my hip and gives it a little squeeze. Before I can even freak out over what’s happening, Levi’s random facts about Disney and Pixar spew from his mouth, distracting me.

Finding Nemo has officially become my favorite movie ever.

Chapter 11

I can’t even be mad at her for ruining the moment.

His fingers keep tapping my side in tune with the music on the movie. He’s bopping his other hand on the arm of the couch, and his knee bounces. He’s so wiggly, but I’m not moving from the spot. I close my eyes and feel his rhythmic taps on my hip, and the light bulb goes
ding!

“Do you miss it?” I blurt because I’ve lost all control of my body parts.

His knee stops and so does the hand on the couch, but his fingers still rap against the top of my jeans. “Yeah. Every day, I miss it.”

I’m so glad he knows what I’m talking about. I squish closer to him and play with the buttons on his polo. “Why did you sell them?”

I thought it was an innocent question, but Levi stiffens underneath me and moves so I sit up. We’re not touching anymore. I refuse to let my bottom lip poke out.

“Uh… I don’t really want to talk about that.” He does this twitchy smile thing, and it gets me all sorts of worried, but I let it drop. Sensitive subject I guess.

“Okay…”
New question, quick!
“Will you tell me why you went for the… pick a bopper thing?”

He chuckles and it releases whatever drummer tension I caused. He pulls me back on his chest. “Piccolo. It was the only instrument left in the house.”

“You just happened to have a piccolo sitting around?”

“Actually, yeah.”

My nose and lips smoosh as I look up at him, and his chuckles send my head bouncing.

“My dad had a collection of every marching band instrument there is.”

“
Why
?” I ask before I can stop it. My breath gets stuck in my cheeks, and he lightly pokes them to get the air to come out.

“It was his goal to learn them all. He did pretty good too. Wasn’t the best on the trumpet, but still decent.”

Call me crazy, but I’d pick a trumpet over a piccolo. Even if I looked as sexy as Levi when I play it.

“So…I’m still not getting it.” I poke at his polo buttons again. “If you have all these instruments lying around—”

“I don’t.” He stiffens again. Gosh, I need a conversation filter. A list of what not to say, or what to say, or something so he stops closing off. He takes a deep breath, squeezing my hip. At least he doesn’t shove me away this time. “The piccolo was the only thing he didn’t take when he left.”

Let’s all smack Sierra in the forehead. I
knew
his dad wasn’t around. Why did that not even zap into my brain when he mentioned him?

A million fuzzies clog my mind as I try to come up with anything to change the subject. But damn it, that never works when I’m under pressure like this.

Then just when I think I’ve royally screwed up any chance of friendship, relationship, whatevership with him, Levi turns on the couch so he can look me in the eyes. He’s got that adorable smile that only lifts halfway, and even though I’m not leaning against him anymore, our faces are closer, our knees full blown pressed against each other, and his hands are on mine. He’s holding my hands, and it’s not ‘cause I’m freaking behind a podium. I can’t help but grin like a lovesessed fool and bounce a little in the cushion.

“I’m not very good at it,” he says, pulling me back into whatever it was we were talking about.

“Huh?” I pant at him, which makes him laugh and play with my fingers.

“The piccolo. I kind of suck.”

“No you don’t.”

He shakes his head. “Thanks, but I think you’re the only one who thinks that.”

“Is it your first time playing it? Because people should give you a break. It’s not like someone can learn overnight.”

“I played a bit when I was a kid. My dad wanted me to try to learn all the instruments too. I spent about five months on the piccolo before he moved me to the flute.”

Wait…“So, you know how to play…
everything
?”

His eyes go to our hands, and he starts running his fingers over mine. Does he know he’s doing that? I start bouncing in my seat again.

“Not everything. When I got to percussion, I stopped because I liked the drums. And he left not long after that. He took his drum kit, but my mom got me the one I used to play.” He pushes his eyes back to mine, and the look he gives me is so intense I shoot my gaze to something that won’t make me lose my mind. But the print on his shirt is not nearly as interesting, so my gaze goes automatically back to his.

He clears his throat, and his hands twist around mine again. I wonder if it’s a nervous twitch or something.

“The piccolo’s okay. I’m trying to get used to it, I guess.”

“Why play if you don’t like it?”

“Easy.” He chuckles. “I
do
like it, even though it’s frustrating as hell. I’ve been in Band since they offered the class. I know the people there, and there’s nothing better than getting ready for a game, marching around in the rain and mud, and playing music. Some people go to games ‘cause of the game, but me? I go because of the band. It sounds stupid, but it’s not.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid at all.” It sounds like fun. If only I possessed any musical talent whatsoever.

“Have you ever been to a game?”

I shake my head. I’ve wanted to, so I could watch Levi play that drum in that adorable band uniform. But the one time I attempted it, I got to the ticket booth where we show our school I.Ds, and Adam ran up and hugged me. Ex-boyfriend, Kevin, just happened to be standing right there and said something to Adam about buckling up when he gets in the car with me. And I couldn’t take the razzing, and Adam shouldn’t have to deal with it either. So I ran off, like I always do.

“You should come. There’s one next Friday. We can hang out after or something.”

He’s asking me out again. My hands slip in his as I try to calm myself down enough to answer him.

“Okay!”
Grrr…. Calm, Sierra.
“Okay.” I try again. Then my stomach wrenches. Hopefully I can find a good spot to watch Levi that’s also away from anyone who gets off by making fun of me and my friends.

“Okay!” he says back at me, and I can’t help but laugh with him when our eyes connect. I’m so glad he’s not running away from my dorkism. But then again, I’m not running away from his.

It gets quiet, and I look at the TV. The little fishies are still on the lookout for that Nemo guy. I have no idea what’s happening, and I feel Levi shift a little closer to me.

