Page 10 of Rim Shot Rebound

But a slower tune meant more emotional lyrics. More depth. More tears. While she was already hormonal and hurting and afraid and unsure of the world around her. Kelsey would have to lay out her soul for the world in those lyrics. All while working side by side with Eric, who had no idea what he was even asking of her.

“I mean, if you’re up for that,” he said. “They’re gonna be your words. I’m just here to make them sound good.” His mouth curved into a smile that lit up the whole room. That smile made her feel like she could do anything as long as he was there beside her and had her back.

But he didn’t. Not when it counted.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Your call,” he added.

Or maybe he did?

“That makes sense,” she said. “Yeah, let’s do a slow tune. Maybe a new waltz?”

“Great.” Eric fixed his dark eyes on her and raised his glass for a toast. She raised hers as well, then he said, “To making great music together.”

Kelsey felt lightheaded and began to wobble. She nearly fell out of her chair before Eric caught her elbow with his strong, steady grip. The concerned look on his face required some sort of explanation, although she didn’t really have a good one prepared.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Not enough caffeine today, I guess.” She would have to get better at excuses if her blood pressure and her heart were going to randomly conspire against her like that.

Eric still held her elbow and stared at her with lingering concern. She realized her arm was tingling under the touch of his calloused fingers, roughened from years of plucking bass strings, and she wondered if maybe it was only her heart betraying her and not her blood pressure after all.

Kelsey steadied herself and raised her glass. “To music.”

 

* * * * *

 

“I think I’ve got enough here to get a good start.” He tapped the staff paper in front of him with the back of his green mechanical pencil. He’d been playing around with chords and different snippets of melodies for Kelsey to weigh in on, and they’d already nailed down what they wanted for the chorus. It was a very loose session. Relaxed. Stress-free. Exactly what he’d hoped for.

But now it was time to wrap it up. Kelsey had been glancing at the clock for the past ten minutes. Probably had to work in the morning. It had been so nice to feel like things were normal between them again. Even for a little while. He didn’t know what was going on with her the last few weeks, but he hoped she’d feel safe enough to let him know at some point what was bothering her.

He hoped he could earn at least that.

“Me too.” Kelsey tore off the top sheet of the legal pad. She’d been jotting down notes while he tinkered on the piano. Emotional beats to hit. Questions, title ideas, and potential hooks. Chord progressions. Her own shorthand language of rhythmic notation that was unlike anything he’d ever seen from anyone else, drummers included. Her notes were uniquely Kelsey. He could sit there and marvel at them all day.

“So when do you want to meet again?” He wanted to ask her to come over again tomorrow, but he didn’t want to scare her off. Plus, he knew she needed time to work on the lyrics on her own for a while. “Next Friday? Or next Saturday after that gig?”

“Don’t you have plans or something?” She hesitated. “With Bria?”

Eric’s stomach dropped. He’d been trying to find a way to bring this up all night, and now that the topic had fallen into his lap, he didn’t know what to say.

Correction: he knew exactly what to say. He was just scared to say it. All of it.

“We broke up.”

“Oh.” Kelsey looked shocked. Eric wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like he had a string of steady, long-term relationships under his belt besides Kelsey and Bria. There had been lots of women, lots of men too, but nothing more than a hookup or brief fling. He’d only been trying to numb the pain and loneliness he felt. But it never worked for long.

“Sorry, I thought you two had history or…I don’t know. Sorry.”

History. Sure, he and Bria had history. But it had been ancient history. It had been nice to reminisce about high school and old friends and good times with her. She was fun. They got along. But none of that was enough to sustain an actual relationship. Certainly not enough to surpass the kind of history he had with Kelsey. His feelings for Bria—or anyone else, for that matter—could never come close to what he felt for Kelsey.

“It’s fine. I’m not sad. It had to end.”

“I thought you two were getting along? I mean, last I heard.”

“We were. But it was never going to work.”

“Why not?” She tilted her head in curiosity, then shook it and said, “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

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