Page 83 of Strum Me

She laughs and slings her arm around my shoulder. “I’m you, babe. I’ve fucked up too, trust me. So I’m going to get you outta this mess.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Look, I don’t know what you did, but I’m going to give you a little insight. Seb says that when they went on tour eight years ago and you didn’t come to say goodbye to Brad, it broke his heart. Like into a million pieces, montage of walking in the rain, watching happy couples at the park broke. And he didn’t really recover for years. That is, if he ever really did recover, or maybe he just got really good at pretending he could live without you. Now you’re back and you’ve turned his whole world upside down. And to boot you brought a little sidekick along to steal his heart as well. Then the one person, this Silas, who he thought was the reason it all went to shit eight years ago really has been a part of the storyline all along. He’s confused, babe. And well, he’s a man. He doesn’t really know how to wade out of that without a little help. That’s where you come in.”

“Where you come in, apparently.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s…it’s not what he thinks. The Silas thing.”

“Don’t tell me, tell him.”

“He won’t listen.”

“Make him.”

“I love him.”

“Don’t tell me, tell him. But for what it’s worth, I believe you.”

“Does he?”

“Again—make him.”

“Thanks, bitch.”

“Wha? I was being nice!”

“I owed ya one.”

She gives me a hug to end all hugs and I run over to the stage where I last saw the band going through their soundcheck.

“Brad?” I call out and see Sebastian poke his head out from behind the stage.

“Hey.”

“Hey, have you seen Brad?”

“He went looking for you. He’s probably by our tent.”

“Thanks, Sebastian.”

“Go get our boy, Emily.”

His words surprise me, but they spur me on nonetheless.

I practice what I’m going to say in my head. What he needs to hear…what I’m going to make him hear.

“Emily.” A body steps out of the tent to block me. It’s the last person I want to see.

“Silas.”

“Can we talk?”

“There’s really nothing to say. And I have to go see someone.”

“In a minute. I really want to talk.