“I like this movie,” I blurt, wanting to fill the air with more conversation, but picking the lamest topic ever.

He laughs. “You haven’t even been watching.”

“I still like it.” I wink this time, not knowing why or even what
I
mean by it. And Levi tilts his head as if he knows what I mean, even if I don’t.

“Well, we’ll have to watch it for real next time.”

“Next time?”

His mouth pops open slightly, and he turns a teensy bit pink. “Uh, if there’s a next time. I mean, sorry to assume, I just thought, you know, we’re being friends and all and you’re coming to the game, and maybe we could try actually watching it sometime…”

Is my rambling contagious? I smile and squeeze his fingers. He snaps his lips together, and then we seriously just stare at each other. It’s not awkward, but it makes the air so thick I feel like I have to push through it to get closer to him.

Why am I getting closer? I so don’t have the guts to kiss him. But he’s creeping toward me, eyes going from mine to my lips. Jumping back and forth between the two and I’m trying not to grin like a fool so he won’t kiss teeth.

Then he stops. Mid-drive to a kiss. “You want to go for that ride now?”

My mind goes extremely dirty, and I almost smack him. Maybe it’s all the tease and prude comments I get that make me automatically think
that
. But when my mind cleans up, I release a breathy laugh and say, “Heck yes.”

If I thought Levi’s half smile was beautiful, his full smile is even more gorgeous. And I almost blurt that out, but it won’t get past my own grin. Thank goodness.

He pulls me up from the couch as he stands, and there’s his chest again. I’m having issues breathing right.

Then the sound of a key in the lock makes us both jump so far away from each other, we’re practically in different time zones.

“I sat on the other end!” I shriek, but it’s Zoe who bounces through the door, Zak’s dark brown hair floating somewhere behind her.

“Holy frakking starships, Sierra!” My sister leaps into my arms, knocking me flat on my back on the couch. I’m still trying to catch the breath she knocked from me when she shoves her finger in my face. “Be my maid of honor?” she asks through her smile and laugh. I blink a few times to focus on the diamond on her left hand.

I snatch it and drop my jaw. Levi and Zak are talking in the background, but I can’t concentrate on anything but my sister lying on top of me and wiggling her hand. She looks so happy, I know I need to push back all my shock and instinct to scream out, “Hello! You are nineteen years old!” Like what the heck will Mom and Dad think?

Holy duh…maybe
that’s
what Zak was asking Dad the other day. And if they’re okay with it, I really should be too. Especially since Zoe’s almost in tears, shaking, and smiling so wide I can see her uvula. Through all her shakes, I catch the design. I’m thinking Zak’s late nights at the security job may have been going towards this and not his house like he said. Because nerdy rings are expensive right? And I can only guess that this ring represents something in their comic book life, because the shape isn’t traditional engagement style.

“It’s the Star Trek communicator,” Zoe explains to my un-nerdi-fied expression. Then she looks over her shoulder and sighs. “It’s perfect.”

I laugh and then squeal. We do the most awkward hug in the world smooshed on the couch together, but she’s screaming in my ear, “I’m engaged! I’m engaged!” and I’m yelling back, “You’re engaged! You’re engaged!”

Then we get tackled by the boys. One long and weird group hug later, Zoe pulls me up from the couch and says, “I want to celebrate. Come to lunch with us?”

I look at Levi, and he smiles like he knows he’s about to hand me another rain check. He nods at Zoe. “Hell yeah.”

My sister leaps on Zak’s back, and they crash out the front door as he tries to keep his balance. Before I can take a step, Levi grabs my wrist. “Next time, I promise.”

I shake my head, but keep my lips turned up. “How about next time, you don’t say anything about it? Just show up and force me on the bike.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He doesn’t drop my hand as we walk to Zoe’s car. And even though I’m not getting my moped ride, at least I get the backseat and hand holding.

I can live with that.

Chapter 12

I thought the first time I’d see his underwear it’d be a lot sexier than this
.

“Come on, Sierra. I don’t want to go by myself,” Sydney’s voice echoes through the quiet library.

I log off the Internet and shove my student I.D. into my pocket. Sydney hisses at me again, trying to keep her frantic voice quiet enough so our librarian doesn’t bark at us to shut up.

“Just for a few hours.
Please.
”

She clasps her hands together and thrusts them in my direction. I bat them out of the way before she stabs me in the eye with one of her billion rings.

“I told you already, I’m going to the game.”

“It’s after the game.”

“But Levi said he wanted to hang out.”

“He can come too. Please, please, please.” She’s back to shaking her clasped hands at me. “I never get invited to parties.”

It’s so hard not to roll my eyes. “I don’t even get why you want to go.”

Her gaze drops to the floor, and she pushes her palms into her face. Even though Sydney still has me on extreme “pissed off” level, seeing her look so defeated wakes up my sympathetic side.

“This could be it,” she says to the carpet. “The party that makes a difference. I’m shocked they even want me there, but seriously, I’m so effing tired of it.” She looks up at me. “Aren’t you tired of it? The way people look at us, the way they talk. And all because we had horrible exes. This could be my chance to change it.”

Her words shoot holes in my gut. “Change it
how
?”

She doesn’t answer. Well, she does, but not out loud. It’s all tumbling from her eyes. I want to cry for her because I can’t believe she’s willing to do something to someone or on someone just to feel accepted. Doesn’t she understand that she’ll just be tossed into another category in this school? Slut. Because there is no in between.

“Come to the game with me instead,” I blurt, grabbing her ringed fingers. “You can hang out with me and Levi. We’ll invite Adam too, if you want. It’ll be fun. Way better than being with those douche-bag exes of ours and their friends.”