AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After she shut her laptop down and slipped into her dress sandals, she knocked on Shadow’s door. He let her in and pointed to the couch. “Have a seat.”
She set her bag down on the carpet. “I’m excited to hear your work. What’s this one about?”
He glanced at her before picking up an acoustic guitar. He swung the strap over his head and walked to the table where he had his sheet music. The way he moved with the instrument, like it was part of him, made Riley feel a little envious for some strange reason. “It’s a love song.”
“Oh?” Shadow was known for his jaded music full of angst. Most of his hits were breakup songs or get-away-from-me-you-horrible-woman songs. She didn’t know anything he’d written that would qualify as a true love song.
He strummed the guitar a couple of times, the chords flowing easily with his fingers, the melody finding itself and carrying over the air. Riley swayed, letting the music flow through her.
And then he began to sing. She’d heard his voice before, of course. But hearing him sing softly while sitting in front of her was something else entirely. The man’s voice was deep and rich. Soothing, and yet, had a rasp to it that made him sound unique and incredibly sexy.
She watched his face as he sang, at least, what she could see that wasn’t hidden by his mask. His closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, as if every note were precious to him. And then the words began to sink in, and Riley sat fascinated as the story of the song unfolded.
He sang of wanting, needing, and not quite being able to hold onto the woman he loved. It was a love song but had such a sadness laced through it. It wasn’t one of those happy we’re-together ones. The lyrics pierced through her and brought tears to her eyes. But before the end, his notes faded, and he stopped and looked at her. “That’s all I have.”
She blinked back her emotions. “Wow.”
“Was that a good wow, or a bad wow?”
Riley struggled to form her thoughts into words. “It was beautiful, in an ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ kind of way.”
He fought back a smile. “So, you do know some music that isn’t classical or jazz.”
“Of course. I don’t live in a bubble.”
Shadow let out a breath and took off his guitar. “To be compared to Bill Withers, though. That was quite a compliment.”
“You deserve the comparison. It was an emotional song.”
He set his guitar back into the case. “I can’t decide on how it ends.”
The song was so emotional because it was about a man who was losing the woman he loved. She didn’t see any other way it could end, but with heartbreak. “What do you mean?”
He crossed the room and sat beside her. “Does he get the girl?”
“I don’t see how. The song was about how he couldn’t figure out how to keep the girl he loves. If you change that, and he succeeds, it will change the whole tone of the song. I don’t think that would work at all.”
He slowly nodded as he stared at her. “I see.”
The mood shifted, and she wondered if there was something she was missing. But it was too late to go take back what she’d said, so she looked at the clock on her phone. “Should I get you something to eat?”
He smiled. “Good idea.”
She left a moment later, the sun warming her skin as she walked. It had been a moving experience to listen to Shadow sing, and she still wasn’t over it. The tone of his voice and the way he gave himself fully to the song was amazing. Still, she couldn’t help but question if there was an underlying message from the song. And what did that mean exactly?
Chapter 12
Alight breeze blew as Jalen stood on stage checking the sound on his electric guitar. The sun was almost below the horizon, casting long shadows and an ethereal orange glow on everything. Riley shifted the large bag that hung over her shoulder. “Do you want some water?”
How could she tell he was thirsty? “Sure,” he said, lowering his guitar. She uncapped it for him, and he drank the cool liquid. Even with the breeze, it was a hot day.
Spending the afternoon with Riley had been fun. He’d worked on some lyrics with her, and she’d been surprisingly helpful. The only disappointment had been her answer to his question about the ending of his song. But what did he expect? She was right. It was a sad song, one he’d started writing before he met her. But now, for some reason, he wanted the song to have a happy ending.
“Thanks,” he said, handing the bottle back to her. He continued with his sound check.
Colby King stepped onto the stage, his cowboy boots impacting the hard wood. He wore blue jeans and a flashy white vest with silver studs. He was one of those country singers that sometimes found his songs on the tops of the pop charts as well. A straddler.
“Hey, Shadow,” Colby said, picking up his guitar.
