Page 42 of Sing Your Heart Out

Surely that has to be unnatural somehow…

He sighs, sprawling out. He shifts so that there is a shadow cast over his face.

I feel like I can usually read him pretty well, but just now the shadow over his face keeps me from guessing at what he is thinking. Is that a problem?

I sigh, nestling down into his arms, laying my head on his sweat-dampened chest. Silence stretches between us. I close my eyes, drowsing.

When he speaks, I feel the rumble coming froths chest before I hear his voice.

“Can you believe that we are down to the final four now?”

I look up at him, but his face is still half-obscured. “It’s strange. I feel like I just arrived in this house yesterday. And yet…” I skim my fingers along his ribs. “I also feel like we have known each other for a long, long time.” I frown. “Does that make any sense?”

He chuckles. “It does, yes.” He’s quiet for a half a minute, then his lips twitch. “What do you think your chances are of winning?”

“Oh…” I feel my face heat. “Umm, I’m not sure at all. Especially when there are real songwriters like you positioned as my competition.”

He adjusts beneath me and I see his curious eyes for a second. “I think you stand as much a chance of winning as I do, Sarah. Maybe more. You’ve got a natural gift.”

My cheeks burn. “You are just saying that because of what we just did.”

He shakes his head, his expression sober. “No, I’m not. Really. You are a real talent. You need to accept that. Know your worth.”

I duck my head. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

He shrugs. “It is honestly meant.” Pursing his lips, Smith sighs. “I don’t know. At the beginning of this contest, I came here with one goal in mind.”

A little smile curls my lips. “To win?”

That makes him smirk. “Very funny. I planned to win the competition, yes. But more importantly, I needed to prove to myself that I could do this on my own.”

I nod slowly. “I would say you’ve proven that pretty well, Smith.”

“I still produced better work when I wasn’t by myself,” he admits. “I would say the three best songs I created here were all with you riding shotgun. Maybe I even added less than you did.”

Smith sits up, his face creasing with displeasure. I do too, putting my hand over his.

“No way.” I like my head softly. “You contributed fifty percent, just like I did. It was a collaborative effort from where I stand.”

A muscle ticks in his jaw. His eyes scan my face, though what he’s looking for I can’t say. At last he sighs, taking my hand again.

“What would you say that your goal going into this competition was?”

I look down at his larger hand wrapped around mine, thinking.

“I guess I wanted to prove to myself I could stand on my own. Like… I wasn’t sure that if I left Justin, I wouldn’t just fall down like I was made of paper.” I puff out. my cheeks.

“And you’ve done that,” he asserts.

“Have I?” I glance up at him, uncertain. “It feels like I have just found another person to kind of hold me up.” I nudge him with the fingers of my free hand. “I guess I feel sort of the same way that you do. I found something special here, but it wasn’t what I was looking for exactly.”

“But you did prove to Justin that you can live and thrive without him. That has to feel like a big accomplishment.”

I nod. “It does feel that way.” I look up at his face. “It wouldn’t have happened without you, though.”

He smiles briefly, but his expression lacks warmth. “Sarah, I’m sure that you would have been just fine if we’d never have met.”

“No. I don’t think so. Or at least…” I bite my lip, dropping my gaze. “I really care for you, Smith. Like… I may be crazy, but I think I love you.”

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