Ten minutes to one. God, how can it only be ten minutes to one? Maybe I'm reading the clock wrong. It is one of those old analog clocks. You know, the ones with the hands? I pull my phone out of my pocket for the millionth time today and check the time. Yup, it's right. Ugh, this is ridiculous. Behind me I can hear the sound of a twelve year old playing the flute. And guess what? She's using it as a whistle. Suzie says it's important to let children play their instruments the way they want. She calls it artistic expression. I call it not taking music seriously. And, considering this girl has only been playing the flute for a few weeks, I doubt she'll be playing it much longer. She probably heard the flute in a movie or something, thought she would love to play, and begged her mommy and daddy to pay for lessons. But most kids do not understand the amount of time and energy it takes to learn how to play an instrument. Most kids give up after just a few weeks of lessons. This girl... well, I can already see the thrill of it dying from her eyes. Which is unfortunate, because the flute can be so beautiful when played properly.

This is Suzie's last lesson for the day, which means she's probably going to take off soon. Either that, or she's going to try talking to me about the upcoming competition. Or her recital. It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about either. I hope she leaves. Not that I don't love Suzie. I really do. I'm just embarrassed to talk about my music right now. Especially since I still haven't found a solo violin piece for her recital. She's been texting me almost every day about it, even during her week off, and it's not easy telling her I've got nothing. She's not angry with me though. No, that's not Suzie. She's even offered to help me. But she can't help me with this. This is something I have to figure out on my own.

I've been trying to figure it out, too. Every day, for hours at a time, I listen to the classical music channel on my radio or my phone. I've gone through all of Suzie's composition books. I've even considered going to the city library for music research, which is something I've never done before. At least never for music ideas. But I'm getting desperate. Man, what is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly having a mental block? I can't think of any other time when I've struggled this much to come up with a piece for a performance. Suzie may not be getting frustrated with me, but I'm definitely getting frustrated with myself. And what's worse is that, for the first time in my life, I'm beginning to abhor the sound of the violin. Which is probably the most upsetting part of my current predicament.

That's also the reason why I've been putting off my practicing for a few days. I guess I just need a break. Usually, I get breaks from my music when I spend time with Claire and Sam. But I haven't spoken to either one of them since the night of the bonfire, even though it hasn't been for lack of trying on their end. They've tried calling and texting, but I've ignored them completely. I don't know why. It's not like I'm angry with them. I just don't want to hear one complain about the other. And I know, after what happened between them that night at the bonfire, it's going to take a lot of venting about each other before they're okay again. But I don't want to be the one they vent to. Not this time. Besides, this whole thing is really between the two of them, and the best thing for them to do is figure it out amongst themselves. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Suzie has another five minutes with the kid playing the flute, and I want her to come out thinking I'm being somewhat productive. So, even though I would rather do anything else, I pop my earbuds into my ears, plug the headphone jack into the port of my phone, and start listening to violin pieces on my playlist. I close my eyes, trying to force myself to connect with the piece. This is something I've been doing a lot of lately, even though it never works. I try to feel the music in my gut, like I have so many times before. I try to let it wash over me. To take me to another place. But after a few minutes, the song ends, and my feet have never left the floor of the store. I sigh and open my eyes, getting ready to scroll through my playlist again, when I see him staring at me with his bright blue eyes and crooked smile.

I rip the buds out of my ears in surprise and set my hands in my lap nervously. His smile widens, and I can feel the butterflies in my stomach waking up. "Hey," he says, in that casual, confident way. He's leaning against the counter, and I notice today he's wearing a Pink Floyd shirt. Hmm, interesting. I've never seen him in anything but band t-shirts, yet I've never seen him listening to music. He is, however, carrying his camera over his shoulder, something I'm quickly realizing he never goes anywhere without.

"Hi," I respond awkwardly, resisting the urge to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He crosses his arms against his chest and leans closer. I swallow nervously and say, "Umm... what are you doing here?" And the stupidity starts. Oh well, he's probably well versed with my idiotic mouth by now. "I mean... can I help you?"

"Yes," he says, and he lifts up a paper bag and sets it on the counter. "See, I went down and got myself a meatball sandwich from that place you told me about. Santorelli's?" I nod my head, recognizing the scent of marinara and oregano. "Well, I have a problem. They accidentally gave me a second sandwich, and I can't eat two. Then I thought, 'damn, what am I going to do with this sandwich?'" I smile and lean forward, making it so that our faces are just inches apart. "And then I thought, 'I bet Counter Girl would love a sandwich.' I mean, you did say it was your favorite, right?" I nod my head. "Right. So, here I am. And here are the sandwiches."

I look at the paper bag and feel my stomach growl. Wow, I didn't even realize how hungry I was. He stares at me, and I stare back. His smile falters slightly, and I wonder why it always fades when he looks at me like this. "Thanks," I whisper, a little breathlessly. God, how does he do this to me? His smile returns as I reach inside the bag and pull out a sandwich. Mmm, it smells like heaven. My mouth waters, and I start unwrapping it just as the back door opens. The girl with the flute comes out, followed closely by Suzie. She's wearing a really cute sundress today. Red with white polka dots, and a pair of cherry earrings to match. Her hair is pulled back like it almost always is, and she's got a pained smile on her face. The lesson must've been bad all the way around.

