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He didn’t want to stay in the park, so he walked back to his room and filled Sir Barks’ food bowl. He pulled out his notebook and stared down at the lyrics he’d been working on. His song about Riley. And suddenly, he knew what he needed to do. He had to sing it tonight. For her.
Pulling out his pen, he sat and reworked the lyrics once again. This time, he was not writing a song. He was opening himself up and bleeding onto the page. He was going to confess his love to Riley tonight, even if she rejected him.
* * *
Riley waitedbackstage as Jalen belted out one of his popular songs, the crowd going wild. She gripped his half-empty bottle of water, her knuckles white. She couldn’t get her heartrate to calm down. Her body wouldn’t stop reacting to his kiss and his words. She had it bad. Every time he came near her, she longed for his touch. It was driving her crazy.
Why couldn’t she get a grip? She was like a teenager with raging hormones. Sheesh.
Jalen finished his song, then turned around and flashed her a smile—which made her knees go weak—and a thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She gripped the water bottle tighter, and the plastic crinkled. Why was she so affected by him? This crush of hers was over-the-top. If she didn’t get a handle on things, she was going to embarrass herself. She was a grown woman, for Pete’s sake.
Jalen spoke into the microphone. “I’m going to sing one more song for you. This is a new one, so bear with me as I get out my lyrics.” She heard rustling sounds and turned to see Jalen setting up his notebook on a music stand. He pulled a stool over and sat down with his guitar. “I wrote this song for a special someone in my life.”
Wait, what? Her palms grew sweaty. Was he talking about her? Did he write her a song? He strummed a couple of chords, and Riley’s breath caught. It was the song he’d sung for her. The one that had struck her so much. She stood, motionless, as he began to sing. Only, he’d changed it. The melody was the same, but the lyrics were all different. Her mouth went dry as his words came through the microphone.
Here I sit, in my world of stone, wrapped in cold loneliness.
And then you come. You steal a kiss, and then my heart.
You leave me sitting here…
Breathless.
But I’m too afraid, so I withdraw into the shadows.
I see you. I want you. But I can’t have you.
So I put on my mask and hide…
Breathless.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Was this how Jalen felt? Was he too afraid of how she would look at him—at his scars—to reveal himself? How awful it would be to be worried about not being accepted for who you are. It crushed her soul. Didn’t he know those things wouldn’t matter to her?
Had others treated him badly because of his scars? The thought about broke her heart. From what she knew about him, he didn’t spend a lot of time around people. His words from the beach came back at her with full force.Pop stars can be lonely, too.
Was he afraid of being alone for the rest of his life? He was such a tender-hearted man. He shouldn’t have to worry about his scars. He must have had such disappointment and hurt in the past for him to feel this way.
She blinked back her emotions as she listened to him pour out his soul in his song. She couldn’t see his face, but from the way he was sitting, she could tell he had his eyes closed. He was once again letting his music flow through him.
Riley stood still, waiting to see how it would end.
Alone in the dark, I reach for you.
You come to me, comfort me.
You make me so…
Breathless
I finally realize I’m nothing without you.
I stumble in the dark. I need you. I love you.
I take off my mask and wait…
Breathless.
Everyone sat in silence as the last few notes strummed on his guitar. As the notes faded, the crowd erupted into screams and applause. Riley stood, stunned. Did he just tell her he loved her? A rush of emotions swelled in her.
