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I press my eyes closed and let the hot tears burn watery tracks down my cheeks.

“There were videos. And social media posts, including some really harsh ones from Six String Justice. People whispered and stared and made me the butt of every joke, or at least it felt that way. I was embarrassed and hurt and angry, and I felt so helpless.” I choke up. Kash reaches out and wraps his hand around mine, giving it a squeeze. “I wanted someone else to blame for that night, and the members of Six String Justice were an easy target.”

I force down a swallow and brush the back of my free hand over my eyes. Kash’s thumb traces a slow and steady circle over the back of my other hand.

“After graduation, I basically became a hermit. I deferred college. Stopped writing. Stopped singing. I just…stopped. And then you showed up, out of the blue.”

I glance over at Kash with watery eyes. There’s a darkness in his eyes I haven’t seen before. Anger? Disappointment? Hurt?

He doesn’t say anything, but I have to keep going. I have to get it all out if I have any hope of moving forward instead of dwelling on the past.

“I thought I hated you. I hated what you represented. I couldn’t separate you from that night. But when you arrived, you didn’t recognize me. And you didn’t want to work together, so I thought…I thought it didn’t matter. I figured you’d be long gone by the time you found out our connection, if you found out at all. But then things got complicated. We started working together and my feelings evolved, and somewhere along the way you went from being the enemy to…something more.” I’ve confessed so many things already, I might as well add that star to the top of the tree.

My heart races like I’ve run a mile. I give a watery sniffle and sigh.

There. I did it. I fessed up to everything I needed to. And, surprisingly, it didn’t kill me.

Kash leans in, lifting a hand to cup my cheek. His action is so unexpected, I freeze like a deer in headlights. “Thank you for telling me.”

I’m not sure what’s happening here, but it seems like I’m more surprised by how he’s taking all this than he is at my confession.

“I’m really sorry for the hurt I caused you, Paisley. I had no idea, I swear.”

At one time, a sincere apology was all I ever wanted from Kash. Now I have it, but it’s a hollow victory.

I lean into the feelings swirling inside and let them wash over me. Maybe now I can let them go.

“Now you know, so…”

This is where we part ways. Kash will go off to finish his demo, and I will try to reassemble the pieces of my broken heart and figure out if there’s a way to salvage my songwriting career.

Kash moves his hand to my chin and gently tilts my face toward his. “I’ve known about most of this for a few days now, Paisley. I overheard someone talking at the hoedown. I wasn’t gonna say anything. I felt so damn bad about it all. I know what it’s like to go out onstage and bomb. I’ve had some horrible sets, and it flat out sucks. At one of our first shows, Six String Justice was actually booed offstage. But at least when we tanked, I had a band to share it with. You were brave to step out there and do it on your own,” he says.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Kash shrugs. “We were having such a good time, dancing and…I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I didn’t want to open old wounds and hurt you all over again. Plus, I thought maybe you were starting to like me?” His eyebrows rise and he has a hopeful look in his eyes.

“I do like you.”

Kash lifts both his hands to my face, his thumbs caressing my damp cheeks. He drifts closer until his forehead brushes against mine.

“I really want to kiss you right now.”

My heart feels too big as it pounds against my rib cage. I really want to kiss him, too. So I do.

My lips press against his and I melt into him. Kash is warm and steady, anchoring me in place as I’m caught up in a torrent of emotions. His hands slide to the nape of my neck, and he deepens the kiss. Our noses brush and the backs of my knees tingle. Kash makes a low moaning sound in his throat before he pulls away.

“I think I just came up with the perfect melody,” he says with a small smile. “But it can wait.”

And then he leans in for another kiss.

Track 18

I Could Need Someone Like You, Baby

Kash

November 23