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I smile nervously. “Yeah, it’s kind of crazy”—I grin his way—“but good.”
“It will be just fine. We’ve let our parents’ feud get between us for too long. I want to get to know you better.”
Maya has never been mean to me per se, but we’ve always kept our distance from each other because we were told to. Maybe Dalton is right—that’s our parents’ issue, not ours. Obviously, they all feel that way. Maybe I can too.
We head to the couches in the back, where everyone else is already hanging out, and sit down. Maya sits onBen’s lap, and Ashley and Marcus are already cuddled on the love seat. Eli is seemingly off in his own world on his phone as I sit down next to Dalton, and he wraps his arm around the couch behind me.
Sitting here feels as normal as ever, so I settle in and cuddle into Dalton’s side as we hang out and chat about nothing in particular.
At some point, Maya gets up and grabs the guitar to bring it to Dalton. “Natalie, have you ever heard Dalton play?”
I smile as I remember the first time we hung out when things felt different between us. He played then, but I didn’t really hear what he was doing because I was so in shock about the moment and what was happening.
“He’s only played for me a little bit,” I respond.
She hands it to him. “I want to hear the Taco Bell song.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Taco Bell song?” I ask, thinking she can’t be serious.
He sits up to grab the guitar from Maya. “It’s ‘February 28, 2016.’”
“Still confused. Is that a song title?” I laugh a little harder.
“It’s the funniest song with an addictive melody that makes me laugh,” Maya says.
“It’s about a night out, hence the name. It must have all happened on February 28, 2016, so that’s why he called it that,” Dalton explains.
He sits up and gets in position and starts to strum the chords. When he sings the lyrics, my eyes open up wide. Knowing he played the guitar was one thing, but hearing him sing is completely another.
His voice is deep, soulful, and calming. The trifecta of all of those combined has me in a trance as he sings, “La-la-la-la, let’s pull over.”
I smile in awe at Maya, not believing what I’m hearing.
Maya joins in, “Who is sober enough to take me to Taco Bell?”
I drop my head in laughter. The song is seriously about turning the music up, having to stop because they have to pee, and being sober enough to drive to Taco Bell, but it’s all sang in a soothing tone.
When it ends with him talking about needing a taco, I laugh out loud. “Is that a real song?”
He grins. “Yes, it’s by Koe Wetzel. You’ve never heard of him?”
I shake my head, then remember him playing Zach Bryan when we danced earlier, which has a very similar vibe to it, so I ask, “You like these slower, more soulful artists, don’t you?”
He leans in to kiss me. “Guilty.”
“Weren’t you working on another one?” Maya asks. “Did you get it down yet?”
He nods slowly. “Yeah, finally learned that one.” He turns to me. “Want to hear another one?”
“Absolutely!” I say as genuinely as possible. Even though the song was as silly as could be, I still loved hearing his voice.
“This one isn’t as funny. More serious, but it’s one of my favorites.” He looks down at his guitar and strums a few chords before belting out lyrics that touch me deep in my soul—about a guy asking for advice from his dad.He sings, “Keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills.”
The song goes on to plead how he’s trying, but just can’t catch a break, and the father keeps on with his fatherly advice—how if you keep your nose on the grindstone and out of the pills, then you’ll get what you’re working so hard for.
When he finishes, I’m speechless.
Maya and Ashley clap, so I join in with them.
