If I take this tour, Iknowwhat happens next.
I leave.
And something tells me, if I go now…
I won’t get another chance with her.
Matt must hear something off in my silence because he adds, “This is it, Joel.Everything we’ve been working toward.”
Everything I’ve been working toward.
Everything IthoughtI wanted.
I don’t respond right away.
Because my head isn’t here.It’s still back in Anna’s kitchen.Still stuck in that moment where she couldn’t even bring herself to talk about the kiss.
London watches me, arms still crossed, reading every single shift in my body language.
“You still there?”Matt asks, his tone dipping slightly into concern.
I blink, running a hand over my face.“Yeah.I’m here.”
But I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.
Matt exhales.“Look, I know it’s fast.I know you thought you had more time.But, Joel—this is huge.You say yes, and we lock it in.Your career goes exactly where it’s supposed to.But we need an answer soon.They have two other bands waiting to get the offer if you say no.”
I rub my thumb against my temple.“How soon do they need an answer?”
London lets out a breath through his nose.Like he knows something big is coming.
Matt doesn’t hesitate.“Tonight.”
“Tonight?”The word feels foreign in my mouth.My mouth goes dry and my stomach drops.
The walls of the greenroom feel thinner than usual.Beyond them, the pulse of the club is a living thing—bass rattling through the floor, the distant hum of the crowd, the sharp burst of laughter from someone near the bar.
This is what I wanted.
This is what I built my life around.
A year ago—hell, even six months ago—I would’ve given anything for a tour like this.A chance to finally break out of the indie circuit.To play for thousands instead of a couple hundred.
I close my eyes.
The crowd outside is still waiting for me.
I stare at the wall, my pulse hammering.
Two choices.
One where I leave—God only knows how soon.
One where I stay—and get more time with Anna.More time to figure out what this is between us..
Matt is still talking, something about how “they won’t hold the slot forever,” but I barely hear him.
Because all I can hear is Anna’s voice.