Page 63 of New Year's Faye

SAME

Every song I've ever sung

Has been a love letter in disguise

Tonight I'm done with hiding

Some write their love in verses

Some paint it in the stars

But baby, my love was written

In color-coded charts

- The Wild Ones, "Love by Numbers"

The thing about performing is that sometimes the lights are so bright you can't see the audience.

Sometimes that's a curse.

Tonight it was a blessing.

"You ready for this?" Justice asked as we waited in the wings. The roar of the crowd vibrated through my bones, but for once, my racing heart had nothing to do with stage fright.

"No." I adjusted my guitar strap. "But I'm doing it anyway."

"That's my boy." He clapped my shoulder. "For what it's worth, I haven't seen Faye all day."

My stomach twisted. "Thanks. That's... not super helpful."

He grinned. "She’ll be here. I know it."

"Places!" The stage manager called out.

This was it. No turning back.

We took our positions on the darkened stage—Justice center, me to his right, Felix and Radley creating our foundation. The same setup we'd had for years, except nothing felt the same.

Because tonight, I wasn't just Sam Dogg, lead guitarist of The Wild Ones.

Tonight, I was just a boy with a guitar, finally brave enough to tell the truth.

The lights hit. The crowd roared. And we played.

Song after song, building the energy, feeding off the audience's response. I played on autopilot, my mind already on the final number. On the words I'd written in margins and hotel rooms and quiet moments watching Faye work.

Finally, Justice stepped up to his mic. "You've been amazing tonight!"

The crowd roared their approval.

"But we've got one more song for you. Something new. Something..." his eyes found mine. "Something real."

My heart thundered as I stepped up to my own mic. This wasn't unusual—we often shared vocals.

"This one's called 'Maybe That's Enough,'" I said quietly. "And it's for the girl who's been running my world since high school."

I glanced at the wing hoping Faye would be there, only to see her spot empty.

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