Haunted by Amber Lynn Natusch Read Free Book Online Page A

roar of applause broke out for the number preceding ours I felt butterflies in my stomach, hoping we would draw a response like that with “Gravity”.
    The curtains closed and we made our way onto the stage to assume our positions. Matty gave a quiet whistle and I looked across the width of the wooden platform at him. He shot me a wink and a smile that made everything better in that moment.
    I heard the squeak of the curtains as they opened behind me. I saw my long, dark shadow drawn out on the wood floor before me. I felt the warmth of the lights on my back as I stood still, waiting for the first two chords of music to play. As the time approached for the movement to start, I took a deep, cleansing breath and cleared my mind. I didn't want to think, just dance.
    Instead, a single image popped into my mind.
    Sean…

10

    After the show, I cleaned up a little and toned down the mess on my face. I just couldn’t go out in public with that much makeup on, even if it was only for a minute. I gathered my things up and said some quick goodbyes before I headed out to the car. I was looking forward to a quiet night at home and was anxious to get there ASAP. As I was exiting the building I ran into Matty, literally, and he offered to escort me to the parking lot.
    “I think we brought down the house with your piece,” he observed, sounding proud. “The crowd went nuts! Everyone was on their feet.”
    “I didn’t notice,” I replied distantly.
    I hadn’t really been looking at the crowd as much as I was looking through them. I knew Cooper was supposed to make the trip down to watch, but with our roller coaster of a relationship and his current lack of reliability, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Instead of trying to connect with the audience, I scanned over them the entire time; it worked for me.
    “Well, they were. You should learn to take a compliment if you’re going to continue to produce pieces like that one,” he said jokingly.
    I smiled weakly at him.
    “That piece was a result of divine inspiration. I don’t think I’ll be replicating that any time soon,” I replied, as I deflated even further.
    “Too bad,” he lamented. It was amazing.”
    We rounded the corner of the auditorium and crossed the street to the parking lot. Our cars were all the way in the back so we meandered through the hundreds of others, Matty chatting all the way about the evening and our respective performances.
    As we neared the final row, I scanned the lot looking for where I’d left the Audi. I froze immediately when I found it, causing Matty to plow into the back of me as my “warning: stops short when startled” sign was clearly not working. While I peeled myself off of the trunk of the car before me, Matty remarked about the gentleman perched atop the hood of my TT.
    “Isn’t that your car over there with the guy sitting on it?” he asked, body tensing slightly.
    I tried to remember to breathe.
    “Yeah. Yeah, that one’s mine,” I replied.
    He turned to face me, his brow furrowed with concern.
    “Do you know him?”
    “Yep…sure do.”
    His concern turned to confusion.
    “So who is it?” he asked.
    I looked at Matty’s face while I grasped for a simple way to describe who my tall, dark and handsome hood ornament was. There was no easy way to explain it and I didn’t feel like trying.
    “Gravity,” I mumbled, sighing heavily as I walked over to my car. I looked back over my shoulder to see a very baffled Matty watching me.
    “He’s my divine intervention, Matty,” I said, hoping to clarify further.
    “I'd prefer he not be,” he said, with the faintest touch of hostility. Matty knew I'd been hurt by him. He wasn't a fan. “Are you going to be OK?” he asked, moving to catch up with me.
    “I'm fine, I promise. Go home…I'll see you at practice.”
    “Let me know you got home safely, okay?” he asked, stopping his pursuit.
    “I will,” I said, forcing a smile. He turned and headed for his Jeep parked a