A low moan escapes my lips as Grayson's hot mouth gently grazes across my collarbone. I grip onto his bare, muscular back as my eyes tightly shut. His hand moves over my bra, caressing it lightly. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as a lustful sigh escapes my mouth.

As he starts to kiss down my stomach, my eyes slowly open. I glance at the digital clock on the cable box. 3:23.

"I need to go." I groan while looking down at him.

"No, baby." He mumbles over my skin. "We were just getting to the fun part."

"We shouldn't have spent so much time making out. God, what is wrong with us?" I flash him a teasing grin.

"You always want to go slow. That is not my fault." He says before placing his hands on my hips.

"Grayson." I gulp as he goes to unbutton my jeans.

"We can make it quick." He looks up at me with a smirk.

"I have to go meet Carter."

"Fuck Carter." He scoffs before widening his eyes, realizing what he just said. "No, I mean, don't actually fuck him. I mean-"

"Dolan, I don't have time for your nonsense." I groan while rising to my feet.

"Oh my god, we turned into those old boring couples who barely have time for sex." He collapses onto our bed while I grab my shirt and put it back on.

"Classes have been kicking my ass lately." I put on my socks, followed by my boots.

"Even more reason to destress." He flashes me his cutest smile.

"I don't want to be late. Crap." I glance at the clock while hurrying to grab my school bag. Grayson rises to his feet and puts his t-shirt back on.

"I'm sure he'll understand." He nods while opening the door.

"Do you want to meet me on campus after I'm done with my rehearsal with him?" I ask as we both exit our room, making our way down the long staircase.

"Of course. Text me when I should leave."

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, my eyes latch onto Lanie and Ethan sitting at the kitchen table. Five large packs of colored pencils scatter the glass, along with multiple pieces of oak tag paper. Fashion magazines and art supplies are messily placed around them.

"Damn, you guys are working hard." Grayson lets out a laugh.

Ethan looks up with a longing sigh. "We've been at this for five hours. My eyes and hands are killing me."

"Stop being a baby. Hand me the hot glue gun." Lanie nods her head.

"Anything for you, sweetheart." Ethan sarcastically responds before mouthing the words 'help me' to Grayson and I.

"I'm struggling to find the right colors for these pieces." Lanie groans while finally making eye contact with me.

"Everything looks great so far." I try to sneak a peek at her design.

"No looking! It's nowhere close to being finished. I still need to go get the supplies to actually make everything. I feel like my head is going to explode."

"Just breathe, babe." Ethan inhales a deep breath.

"Well, I need to go." I announce.

"To meet Carter, right?" Ethan eyes me before glancing at Grayson.

"Yeah, he's going to tell me what song we're singing for the showcase." I look down at my phone and see it's 3:41. "Fuck, I need to leave." I quickly turn around and place a kiss on Grayson's lips.

"See you later. I'll pick you up." He smiles.

"Perfect, love you." I shout before hurrying into the elevator.

I let out a deep breath as I rush out of the lobby and into a taxi. Good thing I already had one waiting for me. I've never been so busy in my life.

My schoolwork at my community college was nothing compared to the flood of work I have to do for Juilliard. Not that I mind, I actually like engaging myself into it. I never felt smart, but now I do.

Excited nerves dance around my stomach when I finally get out of the car. My bag is neatly placed on my shoulder as I walk through campus. Now that I know where the auditorium is, it's not a struggle to get to.

Opening the door to the large area, my vision adjusts to the sudden darkness. Carter is sitting at the large piano on stage. The spotlight is directly on him, which is the only light in the room.

"You're late." He says without looking away from the keys.

"How did you know it was me?" I reply with a smart remark.

"Who else would it be?"

I place my bag down on one of the seats before walking up the steps. The sound of my boots lightly taps along the stage, creating an awkward noise. I stand on the side of the piano, and he finally looks up at me.

"I have been organizing this showcase for the past year. It's the only thing on my mind, and I plan on making it perfection." He begins as I slowly nod my head.

"It will be." I agree.

"I think you're an amazing musician. Do you know how hard it is to play Bohemian Rhapsody?"

"Yeah, I'm well aware. It's extremely long and-"

"You nailed every single note, and you matched the tempo precisely. You're the perfect partner for me to have." He compliments, which puts a small smile on my face.

"I heard a few rumors-"

"I can only imagine. I'm very notorious at this college." His infamous smirk spreads over his lips.

"You're allegedly the best singer here." I boost his ego even more.

"Allegedly?" His eyebrows raise as he leans in closer to the piano. "There is no allegation, sweetheart. I am the best singer here."

"Cocky, I like it." I cross my arms over my chest. "I guess I'll be the judge of that. Sing something for me."

He simply nods his head with a sly smile appearing on his face. His hands move back onto the keys, and he instantly hits on them with force.

After a few notes, I know exactly what song he is performing. He confirms it once he opens his mouth, and starts singing the first line.

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be."

My eyes widen once I hear his voice. Holy shit, he's amazing. As he continues to sing the song, I get lost in his vocal range. No wonder he's known as the best singer at this college.

The way he plays the piano and belts out the beautiful lyrics puts me in a mesmerizing trance. There's so much soul and rhythm to his voice.

A smile slips onto my lips once the chorus picks up, and he closes his eyes. His hands never leave the keys as he bobs his head up and down. This song is very specific, and he's singing it perfectly.

Once he finishes and slowly pulls his hands off the piano, he looks up at my amazed expression.

"Holy shit. How do you sing like that?" My eyes are as wide as ever.

"I've been practicing since I was a kid. It took me awhile to get to where I am."

"Your voice is perfection." I can't help but compliment.

"Thank you." He smiles while rising from the piano bench.

"Is that the song we're performing for the showcase?"

