Page 114 of Be My Rebound

To not stand there like a scarecrow with a guitar, I weave in a few easy chords here and there. Laurel inherited her dad’s airy playing style—she glides around the stage, dancing with the Venom guitar Shane gave her. The logo was covered with a strip of black masking tape at all of their previous shows, but now it’s gone. She’s taking some new risks. With me. Have I died and this is the afterlife in Paradise?

The crowd bounces with every beat.Wishesis a favorite even though it hasn’t been officially released yet.

Jelly shouts through our comm link, “I told you people will love this song!”

She was right. Everyone loves the song Laurel wrote. We wrote. I started it, and she polished it. I’m learning to accept that I contributed in a major way too, and I’m dying to tell her I’m looking forward to working on more projects together.

At the end of my screech, I circle Laurel and press my back against her. She leans right into me. She’s tense. She must be still terrified, but she is here. I play the soothing melody of the bridge with her, the music washing away our surroundings. It’s just her and me. Me and the girl who gets it. Me and the Little Fox. Me and my Laurel. We play the breathy harmonic at the end of the bridge and let it ring and simultaneously turn to face each other.

We can’t stop, so we play on, but everything else is forgotten.

She smiles.Keep up.

I grin back as Link drapes himself over my left side and shares his mic with me. Are you kidding me? I’m keeping up. This is nothing. Strumming on my baby, singing, and drowning in my adoration for my mischievous princess? There’s nothing else I’d rather do. Ever.

The last chorus arrives, and I’m dumbstruck with how well the lyrics fit Laurel and me. These words weren’t about us to begin with. She took my ideas and played around, but now they fit us to a tee. It’s eerie. It’s perfect.

No need to remember how it all started

We’ll burn a new fire, alive, reignited

Let go of the pain that stitched us together

The darkness, I quit it. Let go and whatever

New wishes, they’ll bind us

Together, together

New wishes, they’ll heal us

I’ll love you forever

Our voices autograph the night with an elegant swoop, and Jelly punctuates the end with a single sharp hit. The air rings with the lingering, euphoric tension. Dare I say, we have evolved as a band. I love us.

Swallowed by the roar of the audience, I check on Link to make sure he’s holding up. He’s resting his hands on his knees, panting, but otherwise he seems fine. When I return my attention to Laurel, she flings her strap over her head and dumps her guitar aside. My heart ricochets off my ribs. We’ll have to have a serious conversation about this whole guitar-smashing deal— She throws her arms around me. All right. We’ll talk about it later.

I swing my guitar behind me and hope to embed her into me as I return the hug. She trembles in my arms. When I look at her, she blushes and smiles, and there’s nothing I can do but kiss her—

Someone grabs me by my hair and attempts to separate us.

“Don’t forget to bow,” Jelly teases and pushes us back to the edge of the stage where Link and Tristan are failing to distract the audience from me and Laurel. All phones and cameras are trained on us. Laurel covers her face with both hands. I’m sure she’s regretting her beautifully rash decisions now. I’ll help her come to grips with them later.

Hal’s rugged voice announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, please give your warmest thanks to Acid Churro Dreams and Laurel Halifax.”

I take her hand and present her to the crowd. Laurel’s fingers flinch, but she must’ve learned to curb her impulse to hide. She bows and waves, and I couldn’t be more proud. She didn’t have to do this. She never had to come out, but she did, and I’m so happy to have her by my side, I consider tonight the highlight of my career.

Track 41

That’s Cute

Jace

Laurel has some time while the techs swap equipment. We dash away from the immediate backstage and drop onto the steps that lead to the lighting rigs.

“I can’t breathe!” Laurel fans her face with both hands.

“Are you going to be able to go on?” I laugh.

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