Chapter Fifteen
Bonnie
Bonnie held out for nearly four hours before she started regretting it.
She’d watched Vic walk out her door, told herself it was the right call, then spent the hours until dawn staring at the ceiling, replaying every second of their last conversation. The look on his face when she’d shut him down. The quiet hurt in his voice when he said he loved her.
Love.
She’d thrown the word back in his face like it was something dirty.
By morning, she was pissed at herself, at him, at the whole damn situation.
That day, she threw herself into rehearsals like a woman possessed, pushing her band harder than she had in months. If she worked hard enough, played loud enough, she could drown out the memory of Vic’s hands on her skin and the way he’d looked at her like she was worth staying for.
It didn’t work.
***
The first gig without him was a disaster.
Her regular drummer, still recovering from the flu, was sluggish and off-time.
The groove that had felt effortless with Vic now felt clunky and forced.
Bonnie tried to push through it, pouring everything into her guitar and vocals, but the magic wasn’t there.
The crowd still cheered, but she could feel the difference. The songs that used to soar fell flat.
She went home that night and stared at her phone for twenty minutes.
She didn’t call.