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Till you came and changed the game we played
I played the guitar solo and finally turned to face Tris. Our eyes met and held as I sang the next verse, singing directly to her.
Smoke and mirrors, that’s our façade
But my heart’s no longer flawed
Fame’s a game I’m tired of playing
With you, I feel like staying
In this love we’re co-creating
Real or fake, it’s still awaiting
In this world of smoke and lies
You’re the truth I recognize
Past and present intertwine
In this heart of mine
I gripped my instrument like it was a lifeline and mustered a glance at Dante and Isaiah, who volleyed their own gaze between Tris and me.
“What do you think?” I asked into the mic, because I was ultimately waiting for Tris’s reaction.
Her eyes were pooling with tears. Her lashes beat a steady rhythm against her cheek as she fought to keep them from spilling over. I made a move to go to her, and she gave me a gentle shake of her head. I knew that meant we’d talk later.
Well, fuck.
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it.
The guys still hadn’t responded. I turned to them. “Well?” I barked.
They took my question as an invitation, shrugging off their shock and diving right in, offering suggestions to polish the composition, and share their thoughts for enhancing the sound with their own instruments. I wrote furiously, taking notes with fervor.
The guys had a lot to say about this one, and we all agreed the other songs could wait. This one had the potential to be the lead single, so we wanted to work on it while it was fresh. The song came together faster than any we ever had recorded.
Once we thought we had it the way it needed to go, we played through it for Sam and Tris. The looks on their faces was all we needed to know.
“Fuck yeah.” Isaish lifted his hand to high-five me.
“So, I’m thinking we should take a break,” Dante suggested.
“Yeah. It’s hot in here,” Isaiah joked. They were good guys, and I knew they were both giving me time to talk to Tris. They invited Sam to go with them. He gave me a quick thumbs up, like he was wishing me luck.
Tris and I stared at each other through the glass. She rose from her chair and I tracked her until she was at the doorway to the live room.
For the first time, I didn’t know what to say.
Chapter Thirty-Two
KILLIAN
“Killian,” she whispered. “That was beautiful. I … ” Her words trailed off as she moved towards me.
My heart wanted to burst in my chest. She understood. Every word, every note I’d poured into this song—she felt it all.