Chapter Fourteen
Chase
Chase stood at the edge of the stage during sound check in Michigan, guitar slung in his typical low stance, watching the crew tweak lights and monitors.
The club was bigger than he’d expected. It was a real stage, with a decent front-of-house setup, and a crowd that would actually fill the room.
This was the kind of gig they’d been working towards.
He should’ve been excited.
Instead, his mind kept drifting back to Kath’s couch. The way her lyrics and his melody had started weaving together like they belonged. The spark in her eyes when they got something right. Then the sudden shift—the way she’d gone quiet and distant the moment Bonnie’s name came up.
He’d replayed that moment a dozen times. Had he pushed too hard? Mentioned the band too casually? Or was it something deeper—her seeing how different their worlds were and pulling back before it could get real?
“Chase, you with us?” Vic’s voice pulled him back.
“Yeah. Sorry.” He adjusted his strap and stepped up to the mic for a quick vocal check with Benny. The notes came out steady, but his head wasn’t fully in it.
After sound check, while the others grabbed food backstage, Chase found a quiet corner and pulled out his phone. He opened his messages with Kath. The last one he’d sent—thanking her for the session—still sat without a response.
He typed slowly, deleting and rewriting twice before settling on something simple.
*Hey. Just finished sound check in Michigan. Been thinking about that song we started. Hope you’re doing okay. No pressure, but I’d love to pick it up again whenever you want.*
He hit Send before he could overthink it.
Benny wandered over a few minutes later, handing him a bottle of water. “You’ve been quiet since we got here. Still thinking about the bike girl?”
Chase nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah. She’s about all I seem to think about these days.”
Benny leaned against the wall beside him. “I’m glad you’ve got that going on. Just don’t twist yourself into a pretzel for her, unless you know she’s worth it.”
“She is,” Chase said without hesitation. “I really like her, Benny. Not just the music thing. Her. The way she rides that bike like it’s freedom. The way she writes lyrics that hit me right in the chest. I don’t want to rush her, but I also don’t want her thinking I’m okay with walking away.”
Benny studied him for a long moment, then smiled. “Then that’s your answer. Just keep showing up as you. The rest is up to her.”
Chase’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out fast.
*Hey. Sorry about the other night. I had a good time too. Maudie was having a rough one, and I got in my head. The song’s been stuck in my head too. Maybe we can work on it again when you’re back?*
Relief washed through him so strong it made him grin like an idiot.
“Yeah?” Benny asked, amused.
“Yeah.” Chase typed back quickly.
*Sounds perfect. I’ll be thinking about it until then. Take care of yourself, okay?*
He slipped the phone away, the nerves about tonight’s show suddenly feeling a lot more manageable.
Kath hadn’t run.
Not completely.
And for now, that was enough.
He picked up his guitar again, the melody they’d started together flowing easier than ever. For the first time today, the stage in front of him didn’t feel quite so intimidating.
Because somewhere back home, a girl with platinum hair and a notebook full of fire was thinking about their song too.
And that made everything feel possible.
***
Kath
Kath was curled up on the couch in the dark, the only light coming from her phone screen as she scrolled aimlessly through old lyrics. Maudie had finally woken up earlier, grumpy but alive, and had gone straight back to bed after a long shower. The house was quiet again, but Kath’s mind wasn’t.
She kept replaying the night with Chase. The way the music had flowed between them. The way he’d looked at her like her words actually mattered. Then her stupid panic and how she’d basically pushed him out the door.
Her phone lit up with an incoming video call.
Chase.
Her heart jumped. She answered before it could ring a second time.
Chase’s face filled the screen. He was on the band bus, the interior lights dim, the faint sound of road noise and low conversation in the background. His hair was messy, eyes bright, and he had the biggest, goofiest grin she’d ever seen on him.
“Kath!” he said, voice crackling with energy. “Holy shit, that show was insane. The crowd was screaming the new stuff back at us. Benny went full rock star on the last song, and I swear the whole place shook. Vic was on fire. I even got a solo spot and didn’t completely embarrass myself...”
He kept going, words tumbling out fast and breathless, hands gesturing wildly as he described the set, the encore, the way the audience had chanted for one more song.
He was practically vibrating with adrenaline, eyes wide and shining, that quiet boy from the diner completely replaced by this exhilarated, glowing version of Chase.
Kath couldn’t stop smiling. She pulled her knees up to her chest and just watched him, warmth spreading through her like sunlight.
This was Chase completely unleashed. He was happy, proud, and alive with the music.
She loved seeing him like this. Loved that he was calling her from the bus, still riding the high, wanting to share it with her.
“...and then Benny threw his pick into the crowd, and this girl caught it and screamed so loud I thought my ears were gonna bleed,” he finished, laughing. “God, it was good. I wish you could’ve been there.”
“I wish I could’ve too,” she said, meaning it.
Chase’s grin softened a little, but the energy was still pouring off him. “Sorry, I’m probably talking too fast. I’m just...wired. That was one of the best gigs we’ve had as a group.”
“I can tell,” Kath said, laughing quietly. “You look like you’re about to float off the bus.”
He ran a hand through his hair, still grinning. “Feels like it. Anyway...how are you? I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“No, I was awake.” She hesitated, then let the words slip out before she could overthink them. “I kinda like you, you know?”
Chase went still on the screen. His eyes widened, that bright post-show glow shifting into something softer, warmer.
“Yeah?” he asked, voice dropping.
“Yeah.” Kath bit her lip, cheeks burning, but she didn’t look away. “I like hearing you like this. All excited and happy. I like...talking to you. Working on songs with you. All of it.”
The smile that spread across his face was slow and real—the kind that made her stomach flutter.
“I kinda like you too,” he said, almost reverently. “A lot.”
They stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other through the screen while the bus rolled through the night. No pressure. No rush. Just the quiet admission hanging between them like a promise.
“I should probably let you get some rest,” Chase said eventually, though he didn’t sound like he wanted to hang up. “We’ve still got a few hours until Fort Wayne.”
“Okay,” Kath whispered. “Text me when you get in safe?”
“I will.” He paused, then added gently, “Night, Kath.”
“Night, Chase.”
She ended the call and let her head fall back against the couch, a helpless smile on her face.
She was still scared. Still worried she’d mess this up somehow.
But hearing him like that—buzzing with joy, calling her just to share it—made the fear feel a little smaller.
Maybe she could let herself have this. Maybe this feeling could become the norm.