"Okay, sweetie," Suzie says kindly. "We had a great lesson today. Keep practicing, all right?" The little girl nods her head and starts to walk toward the door, where her parents are probably waiting for her. That's another sign this girl isn't going to last long. Her parents are really disinterested. This girl has been coming in for a few weeks now, and I have yet to meet them. The girl gives Suzie an awkward hug, and Suzie's pained smile turns genuine. She has such a soft spot for kids. "Aww, sweetie. I'll see you next week, okay?" The little girl nods her head and makes her way out the door.

Suzie releases a strained breath, and then turns to look at me. "It's a work in progress," she says, and I nod my head. Then she sees Conner and her eyes grow wider. "Oh, hello," she says, adopting her sales voice. "Can I help you find anything?"

I look at Conner. He's moved away from me a little bit, and my heart sinks in disappointment. He shakes his head, that crooked smile still on his face. "No, that's okay. I think I found what I'm looking for." He turns and looks back at me, and I feel my face grow hot.

A weird moment passes. It's not really awkward. Just confusing. Suzie's brow furrows as her eyes fall on me. I clear my throat nervously and say, "Suzie, this is my... friend... Conner." Conner lifts up his hand in a friendly wave. "Conner, this is my boss and violin teacher, Suzie."

He walks over to her and holds out his hand respectfully. "Hello," he says kindly as she takes his hand. "It's really nice to meet you. Lauren has told me so much about playing the violin, so it's great to meet the person behind her talent." I feel like my face is on fire. Not only did he call me by my name, which always makes me want to fly, but he's talking about my music in a way that doesn't make me seem like a nerd.

Suzie smiles. "Thank you, Conner. She is quite the violinist. Did she tell you she got into Juilliard?" He nods his head, and she looks at me like I'm the brightest jewel in a crown. "We are all so proud of her. She's going to go far in this world."

He grins and puts his hands in his pockets. "I know she is," he says, and he looks directly at me again. Our eyes meet, and I push a strand of hair out of my face and bite my lip. "Well, anyway, I just dropped by to bring her a sandwich. I can let her get back to work. Don't want to get her into any trouble."

He takes a step backward, and I know he's heading toward the door. A bubble of disappointment fills my chest. I honestly didn't think I would ever see him again, and now that he's here I don't want him to leave. I avert my eyes solemnly and stare at the time on my phone. It's only a few minutes past one, which means I'm going to be here for another four hours. I'm just thinking about asking him to come back when I get off when Suzie shakes her head and says, "Oh, you don't have to leave. Not if you don't want to. In fact," she looks at the watch on her wrist, "I could probably take over the store now, since I don't have any other lessons for the day. Lauren, honey, do you just want to call it quits for today?"

It's all I can do not to jump in the air in excitement. I nod my head enthusiastically and say, "Yes! I mean... if you're sure?" Please let her be sure! Please, please, please!

She nods her head, and I can see her smirking in that same knowing way that Wesley smirked at me the night of his bonfire. "I'm sure." Yay! "Now go. Get out of here! Go and soak in some of that summer sun while you can. I'll take care of the store."

I nod my head and jump to my feet. I know I'm acting like the biggest dork on the planet, but I'm so stoked. My day has just taken the best of unexpected turns. I reach down for my bag and sling the strap over my shoulder. Conner takes the bag off of the counter and walks over to the door. He's smiling from ear-to-ear, and my heart skips a beat. He opens the door and then holds it open, saying in his most gentlemanly voice, "Ladies first." I smile and walk out of the shop, waving goodbye to Suzie from the other side of the window. She waves back and winks, and I smile.

We walk in silence for a couple minutes, my heart beating twice as fast as usual. Then he clears his throat and says, "Well, I wasn't expecting to run into your boss." He puts his hand on the back of his neck and lets out a little breath. "Glad I didn't get you into trouble."

I giggle at the thought. He turns and looks at me, and I notice his cheeks are a little pink. Is he blushing, or just hot? "You could never get me into trouble with Suzie. She's like a second mother to me. And she's the coolest adult I've ever met. Even if she's a little pushy sometimes." Whoa! Where did that come from?

"Pushy?" he asks, and I see his brow furrow. I wince. I cannot believe I just said that. "How so?"

I swallow nervously. "Just... she pressures me to do things I don't want to do sometimes." He's watching me, an inquisitive look on his handsome face, and I continue. "Okay, so there's this competition thing coming up in a few weeks. And I didn't really want to do it. But... well, she pushed me into it."

"So why didn't you just tell her no?" he asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I didn't want to disappoint her. I love her, and I want to make her happy."

"Is that why you play the violin?" he says. "To make other people happy?"

This question startles me. "What? No! I love the violin!"

He grins and turns his blue eyes on me again. "You said that kind of fast." I flush and look at my feet. "Hey, I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you. I'm just saying, I know what it's like. I spent a shit ton of my life trying to make people happy. And it backfired big time." I look up at him curiously, but now he's looking away. "You should really just do what you love. If it's the violin, then great. If it's not, then that's great, too."

"But it is the violin," I say. He nods his head, not in a condescending way, but in a just-make-sure kind of way. "It's just... I'm having a hard time with it lately. Kind of like a block. So usually, I'd be more excited about the competition. I just don't feel like I've been playing at my best lately."

He nods his head. "That happens to me sometimes, too. You know, with my photography?"

"How do you deal with it?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. Sometimes I go on an adventure. Sometimes I do something crazy. Adrenaline can be a huge inspiration." I look at him skeptically, and he smirks. "Or you know... maybe I'm just crazy."