Page 4 of The Music of Love

All of a sudden, it’s like we’re back in high school together, and Sarah’s telling me it’s a good thing that Tucker and I are breaking up, and an evenbetterthing that it wasn’t Brad, the captain of the hockey team, who asked me out, because I wouldn’t have been able to deal with being his girlfriend, even if it was just for a few weeks.

I scoff and put a hand to my chest. “I think I’m actually offended.”

Sarah laughs and shakes her head. “Don’t be. It’s just the truth. He’s a twenty-eight-year-old rockstar. He’s beyond you, Reese.”

Cal had me feeling heated back at Henry’s, but Sarah has me feeling a different kind of emotional now. Despite never wanting to actually dance at Tigress’s, I’ve always admired her ability to go out there, put herself on display in front of all those guys, and somehow not give a shit.

Now here we are, talking about me simply going on a date with a guy, and she’s telling me I couldn’t handle it.

“You’re saying I couldn’t evengo to dinnerwith Cal Shelton?” I ask her slowly as she finishes packing her bag for the club.

Sarah looks up at me and nods.

“That’s right.”

Yet again, something inside me snaps. This time, my response is to grab my phone and brandish it in front of her. “Oh, yeah?” I exclaim. “Well, how about this then?”

Very deliberately, I begin inputting the numbers Cal gave me as a brand-new text message. Sarah looks at me like I’ve lost my mind and starts slowly shaking her head.

“Don’t do it, Reese.”

“What are you, my mom?” I ask childishly. “Because you’re sounding an awfully lot like my mom now.”

Sarah frowns and crosses her arms across her chest. “No, I’m not your mom–”

“Or maybe you’re just jealous,” I suggest as I begin to type my text to Cal. “Could that be it? Jealous that the ugly duckling is finally getting some attention?”

Sarah’s jaw drops. “No!” she gasps. “Sarah, I wouldnever–”

“Dear Cal Shelton,” I say out loud as I type my text. “Thank you for your half apology tonight at Henry’s. I would gladly go to dinner with you another night to accept the rest of your apology. Just let me know when and where. Reese. Send.”

“Oh my God,” Sarah groans, plonking back on her bed, giggling into her hand. “You are nuts, you know that?”

Grinning, I lean against the wall and take a deep, satisfied breath. “Well, I guess we will see, won’t we?”

Almost instantly, my phone vibrates in my hand. Sarah hears it and looks up like she can’t believe it. “That fast?”

“I know, right?” I check it and see a simple message from Cal that I almost can’t believe.

“Well?” Sarah asks, leaping to her feet. “What does it say, dummy?”

I read it out loud as she rushes over to my side. “Be ready tomorrow.”

3

Cal

I wakeup feeling tired and restless, and that’s not how it should be considering I haven’t performed in weeks. I’ve been on vacation. I should be nice and rested. The reason I feel like this is because I barely slept, and it’s all because of that girl I met last night.

Reese. The absolute beauty from Henry’s.

I’ve never put myself in this position before—at least not since I became a rockstar. And it’s been years and years since that happened. To get shut down by a girl and then give my number to her and hope she calls me? It’s like I’m back in high school or something and I’m waiting around hoping to hear from the girl I have a crush on.

Realistically, based on the way she was acting toward me, part of me thought I’d never hear from her. But when my phone buzzed and I saw her text, it was like a shot of adrenaline equal only to the feeling of what it’s like to go on stage or release a number-one record.

Who even is this girl? I’ve barely interacted with her, and yet she’s already affecting me like this. It’s crazy.

My team thought I was nuts when I told them I wanted to go to Henry’s for dinner. “Why don’t we go somewherenice?”they said. But I insisted. All I wanted was somewhere out of the way, somewhere normal where I could get a normal meal and feel like a normal guy again.

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