AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tyler strums a little bit, humming along to a tune in his head. “Cassie, I would set the world on fire for you.”
My heart skips a beat. “You know, I actually believe that you could if you wanted to.”
The corner of his mouth tips upward as he taps the notebook. “Why don’t you start writing? We both know I’ve always been horrible with lyrics.”
“Is that why you have those lyrics on your chest?”
“It’s the first song that we wrote together, Cass. Apparently, drunk me wanted another reminder of you and it had to be one that I was going to see every day.”
I exhale slowly, trying to process everything he’s telling me. It all seems like too much for one day. My song, my masters, myhandwriting on his chest. This all seems like it’s spinning faster and faster out of control.
This is good. Tyler is changing. We’re going to get the chance that we never got with each other all those years ago.
“What kind of song do you think we should write?” I tap the pen against the blank page.
Even though I work on songs every now and then, my process isn’t as easy as it used to be. These days, sitting down to write a song feels like a monumental task.
Tyler strums a couple lines, switching up melodies and humming along to a tune that plays only in his head. “I don’t know. I was thinking it should be something that sounds good as a duet, since it’s going to be the both of us up there.”
My cheeks warm just thinking about singing on stage again. “I don’t know. I think it should be something that could be translated into a duet, but it should also sound good sung solo.”
He nods and switches up the melody he’s strumming. “Something soft and slow, like older rock? Or do you want to do something a little heavier?”
I tap the pen on the paper, ideas starting to flash through my mind. Most of the songs we used to do were typical young-adult angst at the world. It was relatable to our audience back then, but those people are older now.
“We want to write something that’s going to draw in the old fans and make some new ones. Something that people of multiple generations are going to like.” I start to scribble out a few lines about life changing but none of them seem quite right.
Tyler sets the guitar to the side and crosses one leg over the other. The corners of his mouth tip downward as a thin line appears between his eyebrows. “I like that one you have there.”
He stabs a line in the middle of the page about growing up and getting old. I circle it and start to brainstorm more ideas that play off that one. Tyler hums with approval at some of them, shaking his head at others.
Flashes of the past start to come back as we work on the song. We used to spend hours together, bent over notebooks and talking to each other about lyrics. Working together back then hadn’t felt quite as weighted. Years ago, there was more excitement. Passion.
Now, there’s something between us that’s in the way. We’re growing closer, but something about this song isn’t coming together the way we want it to.
“You know what,” Tyler says as he gets up a couple hours into songwriting. He stretches, his joints cracking slightly. “I think we need to have more fun together. Do something exciting to get the creative juices flowing.”
“And what would that be?”
I get up and stretch too, trying to get rid of some of the stiffness in my back. I raise my hands high above my head, the hem of my crop top climbing higher. Tyler’s gaze drops down to the sliver of my bra that’s visible before smirking.
“Want to go dancing?” He shimmies his way closer to me before grabbing me around the waist. He dips me low before pulling me back to him. “I used to watch you in the clubs all the time when we went together.”
“Well, with dance moves like yours, who could refuse?” My cheeks ache from laughing as he dances us over to the door.
We head for our separate cars, ready to go home and change before going out, and my heart stalls as Tyler kisses me.
This is all too good to be true.
CHAPTER 14
TYLER
The line outside the club wraps around the building. Women in tight dresses shiver in the cold wind, huddling close to the other men and women they’re with. Cassie moves closer to me as people start to look at us.
A few whispered names pass, but I keep my head down and guide her to the front of the line. The bouncer looks up as we approach, grinning when he recognizes me. All it takes is a crisp hundred-dollar bill slid into his hand before we head inside.
The pounding bass shakes the room. Blue and purple lights spin while people dance to the beat. Cassie pulls on the hem of her tight black dress as I lead her around the edge of the dance floor and over to the bar.
