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I’m just Casey.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Hey, what do you think of this for the chorus?”

I play through the progression I’ve been working on, while singing the lyrics. The flow is perfect, until the last line.

“Always so…”

I palm the strings to quiet them. “We break here, and ‘unkind’moves to the first bar of the turn…. Hey, you listening?”

She’s just staring at me.

“No? Yes?” I say, trying to read the confusing expression on her face. “Uh, okay. So I was also thinking we need to tweak the lyrics for verse two. I like what you wrote, but it doesn’t fit the melody we just worked out.”

Still just eye-stalking me.

I lower the guitar and study her strange demeanor. “Okay. You’re freaking me out. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” A silly smile plays on her lips, and I raise a brow.

We’ve been working for a couple hours now, and this song is actually turning into something legit. I’m already thinking itmight be good enough to get TJ his demo if we bust our asses for the next few days. I’ll have to track down a midi controller and interface but?—

“Seriously, Callie. Why are you looking at me like that?”

I grip the strings and give her a playful warning stare.

Her smile becomes a grin as she leans back and pulls her knees to her chest. She wraps her arms around them and rests her chin on top. Her weird behavior is starting to unravel me.

“If you don’t like the melodies, we can do something else.”

“I love the melodies.”

She scours my face, my hands, the guitar.

“So…?”

“Can’t a girl just enjoy a moment?”

“Not when that moment involves staring at me with an evil villain smirk.”

Her mouth drops open. “You think I look like an evil villain?!”

“No, I said yoursmirkis very ‘I’m secretly building a pint-sized clone army and you’re about to be my minion.’”

A pillow comes flying at my head, and I swat it away with a laugh.

“And the nefarious campaign begins,” I tease.

Her mock glare might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

“Why can’t I just enjoy the fact that an incredibly talented, hot guy is sitting a few feet away?” She draws a circle through the air around me. “You have no idea the toll you take on a girl’s lady parts.”

I snort a laugh. Oh my god. “You did not just say that.”

Her smile widens, and she returns an exaggerated shrug.

I shake my head, still grinning. I have no clue what to do with that, but I can’t say I hate it.