They played for over an hour.Benny didn’t push; he just followed wherever Chase took the music, answering with warm chords and steady rhythm.For a while, everything else disappeared.The thoughts of Willa in the kitchen, Mason’s quiet happiness, and even the complicated knot in Chase’s chest.There was only the song.
When they finally let the last chord fade, Benny leaned back and studied him.
“You’re finding your sound, kid.Really finding it.”
Chase looked down at his hands.“Still feels like I’m chasing yours most days.”
Benny chuckled.“That’s how it starts.You’ll pass me soon enough.”
They sat in comfortable silence.Eventually Chase spoke, voice quiet.
“I keep coming here because I don’t want to go home yet.”
Benny didn’t look surprised.“Willa?”
Chase nodded.“Don’t get me wrong.She’s great.Like, actually great.Smart.Funny.She loves him.I can see it every time she looks at him.And he looks at her like she hung the damn moon.”He swallowed hard.“I want that for him.I do.But watching it is hard sometimes.Makes me feel like I’m still the kid who got dropped off with a suitcase and no explanation.”
Benny was quiet for a long moment.
“Family’s messy,” he said finally.“Doesn’t matter how it comes together.What matters is that it stays together.Mason chose you.Willa’s choosing him.And from what I’ve seen, she’s choosing you too, even if you’re not ready to let her.”
Chase nodded slowly, the words settling somewhere deep.
He stayed a little longer, playing one more loose, hopeful song before packing up.When he stepped outside, the night air was cool.His truck waited in the driveway—the classic pickup the club had helped him build.Matte black with deep red pinstriping, lifted suspension, aggressive tires, and an exhaust that announced his presence from three blocks away.Bear had done most of the mechanical work.Hurley helped with the paint and lighting.It was loud, proud, and unmistakably his.
Chase climbed in, turned the key, and let the deep rumble fill the cab.The sound always grounded him.
He sat there a moment longer, engine growling, then shifted into gear and headed toward Mason’s house.
The lights were on when he pulled up.He could see Willa through the kitchen window, moving around with that easy grace, Mason leaning against the counter watching her like she was the best thing he’d ever seen.
Chase killed the engine and sat in the sudden silence.
She’s good for him,he thought again.
And for the first time, the ache in his chest felt a little smaller.
He grabbed his guitar case and headed inside.
He still wasn’t ready to sit at the table and watch them be happy together for hours.
But he was getting closer.
He thought the music—and the loud, club-built truck waiting outside—would carry him the rest of the way.
***
Bethany
Bethany Mason-Taylor stood off to the side of the converted warehouse studio in Fort Wayne, arms crossed, watching the controlled chaos unfold with a critical but pleased eye.She had personally arranged this photo shoot—booked the photographer, secured the space, coordinated the wardrobe, and made sure the lighting was exactly right for the kind of gritty-yet-polished images she wanted for the upcoming media blitz.
Now she just needed every member of Occupy Yourself to show up and behave.
To her relief, they did.
Benny arrived first, looking relaxed and focused.Chase pulled the door open next, and Vic followed shortly after, sticks still in his back pocket like he couldn’t quite leave the music behind.Leo and Mitty came in together, already joking about who was going to look the most awkward in front of the camera.Bonnie showed up last, guitar case in hand, flashing Bethany a quick, confident grin that said she was ready for whatever came next.
Everyone was willing.Everyone was in a good mood.
