“I think I’m in love with him too,” she whispered.“And it terrifies me.”
Meg reached across the table and squeezed her hand.“Good.Means it’s real.”
Bonnie let out a shaky laugh that was half sob.For the first time, she’d let herself admit it out loud.
She was in love with Vic Montrose.
And she had no idea what the hell to do about it.
***
The second week wasworse.
Every rehearsal felt like fighting upstream.Her drummer was trying, but he wasn’tVic.He didn’t anticipate her changes.He didn’t push her when she needed pushing.He didn’t make the music feel alive.
During one particularly brutal practice, she stopped mid-song and threw her pick across the room.
“Fuck this,” she muttered.
Leo raised an eyebrow.“You gonna call that guy or what?”
“Mind your own business,” she snapped.
But the truth was eating her alive.
She missed him.
Not just the sex—though God, she missed that too—but the way heplayedwith her.The way their rhythms locked together like they were speaking the same secret language.The way he made her better without even trying.
She missed the stupid conversations at 3 a.m.The way he’d laugh at her dark humor.The way he’d look at her after they finished, like he was seeing all the messy, jagged parts of her and still wanted to stay.
She needed him.
And that terrified her more than anything ever had.
***
By day twelve, herband was starting to fall apart.
The music that had once felt like fire was now ashes in her mouth.She was short-tempered, restless, and drinking more than she should after gigs.Her guitarist finally cornered her after a particularly bad rehearsal.
“Bonnie, you need to fix this,” he said bluntly.“Whatever’s going on with you and that drummer...call him.Or don’t.But stop pretending everything’s fine.We sound like shit.”
She wanted to argue.Wanted to tell him to fuck off.
Instead, she went home, sat on her couch with her phone in her hand, and cried for the first time in years.
She needed Vic Montrose.
She needed the way he made her feel alive.The way he challenged her.The way he made the music feel like home.
And she was slowly coming to grips with how much she absolutely needed him.
Bonnie stared at his contact until the screen went dark.
She still wasn’t ready to call.
But she admitted to herself that shewantedto.
