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“Kidnap and ransom,” I said. “I spent several years negotiating the return of hostages from different groups and terrorist organizations in other countries. Sometimes, people who were kidnapped were the last you’d expect to be, based on the security they had. But anyway.”
“That’s freaky but also really cool,” she said. “You never told me that before.”
“Mostly I focus on being deployed more so than that, but there you go, a little more information about yours truly.”
“I like hearing about you,” she said with a small smile. She kicked her legs in front of her, flinging little bits of sand into the air. I got the impression she wanted to say something else, but for some reason, she was holding back. I kept the conversation going as much as I could.
“I saw you had a friend over today,” I told her. “She looked about your age.”
“My best friend I mentioned,” she said with a nod. “The one I told you about that only lives a couple of hours from here. She was able to get away from her place for the day and decided to surprise me.”
“That’s a good friend,” I commented. “I haven’t seen my best friend face to face in a couple years at this point.”
“You should make the time to do it,” she said. “Time is about the only thing we really have in our lives.”
“Listen to you being all philosophical,” I teased.
She grinned. “You’re not the only one with the wise words, clearly.”
“I’ll make note of that.”
“You should,” she said. “I’m not just another pretty face.”
“I noticed,” I scoffed lightly. “There is far more to you than just being another pretty face, and I’m beyond impressed.”
“Well, thanks,” she said, but there was something in her tone that seemed a bit off to me. I couldn’t quite place my finger on what it was, but she didn’t seem quite herself.
“No guitar?” I asked, keeping the conversation going. “It’s strange to see you anywhere without it.”
I walked around where she was sitting on the log and sat next to her. I kept enough physical distance between us, so I wouldn’t be invading her space, but I definitely let myself get close to her.
She glanced down at the small gap between the two of us, and I wanted to believe she fought a smile. She didn’t address that, however, just answering my question.
“I figured I would just come out to enjoy the air before going to bed,” she said. “I didn’t want to do anything that would keep me awake, you know? I have to sleep sometime.”
“I feel that,” I agreed with a nod. “Insomnia is a bitch.”
“Yes, it is. I haven’t always had it this bad, but it seems to be getting worse with age,” she said with a sigh. “I used to be able to sleep through anything when I was in high school or college, but now that I’m trying to get my career off the ground, sleep is the last thing my brain wants to do. Which is stupid because if I was getting more sleep, I might do better with my music.”
“You’re too hard on yourself,” I told her.
“What do you mean?”
“Your music is incredible. You are an extremely talented young woman, and I’m simply amazed at what you’re able to do. I don’t know why you are so hard on yourself.”
“Nerves I guess,” she said. “I don’t know.”
“Those will fade with practice, but you have to practice,” I said.
“I don’t know how I could practice any more than I do. You just said yourself it’s weird to see me without my guitar,” she said.
“I don’t mean practicing your music. I mean practicing not undermining yourself,” I told her. “You need practice not saying things that put yourself down.”
She blushed red enough that I could see it despite the moon being our only source of light, and I grinned at her. Without the guitar between us, it was easy for me to get really close to her. But I didn’t want to overstep too soon. I had to be sure she wanted this as much as I did, and to be certain, she had to be the one to come to me, too.
“I’ll work on it,” she said as she looked into my eyes. She held my gaze longer than normal, and I gave her an approving smile.
“Good,” I said. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
