His Unwilling Muse

Chapter 14: Means to an End

"Are you in love with Nathaniel?"

Penny's question still echoes inside my mind, while I fight to keep my expression from revealing my surprise. We are still standing in the middle of the women's restroom and the last thing I want to do is talk about the turmoil going on inside me. The determined glint in her eyes, however, tells me I don't have much of a choice.

"What if I am? What's it to you?"

"Don't look at me like that." She crosses her arms in front of her chest to mimic my stance. "I'm not going to break Warren's heart because of Nathaniel. I used to have a small crush on Nathaniel when we first met, but it died the moment I got to know him better."

"Then what's the point of this?" I motion at the space between us.

"I just want you to know that you're not the first one. Tons of girls have been swooning over him for as long as I've known him."

"You think I don't know that?" I force myself to ignore the soft ping inside my chest.

"But do you know that not a single one has ever been able to compare to his passion for the violin? I've always thought he doesn't have it in him to care about anything other than his music."

"Thanks for telling me," I say through gritted teeth. "Can you go now?"

With her shoulders square she turns around and rests her hand on the door handle. Yet instead of exiting the restroom, she turns her head back to me.

"I thought that way up until now. With you... With you I'm not so sure anymore. You are, after all, his muse." She opens the door. "Now, come on. I'm sure Nathaniel is already waiting for you, so he can begin his practice."

My first instinct is to tell her to go on without me, but I stop myself. Staying behind would be admitting that her words flustered me, and I have no intention of allowing her to know that. This is why I take in a deep breath and follow her out of the room.

Wordlessly we make our way back down the hallway. This time I'm the one walking in the front, while Penny is trailing behind me. I haven't thought much about her until now, but now I find myself wondering if she really is the right choice for Warren. Or better yet, what the said guy even sees in her? I know for a fact that he is quite taken with her, yet the more time I spend with her the harder it is for me to see anything worth sticking around for.

We're a couple of steps away from the hall when two sets of male voices flood my ears.

"... Violet?" I recognize Isaac's voice.

The moment my name reaches my ears I plant my feet against the ground. This causes Penny to bump straight into my back. She immediately takes a step backwards, but before she can question my sudden stop, the voices from inside continue.

"Come on, man. It's either yes or no. You either like her or you don't."

I perk my ears, while holding my breath in anticipation. I can feel Penny's eyes bore into the back of my head, but I force myself to ignore it. Her opinion isn't what matters right now.

"I don't, okay." Nate says louder than I expected him to. "What's with the inquisition today?"

"I don't know. The two of you looked pretty cozy outside, that's all."

"She's just a means to an end, okay?" The sound of shuffling and moving footsteps fills my ears. "I play better in her presence, that's it. So, can you back off?"

"There's no need for hostility. I was just asking."

My body is frozen right outside the hall, while I try to absorb his words.