Page 12 of Worth the Trouble

“You too, sweetheart,” he calls after me.

But I don’t look back at him or his third eye that sees straight into the pit of my soul. I don’t face his disarming smile or admit to myself how his presence brought me to the edge of where I’m normally comfortable and nudged me past it.

I keep walking, breathing, counting.

One, two, three, four.

Five, six, seven, eight.

All the way to my car, I count. And even if I feel his eyes on me, I don’t turn back because there’s no point. Rome is nothing but trouble. He’s dangerous and everything I don’t need in my life right now, even for a night.

No distractions.

4

Rome

Mostpeoplelistentomusic for the lyrics. They need the song to be defined for them in carefully spelled-out sentences so they can relate. They need the singer to tell them how they should be feeling by drawing it out in pretty fucking pictures.

When I listen to a song, half the time I ignore what the lead singer’s saying. Not because I don’t give a fuck, but I don’t need it.

I’m hearing the beat, the rhythm, the vibrations.

Like life, music is up for interpretation, from the lyrics to the drumbeat. It paints different colors for each listener, mutually heard and uniquely experienced.

The song stirs, and I hear every individual instrument working together, playing along with them in my head.

I might have never been the smart kid in school, but I always understood music. I could pick up just about any instrument and play it because sound spoke to me better than words did.

The beat picks up, and I lace my fingers together behind my head. I close my eyes and feel the hum of the guitar as the strings ride out a wave long after the guitarist stroked them. I hear the heartbeat of the bass and the energy of the drums.

I see blue and violet so deep and dark they’re nearly black. An ocean at midnight with a full moon hanging in the sky above it. I smell the salt and feel the depth of it. I get lost in the rhythm of the waves.

If only it could take me away.

“What do you think?” Adrian’s voice cuts in as the song ends.

My mind snaps back to my body, and I open my eyes, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.

Adrian mutes the microphone to the sound booth so the band can’t hear us talking and spins in his chair to face me.

When we decided to start our own label, we underestimated the amount of work involved. While Adrian and Eloise have been focusing on the business end, Sebastian and I committed to finding talent.

Except Sebastian is off somewhere right now probably fucking Cassie for the thousandth time or doing something equally pathetic. So today’s auditions are up to me.

“They’re good.” I rest my chin on my knuckles and watch the band through the glass.

I can feel their nervous energy as they fidget and pretend to be productive while they wait for our thoughts. But there’s also excitement buried underneath. They’re practically itching with energy.

One word and I can grant or destroy their dreams.

Luckily for them, they’ve got the talent, and they’re the first band this week to actually capture my attention.

“Let’s bring them in for Sebastian.” I lean back, lacing my fingers and popping my knuckles. “We’ll move forward if he’s also onboard.”

Adrian nods. “You got it.”

“That’s all for today, yeah?” I stand up, anxious to get out of here.

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