Page 48 of August Lane
She trailed off, unwilling to finish the rest of that thought. “I don’t know what we are.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Luke said. He could feel something loosening inside him, that same unraveling he’d experienced when they’d met intotal darkness. “I’ve never written music for someone before. Not like I did for you. It felt—” He stopped because, as usual, the words weren’t coming. “I want to do it again.”
August fidgeted. “I was joking earlier. I don’t know if a love song will fix your relationship.”
“It’s not about that.” He knew he needed to fix his reputation and make things right with Jessica. But he also knew that sitting with those lyrics, putting melodies on paper, had been more intoxicating than the vodka that had caused him so much trouble the other night. “I think I’m meant to write music. Like you.”
August went still for a second, and he glimpsed that raw hunger behind her eyes. But then she was smirking and shrugging, and it was like he’d imagined it. “I’m pretty sure real people don’t have destinies.”
“I’ve seen your writing,” Luke said, ignoring her sarcasm. He was starting to recognize her defense mechanisms. “You were born for this. I hope you believe me.”
She looked away like she didn’t want to. “If you want to write songs, then write songs. You don’t need me for that.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s not that hard.”
“Not foryou.” He paused. “Would you help me? Teach me how?”
She huffed a laugh. “Like a tutor?”
Luke realized he’d been reading the conversation wrong. He’d been so caught up in daydreams about songwriting with August that he’d forgotten they weren’t that close. Just two people with similar interests who’d stumbled into knowing more about each other than they should.
“Yeah, like a tutor,” he said, cleaning it up. The moment immediately felt smaller. “I could pay you.”
August took her time responding. “How much?”
He was relieved but also disappointed. A small part of him hoped she’d say working together would be enough. That she was just as excited about it as he was. “How much do you want?”
“Three hundred dollars. I had it before, but my cousin needed help. I have to put it back.”
He remembered what she said about moving to Nashville, how she was saving money for an apartment and demo. “Three hundred is fine.” There was money in the bank from his father’s life insurance payout. It was supposed to help pay for college, but something about using it to make music felt right. Like his dad would have approved.
PART FOUR
THE CHORUS
This Is Our Country: Podcast Transcript
Episode 12—“Jojo Lane”
August 21, 2024
[cont.]
Emma:
Let’s talk about songwriting.
