How long must I cry alone in the dark
Until shame becomes my true religion
Knees down at the altar
Jump then falter
I wish I were someone else”
His voice was the kind that reeled you in—the kind that stopped you midstep, forcing you to hang on every word. It was warm and filled with emotion that caused my throat to tighten.
When he stopped playing, he looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I must’ve stared at him a little too long with my jaw slack, because he finally spoke.
“Oh wow, okay,” he said, setting the instrument down and propping it against the couch. “That bad, huh?”
“What? No,” I insisted, touching his arm. “It was thatgood.I just…That was amazing, Luca.”
His eyes widened. “Seriously?”
It was the kind of song that deserved to be heard by the masses.
“You…uh…never mind.” I stopped myself before I could finish the sentence. Luca had been dealing with a lot. Telling him he should consider putting his work out there for public consumption was probably not the best idea.
“Tell me,” he said.
“Oh no, it was nothing,” I said in theleastconvincing tone possible.
“Tell me,” he repeated, more forcefully this time. “Or else I’ll assume you really hated it.”
I held up my hands to stop that train of thought before he could even go there.
“No, that’s not it,” I said, hesitating. “I was thinking that’s the start of the type of song people would listen to over and over again. Those are the kind of lyrics that make people feel seen.”
He looked taken aback. “Really?”
“Yes. That was incredible. And your voice is…well, it’s beautiful.” Just like him.
A slow smile spread over his lips, and even in the soft glow of the lamplight, I could have sworn I saw the hint of a flush kiss his cheeks.
“I have a few more lines in my notebook that I think might fit into the next verse,” he said. “Maybe…I could show you?”
“I’d like that.”
My heart hammered in my chest as he left the room to retrieve his journal. I was determined to soak up any pieces of Luca he was willing to share.
SIXTEEN
Luca
“And how are the meds working?”Lacey, my therapist, asked through the speaker of my laptop that was placed in the center of my coffee table. It was near the end of our virtual session on the Thursday after McKenzie came to help me get settled in.
“So far, so good,” I answered. “I had a follow-up yesterday, and we’re gonna keep my dosage where it is for now.”
“This is great progress, Luca,” she said, a hopeful lilt woven into her voice. “And you even got your own house close to Nashville.”
I shrugged with a grin. “At least for a while.”
“I think that’s good for you,” she said. “You’re close to your friends, and I think the change of scenery will be helpful.”
