Page 19 of Sing Your Heart Out

“Okay,” I say, finding my seat again. “Want to sit down?”

A dimple flashes in her cheek as she smiles and plops herself down on the couch. “So how have things been?”

I smirk. “I almost got in another fight with Marco.”

Her eyes go big. “What? Tell me everything.”

I chuckle. “There is nothing to really tell. I was minding my own business, having some granola and yogurt. Marco comes up to me and accuses me of having stolen his special yogurt, which is obviously complete nonsense.”

“Totally,” she breathes. I notice that Sarah leans forward a little bit as I talk, showing me her cleavage.

Yeah, I’m not supposed to think about that, I’m pretty sure. So I drag my eyes away, finishing the story.

“Anyway, he almost fought me over it. Which would be fine, as long as he throws the first punch. But he’s not stupid enough to actually do that, seeing as how I’m literally twice the size of him.”

“Mmm,” she says, nodding her head. “Yeah, Marco is kind of a wild card. I think if Dee didn’t like him so much, his ass would be grass by now.”

“Definitely.” I sit back, stretching out my long legs. I see her cast a gaze over my whole body. “What?”

She flushes. “What?”

“You were staring at my body.” Teasing, I act offended. “I don’t want you objectifying me, Sarah. I’m way more than just a handsome guy that happens to be six foot four.”

She looks at me, her gaze concerned. “I wasn’t… I mean, I didn’t mean to make you feel…”

She sees me laughing and narrows her eyes. “Are you messing with me?”

“Hell yeah I’m messing with you,” I tell her.

“Oh my god,” she sighs. “I swear, Smith…”

“Wait, wait,” I say when she starts to get up. “I haven’t played my song for you yet. Maybe you can give me some direction…”

Picking up my guitar, I play what I’ve got so far. It’s not much, only a catchy riff and a few chords that could be something… eventually, maybe.

When I finish, I look at her over my guitar. She pinches her lips together, her expression thoughtful. “Hmm.” She looks up at me thoughtfully. “What is the song about?”

I frown. “It really doesn’t have any lyrics or anything yet…”

She waves a hand. “Yeah, but what were you thinking about when you arranged those cords in that order? It sounds sad so far, almost angry.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I was thinking of my ex. I was angry at her, but even more pissed off at myself.”

Sarah nods her head slowly. “I can see that.”

“You don’t know a thing. You haven’t ever had anyone treat you like she did me.”

Her eyebrows rise. “Is that so?”

She’s blushing, although I’m not sure why.

“Yeah. Believe me, I put up with her bullshit for way too long. And then when she left…” My jaw tenses. “She’s the reason that I’m having so much trouble with writer’s block. She left me high and dry.”

She glances away, a muscle ticking in her jaw. “You know Smith, you are not the only one with a past and a story.”

I scoff. “What, like you’ve been rode wet and hung up dry? Please. You are already the standout in this competition and I’m willing to bet that you’ve never actually had anything tough happen to you in your life.”

Pushing to her feet, she grimaces. “You are so wrong it isn’t even funny, Smith! Everybody has something tragic in their past. Every single person here. I am no exception!”

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