Chapter Sixteen #3
“You’re the first person to hear this song besides me, so basically, I need you to be as brutally honest as you can with me. People just tell me what I want to hear most of the time, not what I need to hear.” He hesitantly looked up at me.
“You sure you know what you’re asking for?” I joked.
“Why do you think I’m here?”
“Fair enough,” I said, settling into my spot.
I was close enough to feel his presence but not close enough to touch him. I watched his chest rise and fall behind the guitar.
“Ready?”
I nodded my head and smiled.
He picked at the strings, a slow melody strumming through the air around us. Before too long, his voice joined in, matching the melody perfectly.
I subtly bobbed my head back and forth, listening to every single word that escaped his mouth. Partially because I wanted to be able to give an honest review, and partially because I wanted to be sure I could dissect every lyric he sang after he left.
The song was good, but the best part was that it was different than all the rest he’d released, and I knew that was what he was really after.
He strung the last chord, keeping his head peered over the guitar and not at me.
“You wrote this entire song in just a few weeks?”
“Actually, I wrote the whole song the first day you came to the recording studio…”
“Damn, really?” I asked. “It’s incredible. Like really, really good.”
He cocked his head to the side, obviously doubting my compliment.
“I’m serious, Stetson. Come on, you know me well enough to know that if I didn’t like it, I’d tell you. You wanna know the thing I love the most about it?”
“That you were the inspiration behind it?” He grinned.
“Well, yes. But no. I love that it feels like you, or at least the you that I know, the you that I think you’re trying to share with the world in your next chapter of music.
It’s so different than anything I’ve heard you write, and on top of that, it’s relatable.
It feels real, raw, and full of emotion. ”
“Really?” The skepticism in his voice was heavy. “I just—”
Without thinking, I reached my hand out and rested it on top of his. The tingling sensation from my touch no doubt forced his eyes to look up.
“It’s really good,” I confirmed. “Now, I will say…” I grinned, pulling my hand back to my lap.
“Here she goes. I knew there was something.” He laughed.
“You said you wanted me to be honest, right?”
“Let’s hear it,” he said, motioning for me to continue.
“At the end, when you say The best one of my choices was finding strength inside of me? What if instead of inside of me, you said in my own voice? So, it goes more like And looking back through all the noise, the best one of my choices, was finding strength in my own voice?” I offered, anxiously awaiting his response.
“Damn,” he breathed, shaking his head back and forth. “You’ve got a talent for writing songs. Although, I should’ve known simply based on how you perceive everything around you.”
“You sound shocked?” I teased.
“I’m not. I’ve learned the hard way to never doubt you.”
“I like to keep everyone on their toes,” I said. “I guess I’ve just always enjoyed the puzzle of piecing words together in a way that fits, ya know?”
“For sure,” he agreed. “Got any songs up your sleeve?”
“Wouldn’t you love to know…”
I found myself gravitating toward him. Everything around us froze as our eyes danced together, anticipating who would make the next move.
“Well, I’m grateful, and truthfully, I’m just really excited about this next album. So, thank you.”
The buzz of his phone in the front pocket of his jeans startled us both. He pulled it out.
“Shit. I didn’t realize what time it was. I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.”
“What? Now?” I sat up, pushing my back firmly into the couch to catch my breath.
Were we about to kiss? We were definitely about to kiss.
“Yeah,” he said, quickly shoving his guitar back into the thick black case, pretending like he didn’t realize what cosmic shit was spiraling between the two of us. “I’m so sorry.”
“No worries. I helped you with everything you needed, right?”
“And then some,” he said, leaning his big body down to embrace me. “Thanks.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “Of course.”
On instinct, I wrapped my arms around his upper body. His arms squeezed me a little tighter and his face nuzzled into the space between my neck and collarbone, his mustache two-stepping on my skin.
My eyes fluttered shut, the euphoric sensation overtaking my entire body.
I didn’t want to let go and I wasn’t sure he did either, but before it became obvious, we untangled from each other just as the lights flickered back to life.
“Well, look at that timing. Now I don’t have to feel bad for leaving you all alone in the dark.
” He chuckled. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else.
” He paused before picking up his guitar.
“Professionally, of course, but I expect to see you back in the recording studio after the holidays. We’ve got work to do.
” He shot me a wink, turning toward the door.
Just as quickly as Stetson had appeared in my doorway, he disappeared.