Page 17 of A Love Song for Dreamers

He looks past me, watching a family emerge from the changing room to get into the pool behindus.

“You made me promise once to never leaveyou.”

“I’m asking youto.”

The words hang betweenus.

My hands fist at my sides hard enough my nails dig into my palms. “Miranda—Talbot,” I go on at his confusion, “wants my help with the musical. She says I should audition when it’sfinished.”

Tyler reaches up to tug on his hair. “Wow. Congrats. Your dreams are coming true when mine are going up insmoke.”

“I know you’re going through something unimaginable, but don’t accuse me of holding my success overyou.”

His gaze works over mine as if he’s trying to see through my words, trying tounderstand.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he says at last, gesturing toward the doors. “We should goupstairs.”

We head up to his room, and I shower quickly and throw my clothes backon.

He doesn’t try to joinme.

If I expected the tension to have dissipated by the time I’m back in the living area, ithasn’t.

Tyler’s standing by the window. He cuts a look toward me when I emerge. “If I go on tour, whathappens?”

“You get to light up astage.”

“I meant tous.”

I count the beats of my heart, the slow, steady rhythm reminding me the world is still turning, even though it feels as if everything’sstopped.

I reach for the necklace I put back on after the swim, but it feels too much like a tell. So, I force my hand down to my side as I cross to him at the window, my gaze lingering on the ticket on the coffee table as I passit.

When I stop in front of him, he hooks a finger in my belt loop to fit my hips to his. That tiny gesture nearly breaks me, and when I look up to see Tyler’s handsome face full of frustration and confusion, that only makes itharder.

Miranda’s words come back to me. There’s so much ahead for both of us. We’ve always been striving toward greatness, no matter how far away it feels and no matter what gets in theway.

I want this chance forTyler.

I want it for me,too.

“I know this isn’t what you wanted,” I start, “but it’s still an opportunity. And even if it doesn’t feel like it right now, you will hate yourself if you don’ttry.”

I will hate myself if I let you quittrying.

The tears are threatening to spill over. For once, I shove the emotionsdown.

Instead, I kiss him. It’s deep and hard, and every second that my lips move over his, I’m fighting the burning behind my eyes with everything inme.

When he pulls back, my panicked thought is that it’s too soon. I need more of him, need his lips on me and his comfort in me, and even if he’s not quite my Tyler, he’s here and that’senough.

“I’llgo.”

His words make my stomach drop. The relief I was expecting never comes, but I nodanyway.

“It’ll be good,” I promise. I press up on my toes to wrap my arms around him in a fierce hug. “I’m so proud of you. Call me from London, okay? I don’t care what time you getin.”

Tyler exhales hard, and when I force myself to pull back, the beautiful gaze I know better than my own moves between my lips and myeyes.

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