Then it builds.
A new beat.
Echoing low in my chest.
And I know exactly where it came from.
My Sunshine.
Hilary.
The way she said I scare her.
The way she stood her ground.
The way she kissed me back like she wasn’t afraid of what it might cost.
Bella finishes the run and pulls off her headphones, grinning.
Nate claps once.
“That’s it. That’s the take.”
Then he notices me.
He squints.
“What happened to you?”
“I kissed her.”
He doesn’t even ask who.
“Ah,” he says slowly. “And?”
“And I’m screwed.”
Bella laughs lightly, grabbing her bag.
“Um, old guys are weird. I’m gonna grab water. Don’t break anything while I’m gone.”
She slips out, leaving me and Nate in the studio.
Nate studies me.
“Old guys?” I ask and scrunch my nose.
He just shrugs like, yeah.
“Damn, Mars, you look like you just got hit by a truck.”
“Feels more like I got hit by a freight train.”
He folds his arms. “Talk.”
I pace once.
Twice.