more than this | grayson dolan (book one)

thirty seven

My eyes scan the entirety of the gorgeous Dolan household. The exterior of the mansion still amazes me to this day. Grayson's porsche accompanies Lisa's mercedes in the long driveway, which makes me nervous.

I tap my knuckles along the door as I anxiously stand there. Within seconds, the double doors open up. A smiling Lisa is standing before me wearing a casual yellow dress.

"Stella, come in." She says with excitement.

I don't know if she knows about my situation with Grayson, considering she's still so sweet to me. I flash her a semi-weak smile as I step into the house.

"Are you ready to learn some new music?" She beams as she leads me down the hallway.

"Yes, I'm very excited." I honestly tell her.

"These sessions won't be anything hard, you already have great skills." She compliments as she leads me into the room. My eyes take in the sight of the beautiful grand piano that I get the honor to play.

"Take a seat." She instructs and I corporate.

I leave enough room for her to sit beside me, which she wastes no time doing. Her hands instantly go to the song books scattered in front of us.

"Do you like Billy Joel?" She asks.

"Of course, he's one of the greatest pianists and musicians in history." A small smile forms on my face.

"Piano man." She holds up a book with the notes for the iconic song. "It's a classic that everyone deserves to play in their lifetime. Have you ever tried this one?"

"No, never." I shake my head.

"We'll start with this." She smiles as she places it in front of me. "The beginning needs to be strong, it's known as one of the best piano intros of all time."

I nod my head, being very familiar with the song. I place my hands on the keyboard and stare at the music notes.

My heart rate increases as I begin to play the melody. I clear my mind of all my jumbled thoughts and focus on the chords. Lisa watches me like a hawk, which intimidates me.

As I move through the notes, it feels like my body is floating. This seems like an outer body experience to me. It's almost like this confident girl playing a timeless classic song on a beautiful instrument is not me.

As the tune picks up, I hit on the keys with more confidence. I don't mess up one part of the song, even the more challenging notes. Once my hands slide off the keyboard, I look back to a speechless Lisa.

"How was that?" I nervously ask.

"You're joking with me, right? You don't actually need piano lessons because the way you played that was extremely professional." Her mouth hangs low.

"Really?" Electricity rushes through my bones as I smile up at her. "The music just comes to me."

"Almost like you can feel it in your core, correct?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Yeah, it overpowers me." I smile as I look at her.

"That's exactly how I feel whenever I play. This is a beautiful gift to have. Music can change every aspect of your life."

"It helps me so much." I beam as I look back at my hands.

"Who is your favorite artist of all time?"

"Wow, that's a hard decision to make. I grew up listening to classic rock from my brother, so any of those icons." My cheeks turn red as I tell her.