Page 58 of New Year's Faye

Faye adjusting my guitar strap before I even noticed it was twisted.

Her hand on my back when crowds got too overwhelming.

The way she'd started wearing my favorite perfume after I'd mentioned once that it reminded me of home.

"Oh," I breathed. “I never….”

"Finally," Justice muttered. "He gets it."

"But she ran."

"Because Faye needs to process." Radley's smile was knowing. "She likes to understand things, to categorize them. And you just handed her years she has to recontextualize. Give her time but not too much."

“And continue fighting for her,” Felix added. “Women love that shit.”

We all looked at him.

“And how, exactly, would you know that?” Radley asked, arching her eyebrow.

“I read romance.”

Justice threw a pen at him.

“So what are you proposing?” I asked, glancing around the table. “I can tell you already have plans cooking.”

Justice's grin turned wicked. "Funny you should say that…."

"Why am I suddenly terrified?"

"Because you're smart." Radley laughed. "But trust us. We've got your back."

"Always have," Felix added.

I looked at my family—this weird, wonderful group of people who'd seen my love for Faye long before I'd admitted it to myself.

“Love you guys,” I said gruffly. “Now, what’s the plan.”

Justice's grin widened. "How do you feel about performing a solo at tonight's show?"

My heart stopped. "Fuck. That's..." I swallowed hard. "That's terrifying."

"Good." Radley squeezed my hand again. "Time to lay it all on the line, lover-boy."

I thought about Faye reading my notebook. About years of loving her in silence. About how tired I was of pretending this fake marriage wasn't everything I'd ever wanted.

"Okay." I picked up my drink, finally taking a sip of the cool soda. "Let's do it."

Because maybe what we’d have wasn't enough anymore.

Not for either of us.

12

FAYE

EMOTIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Priority Level: CATASTROPHIC

---