Page 13 of A Love Song for Dreamers

But whatever’s going on behind those shuttered eyes is dark andprivate.

“You want me to sing,” he says atlast.

“Yes. You sang at the showcase. You wereamazing.”

His expression grows darker. “I’m not a singer, Annie. I’m a guitarist. So, give me the damnguitar.”

My fingers still on it. “What?”

“You heardme.”

I lift it over myhead.

The crowd’s gonesilent.

He takes it with his good hand, shifts it over his head. He tries to hold the strings with his bandaged hand, his face contorting from the effort or theresult.

I suck in a breath. Tyler’s pain is mine, and it’s awful. “It’ll taketime—”

“It’ll take a fuckingmiracle.”

He shoves the guitar into my arms and walks offstage.

I chase him into the wings, grabbing his shoulder to make him turnback.

“All I wanted was to be a studio musician, Six. I didn’t used to believe in dreams, but you made me. And I wish to hell youhadn’t.”

* * *

It could be worse.

That’s my mantra right now as I curl up in the stacks of the library at Vanierstudying.

Yes, my boyfriend got stabbed and he hates music, and maybe me. After last night at Leo’s, he went back to his hotel and I didn’t follow him, staying in my dorm room for the first time in over aweek.

But hey. I survived my first exam this morning and in another forty-eight hours, I can apply myself with renewed energy to the cause of finding money to stay inschool.

I’m setting down the notes for my Entertainment Management exam tomorrow when my phone vibrates in mybag.

The number has mestiffening.

“Hello,” I answer under mybreath.

“Hi.” My dad’s voice is rough. “Youcalled.”

“Nine daysago.”

I pack up my things and head outside so I don’t disturb the other students taking up study cubes and lounging in comfychairs.

There are a few students out here, too, but not any close enough to listen, if they’d even care. The hype around my dad has all but evaporated. Something else to be gratefulfor.

He huffs out a breath. “I needed time to think about what happened. Haley said I might have overreacted in NewYork.”

“Youthink?”

My voice is sharp enough a girl halfway down the hall lifts her head, and I turnaway.

“You lied to me, Annie. To both of us.” I can hear him trying to get control ofhimself.

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