"Yup, Let it Be by The Beatles." A proud smile stays on his face as he hands me the sheet music for it.

"Classic. What made you pick it?" I stare up at him.

"It's my mother's favorite song. She's the one who pushed me to be a singer in the first place, so she's my biggest inspiration."

"That's really nice." I lightly grin.

"She lives in Alabama, which is where I'm from. I miss her a lot and she's coming to the showcase. I rarely see her so I'm dedicating the performance to her." He lets out a breath.

"Wow, what made you come to New York for college?"

"It was the best music school for me. My aunt and uncle live here in the city, they're big shot CEO's so I've been living with them for the past four years." He opens up a little more.

When Violet and her friends were talking about him, they made him out to be the typical rich boy around here. I feel bad for judging him before I even got to know him.

"I've never played this one before." I look down at the music sheet. This excites me, I'm always eager to learn new songs.

"Time to start learning it." He laughs before smirking again. "I have so many fun ideas for this performance. My friend Andrew is going to be playing the guitar for us when the song picks up. I really want to bring in his band so the rock-n-roll feel is there."

"Band?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it'll be so cool."

"I thought this had to be a duet between the two of us." I motion my hand up.

"Doesn't mean we can't spice it up." He shrugs before continuing. "We're still going to be working together as much as we can. I'll come up with a rehearsal schedule once I talk to him, he's also a student here."

"Sounds good to me." I agree with a smile. I can't wait to fill the penthouse with the sound of this song.

"Not many people know this, but the best performance gets a prize of five thousand dollars in cash." He whispers while leaning into me.

"Wait, really? Who determines that?" My heart drops at his words.

"There's always judges in the audience." He casually shrugs. "Professor Hill usually keeps it on the down-low until the end."

"Shit, there's no fucking around with this." I shake my head.

"I like you, Stella." He says while eyeing me. "You know why?"

"Because of my spunk and amazing piano skills?" I lightly smirk.

"No, because the girls in your class seem to hate you, which means you're doing something right."

"Wow, thanks. I think?" I say with a chuckle.

"It's a good thing." He nods while picking up his bag. "Unfortunately, I have to get to class. Start working on the song so we can get everything started."

"Yeah, of course." I say while standing up.

I didn't realize how quick our meeting would be. I put the music sheet in my bag before pulling out my phone to text Grayson. I send my message, which tells him head over to campus now, before locking the device.

Before Carter exits the auditorium, he looks back at the stage with a raised eyebrow. "Did you hear that?"

I look up from my phone, consumed by the thought of seeing Grayson. "Hear what?"

"Uh, nothing." He holds the door open for me, and I hurry out of the large room.

"What class are you going to?" I make conversation with my new partner.

"Advanced melodies and harmonies." He says with a smug grin.

"I should have known." I shake my head.

As we're walking down the hallway, I spot Violet coming from the opposite direction. A low smirk hangs on her lips as she looks at Carter, then glances back to me.

"Hey Carter." She says, before shooting me a smirk.

"Oh, hey." He politely nods.

Without another word, she continues to walk past us. He turns back to look at me. "Shit, I forgot her name. She's always flirting with me."

"I think it's purple." I smirk while looking down at my phone, seeing I have a new message. My boy has arrived to Juilliard. "I need to go, but I'll work on the song later."

"You better." He laughs while I walk away.

When I step outside, Grayson is looking around the campus in awe. His expression makes me smile as I rush up to wrap my arms around him.

"I missed you." I say while clinging onto his shoulders.

"I missed you, too." He says with a laugh as he places his hands around my waist. "How was everything?"

I pull away from him as we start to walk down the busy sidewalk. It's pretty nice out, considering the weather is changing. "We're performing Let it Be."

"No way, really? That's sick."

"I'm going to start rehearsing it tonight. Carter said he's getting a whole band and everything." I excitedly announce.

"I'm sure it's going to be amazing. If you're working on it, there's no way it'll be bad." His hand latches onto mine as I intertwine our fingers together. We continue to walk around the beautiful city as I look up at him.

"The best performance gets a five thousand dollar prize. I can't believe it."

"You're working with the best singer at Juilliard, that's easy money." He grins while looking back at me.

"I can't believe I have the opportunity to do all of this." I happily sigh.

"You and Lanie are living your dreams, Ethan and I couldn't be more proud of you two." There's a slight sadness to his tone, which makes me frown.

"Are you not living your dream?" I can't help but whisper.

"Of course I am. You're my dream, Monroe." He stops walking the second he sees how upset I am. "I just feel lost." His low voice admits.

"What's on your mind?" I peer into his deep brown eyes.

"I don't know what I want to do with my future. I'm still figuring out if I want to continue playing baseball at the next college I attend. That was my plan all along, but now I'm unsure." He vents.

"You're only twenty, Gray. You don't need to have your whole entire life planned out right away. Things change over time, just because you had a specific mindset about something doesn't mean you need to stick with it forever."

"I just wish I had something that excites me the way playing the piano excites you." He lets out a deep sigh.

"Ethan doesn't have that either. He's not in college at the moment." I point out.

"Lately I've been feeling stuck, I guess. But I'm so fucking happy that you found the thing that inspires you." He looks back up at the tall buildings around us.

"I found that two years ago." I keep my eyes on him. He looks back at me with the happiest smile I've seen on him. "You'll figure everything out. I never thought I would have a future, but here I am. Everything will fall into place for you like it did for me."

"Even if I don't figure it out, as long as you're with me I'm content with my life." He leans down to softly kiss my lips. My breath is taken away as I wrap my arms around him.

"Let me cheer you up by serenading you with my assignment." I laugh while pulling away from him. "It will give me practice and make you smile, a win win for us both."

"Deal." He smiles while holding onto my hand, and pulling me in the direction of the hotel.