Page 91 of Bluebird

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’ll only work with you.” He gave me a playful nudge with his elbow.

I shook my head and smiled bashfully. How on earth was I supposed to get through the rest of these songs with Luke being so close, and so…Luke?

* * *

We somehow managed to push through the rest of my originals without getting distracted, which meant we only had one song remaining. Luke’s song.

Luke studied my face. “So, why do you look more nervous now, than when we started?”

“Well, this song isn’t exactly mine,” I replied, gritting my teeth.

He raised his eyebrows. “Nan’s?”

I shook my head slowly. “No, it’s yours actually.”

“Mine?” Luke’s eyebrows moved inwards, as he pondered the idea. “No, I don’t think so, I never kept any of my old work. Are you sure it’s not Nan’s? Let me see the handwriting.”

I pulled the evidence from the pile sitting on top of the piano and handed it over. I watched his eyes widen as he reviewed the sheet music in his hands, one by one. His expression became unreadable.

“The melody is amazing, we just need to figure out what’s happening with the lyrics. There are so many different versions.”

Luke didn’t seem to hear me. “But I threw these out. All of them.”

“Well, that explains the wrinkled paper,” I joked, trying to lighten his mood. I couldn’t grasp why he had thrown his work away, or why he looked so astonished to see it again.

Luke closed his eyes and sighed. “Nan must have…”

“Known a good thing when she saw it?” I finished his sentence, willing his eyes to look into mine. “This work does not belong in a bin, Luke.”

He shook his head and a line formed between his eyebrows. “You don’t understand. I didn’t want…it wasn’t meant to…”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. It’s your song, Luke. But, damn, it’s good.” I smiled, sadly acknowledging his brilliant song may never see the light of day.

Luke’s expression looked pained as he regarded me. It was as if he was trying to tell me something, but couldn’t find the words.

“I need to think about this,” he said, moving to the lounge and taking his song with him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise it meant so much to you.”

He pressed his lips together and sighed. “I’m just a little surprised to see it again after all these years, that’s all.”

I joined him on the lounge and watched him sift through his work. “I’m glad you kept writing after I left town.” He had such a talent for it.

Luke looked up at me with a perplexed expression. “I didn’t.”

“So…you wrote this…when?”

He sighed. “About nine years ago. Not long before you left.”

Then it dawned on me. “Wait, is this the song? The one you refused to show me?”

Luke pursed his lips.

“Luke! Why didn’t you ever show me?" I asked, playfully punching his arm. “You had me so cut up over this.”

Luke smirked, but remained serious. “I couldn’t finish it. Then you left and I just gave up trying.”