When Cressida returned from Andrea's to start dinner, Graham was still going on the piano. She was quiet going up the stairs so she wouldn't disturb him, and opened her windows wide so she could listen, letting in the cool autumn breeze at the same time. She smiled to herself, remembering how she'd hated the sounds of his practicing the first time she'd heard it. Now it was all music to her, even the warm ups, and she loved hearing the evidence of his passion for his work.

Her hands moved automatically at her task of making dinner, chopping and dicing as her thoughts wandered.

What was going to happen when he won the competition?

For she had no doubt that he would win. He was so talented, how could he not? She didn't even know when he was supposed to leave for England. When did their academic year start?

OMG, what if it was right away, like in January for February?

She didn't want him to go.

She put the shepherd's pie in the oven to bake and went downstairs, hoping it was okay to knock.

The piano stopped and he came to the door, smiling for her. He yanked her in and kissed her, lifting her off her feet as he did.

"Cress! I missed you."

Cressida laughed. "It's only been a few hours, silly."

Graham shrugged. "Such is the power you have over me, what can I say? You ready for your lesson?"

Cressida nodded.

They sat at the piano together, book open, while Graham showed her how to read music. Cressida picked this up quickly, and was playing through the simple pieces in the kitten book before long.

"See? I told you you were a natural," Graham said when they were finished. "And now it's dinner time, I hope, because I'm famished."

"I bet you haven't eaten all day," Cressida accused.

Graham shook his head. "Forgot."

They headed upstairs, and kept chatting while Cressida put the food out.

"Looks amazing, and smells good, too," he said, sitting at the little table. "Definitely worth a piano lesson."

Cressida smiled as she sat. "You're in a good mood. Practice go well today?"

Graham nodded as he began to eat. "Yes. Sergei and I were definitely in sync today."

"Oh, is that Rachmaninov's first name? I didn't know."

Graham grinned at her. "I sometimes forget you're not musical. You're the only person I know, literally, who's not, who doesn't care about music."

"I do care," she protested. "I care because it's important to you."

"Well, thanks for that."

After they finished eating, they took second glasses of wine to her little sofa and sat.
Graham took a deep breath. "Look, it's going to get pretty bad over these next few weeks. With the practicing, I mean. I'm not going to have a lot of free time. I just want to apologize in advance, you know?" At Cressida's look, he continued. "Usually, when two people start seeing each other, begin a relationship, however you want to define it, it's very intense and wonderful. There are evenings of movies, talking, really getting to know the other person, all that good stuff. But I'm not going to have time for all that is what I'm trying to say."

"Is that what your past relationships have been like?"

"Relationship."

"What?" Cressida wasn't sure she'd heard him properly.

"Singular."

"Katherine?"

Graham nodded.

Cressida was silent, digesting this new information. "But you've dated more than just her."
Graham shook his head. "Not really. Never had the time. When I first moved to New York, I was basically homeless, scrabbling around just trying to keep body and soul together. Then I met the Prof, and she got me the Hamilton Academy audition, then I met Kath."

"And no one since then?"

He shook his head again. "I didn't want to deal with women anymore. For a while, I didn't want to deal with people anymore."

"She really hurt you."

Graham shrugged, finishing his wine and pouring himself another glass.

Cressida sat up as a thought occurred to her. "You've only had one lover?"

Graham smiled. "Well, two, now, Cress."

Again, Cressida was silent, adjusting to this information.

"What, does that surprise you?" Graham teased.

"Yeah. I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous. You must have had to pry the women off you with a claw hammer."

Graham laughed. "Hardly. Not many people want to date a homeless busboy, and then at school, well, you'd have to be a pretty confident woman to try to take something of Katherine Thurman's. Everyone knew we were together, everyone knew who she was, who her mother was." He shrugged. "And after Kath, I just didn't want to. Sex is fun, but all of the stuff that surrounds it is a monumental bother if you don't care about the person you're with."

Cressida shook her head. "Wow, I got really lucky, huh?"

Graham looked at her, all traces of humor suddenly gone. "No. No, I did." He leaned in and kissed her, with heat, with purpose. "You know that day at the laundromat?"

Cressida closed her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment. "Yeah."

"I saw you in there when I was walking by, and ran back to my apartment to grab some laundry, just so I could talk to you."

"Really?"

Graham nodded. "They weren't even dirty."

"Aww."

He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "So what I'm trying to say is that I have to give the bulk of myself to my music right now, not because I want to, it's just necessary. It's not that I don't want to spend time with you, okay?"

Cressida nodded. "I understand."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"What I don't give to my music, I'll gladly give you, but I don't know how much will be left is all."

The question on the tip of Cressida's tongue, about what would happen after the competition, remained unasked. She wondered if he'd thought about it at all, or if he was just thinking of her as a temporary thing, just until he went to England.

She leaned in and kissed him again, scooting closer on the couch.

"You have time for this?" she murmured.

"Yes, now that I've finished practicing, I definitely have time for this," he answered, nodding. He carried her to her bed and sat down with her in his lap, kissing her extravagantly. His strong hands pulled at her shirt, lifting it over her head, showing her cute bra, which had bumblebees all over it.

He laughed and she covered herself. "What, don't you like my bra?"

"Look, I love your bra, but you look young enough, you know? Makes me feel like a child molester or something."

"Well, how about if I just take it off?"

"Much better. Much, much better." He bent his head to her front, unable to keep away. He loved her breasts, so small and innocent, unlike Kath's. He couldn't get enough of Cress.

Things got quiet as they got busy.

"Shit. Shit shit."

These words, uttered sometime later, made Cress laugh. "Not the words I wanted to hear at this juncture, I'll admit. What's wrong?"

Graham rolled off her. "The condoms are downstairs."

"Oh, well, run down and grab one, you big oaf."

"What, like this?"

"Mikey's probably already in bed, what's the problem?"

"You want a spanking?"

"Yes, please."

Graham grabbed Cressida and turned her over, slapping her bottom briskly while she howled with laughter.

"Well, this is fun, but it doesn't solve the original problem, does it?" she asked from her prone position across his lap. She gave a theatrical sigh. "I'll go get the condoms, though I bet Mikey would love to see you like that."

"Condoms? Plural?"

"Of course, I want an encore performance of last night, you ought to know."

"Dear god."

Cressida pulled on a nightgown and ran down to get the condoms. She tore the long row of them in half, bringing at least a dozen back with her. She threw them at Graham where he lay on her bed. "I think this ought to be enough for tonight, don't you?"

"Bitch. Bitchy bitch," Graham answered, ripping one open and rolling it on. "Now get over here, you, let's get this show on the road."

Cressida pulled her nightie off and leapt on the bed, laughing.