The crowd sure as hell knows it.
And they start chanting for it.
“Do You See Me.”
The song that put me on the map.
The song that made me a fucking name in this industry.
But they don’t know.
They don’t know who it really belongs to.
And I can’t play it.
Won’t.
Not without her.
Not when I gave it back.
The crowd is relentless.
I hesitate for a full heartbeat too long.
Mark gives me a look.The crowd gets louder, shouting for it.
I lick my lips, my breath unsteady.
I grip the mic like it’s the only thing holding me up.
And I say, voice wrecked, heart ruined— “This last one… is about love.”
The second the first chord ofAlways Yourings out, something in me tilts.It’s subtle at first, like a thread being tugged loose inside my chest, unraveling something I didn’t realize I’d tied so goddamn tight.
I search her out—locking eyes with her.I need her to listen, to feel this song as I fucking break for her.She ran before, but maybe… maybe this time she’ll hear me out.
I should be focusing on the song.On the lyrics I’ve nailed down for her.On the way my fingers move over the strings, steady, deliberate.
But I’m not.
Because all I see is her.
And for the first time since she walked back into my life, I don’t know what the hell I’m looking at.
Anna is still.
Not frozen.Not locked up in tension, butstill.
Her hands aren’t clenched.Her shoulders aren’t tight.She’s just… standing there.Watching me with such an open expression it damn near shatters me.
Because I don’t know what that means.
I don’t know if I can trust what I’m seeing.
She’s not running.
But is she staying?