Page 10 of Sing Your Heart Out

She looks completely puzzled. “No? Not really…”

I pick up my guitar and make my way to the door. “It was nice to work with you today. But I think it’ll be the last time.” I shrug, even though I don’t really mean what the gesture indicates. “See you around, Sarah.”

With that I head down the stairs, my brain filled with my thoughts and impulses. Still, her music runs through my head on a continuous loop…

It’s better this way. She’ll realize it too, soon enough.

4

Sarah

The next morning, we’re asked to pair off with someone different. I’m relieved, because Smith shot my partnership idea down so hard. Coming on the heels of the Martin breakup, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

So I look around the room for another partner. This time I want someone nonthreatening and someone who isn’t just… a jerk.

My eyes land on a woman about twenty years older than me with long black hair, a tattered white shirt, and black leather pants. She raises her eyebrows, meeting my gaze.

An invitation, I think.

I walk over to her, guitar in hand. “Do you want to partner up?”

A corner of her mouth turns up in a smile. “Sure. I’m Mellie.”

She sticks out her hand. I set my guitar at my feet and then shake her hand firmly. I can feel her eyes on me, her gaze measuring.

I guess I am good enough, because she gestures for me to follow her.

“Come on. I found a great spot last night.” She turns and heads out the back doors. I wince when the heat hits me and shade my eyes against the sun.

“I don’t know if I can work outside,” I say, trailing after Mellie.

She looks back, shaking her head. “Neither can I. It’s murder out here. But just you wait…”

She leads me across the yard, away from the pool. Walking up to the kudzu-covered fence, she reaches in and feels around for a second. Then she twists a knob and pulls open a secret door.

“Eh?” she asks, stepping back and letting me go first. “I found it by accident last night.”

I walk through the gate and into a cozy little space. There are a number of black plush chairs and the walls are covered with printed fabrics in every different color. It’s air conditioned in here, and I look around, my eyes widening.

“Whoa.”

Mellie pulls the door shut behind herself. She ducks a little bit as she makes her way to a chair. I look up at the ceiling, which is probably only two feet above my head.

“This place is trippy,” I breathe.

Mellie nods. “Yeah. It’s obviously a private space for people to think and work and be creative. I kind of love it.”

Finding a seat next to Mellie, I sigh. “It’s sort of nice to be somewhere private. I am not usually a privacy nut, but something about being in the house…”

I shake my head.

“It’s not just you.” Mellie pulls out a little tin and opens it. She’s got five neatly rolled joints in there, plus a lighter. “Everyone feels a bit squeezed.” She points to the tin. “Do you mind? I need a little ganja to get my creativity flowing.”

Shaking my head, I push myself back into the plushness of my chair. Mellie lights her joint, taking several drags off of it. When she exhales, a huge cloud of fragrant smoke rises from her mouth.

It’s almost hypnotic, watching her get high.

“You want some?” she asks, offering me the joint.

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