Eternal Heat (Firework Girls #3) Read Online Free Page A

play the Overture Theme from Phantom of the Opera.”
    He raises his eyebrows and nods his head. “Nice.”
    “We’ll see if you think so after I play it. Just remember, I’m not trained.”
    “It’s okay. We’re just having fun, right?”
    I look up at him and he’s giving me a genuine smile. My heart does a little flip flop and I smile back.
    I look back at the keyboard, which is considerably longer than the one at school. I want to touch every key. Instead I take a resolute breath and start to play.
    I don’t usually play in front of people, so I’m surprised when I slide deep down into the music just like I do when I’m alone. The fancy house I’m in disappears. Cute, cute Erik disappears. It’s only me and my music, and the happiness of it swells inside me so big I let that spill over to what I’m playing.
    This is what I love. This is what I love more than anything in the world, even more than my wonderful parents if I’m honest, and that probably makes me a horrible, selfish person. But music is pure magic and belongs to a whole other world. Heaven itself, maybe. I can’t help but give my complete devotion to it.
    When I finish, my surroundings slowly come back to me and I realize I’m smiling. “Such a fun song,” I say and grin up at my new friend. Even if I never see him again, we’ve shared music together so that makes us friends now. Not that I’ve ever had this experience before, but that’s how it feels.
    He’s giving me a shrewd look. “You were pulling my leg!”
    “Huh? About what?”
    “No lessons my eye. Who’s your teacher?”
    I blink at him. “Just Mr. Bartlett in middle school.”
    He’s still grinning, but he rolls his eyes. “Oh come on. You can’t play like that without taking lessons.”
    He’s giving me a fluttery feeling in my chest again, but for completely different reasons now. “Was it okay?”
    The grin slides off his face and now he’s just staring at me wide-eyed. “You really, really never had lessons before?”
    “Well, I practice. And I’ve watched just about every video you can on YouTube.”
    “That’s... like... kind of amazing.”
    Still gaping, he drops onto the bench next to me. His elbow touches my bare arm for just a second and my heart beats a little faster. “What else can you play?” he asks.
    But I don’t answer. With him this close I’m aware of his body in a way I wasn’t before. I realize I haven’t seen or heard anyone else in the house. The combination makes me a little skittish. I’m not afraid of him, but my parents would not approve and I’m not sure how I feel about things either. “Are your parents home?”
    “Nah. They work late.” He says it matter-of-factly enough, but I sense something underneath. I wonder if he’s like my friend Jewel. Her mom is single and works two jobs and Jewel almost never sees her. She manages all right and everything, but she misses her mom sometimes too.
    My parents, on the other hand, are always there. I love them for that, even though it gets annoying at times. And speaking of them always being home, I’d better get going. If I hurry and head straight there, I may not be gone on my walk any more than I usually am. I don’t really want to answer any questions.
    “I’d better go,” I say, standing and giving him a grateful smile.
    “Oh, okay...” He stands as well. “Thanks for coming in.” He smiles back at me.
    Is it just me or is he getting cuter and cuter? I realize I’m standing there smiling at him like an idiot, so I start to head for the door.
    He comes with me. As we leave his fantasy house and emerge onto the patio, he says, “Are you sure you haven’t had private lessons?”
    “Nope.” Maybe he’s just flattering me, I don’t know. But he seems sincere and I can’t help but feel complimented.
    “Well,” he says as we cross the yard to the back gate, “your parents are wasting a great natural talent. They should sign you up.”
    “They want to,” I say,