Page 56 of Spark

As everyone agrees with Laila, Ruby gasps loudly and stops playing. “Kendrick, can I speak to you for a sec? Privately, on the balcony?”

Without waiting for a reply, she slides her mini-keyboard off her lap and pops up, and off she goes, like a woman possessed.

Outside, I close the sliding door behind us.

It’s early afternoon, and the sun is glimmering off the nearby ocean.

A gentle breeze is rustling our hair. It’s a relaxing scene, but Ruby looks far from relaxed.

In fact, she looks amped up in a way I’ve seen many, many times before.

The muse is calling to her. There’s no doubt about it.

“What’s up, baby?”

“I didn’t want to say this in front everyone,” she says, practically bouncing up and down. “But when I was singing that melody, the only words I could hear in my head were yours. ”

I tilt my head, not understanding.

“From ‘Spark!’” she shouts.

“What? No, Ruby.”

“You have to admit those lyrics would fit perfectly with the vibe of this song. At least, as a starting point.”

I shift my weight. We’ve never used my words as the starting point for a whole-ass song before.

We’ve used snippets of my ideas, here and there, but nothing like this.

And we’ve certainly never used words I’d written privately, while in a weird trance, while secretly losing my mind with jealousy and yearning for the girl I’ve loved for twelve years, a girl who happens to be one of my bandmates who’d have to play this song, live, for God knows how many years to come.

“Wouldn’t you feel embarrassed to have my words out there in the world? ”

“ Embarrassed ? No. I’d be proud.”

“But it’s obvious the whole thing is about you. Also, wouldn’t it be weird for Savage to sing my words about you ?”

Ruby looks wholly unbothered. “Savage sings all our words, all the time. And some of them were my honest, vulnerable thoughts at one point. Honestly, it’s always a source of pride for me to see him re-interpreting my most honest feelings and making them his own.

He’s so good at it.” She’s got a point. Savage always sings them so convincingly, it’s like he wrote the damned words himself.

Ruby takes my hand. “I don’t want you feeling pressured. This is your decision, completely. But don’t make your decision based on protecting me. I’d feel nothing but electrified if the world heard your words about me.”

“Electrified?” The description is a huge surprise to me. “Why?”

“Kendrick, nobody’s ever written a song about me before. It’s the coolest, swooniest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I press my lips together. Seems like she’s conveniently forgetting Cooper’s song. Not to mention, she’s dated several musicians. Not a single one of those dickheads wrote a song about her? I find that hard to believe.

“Cooper’s song doesn’t count,” Ruby says, reading my mind. “That was a diss track. I meant nobody’s ever written a love song about me. Yours was a first, baby. A beautiful first, and I can’t deny I’d be elated for the world to hear it.”

“What I wrote is outdated. The song I’d write for you now would be nothing like that. I was tortured when I wrote it.”

“I know. It was delicious.” When I look unsure, she adds, “Most songs become outdated after they’re written. Sometimes right away, because the very act of putting one’s feelings into the world makes them obsolete. That doesn’t make the song any less worthy of being put out into the world, does it?”

She makes another valid point. “So, you’re saying you want the world to know how badly I wanted you, huh? That’s what this boils down to, right?”

Ruby bites back a smile. “Is that bad of me? Am I a monster, once again?”

I laugh and hug her. “No, not at all. It’s pretty hot that’s what you want, honestly.

” I kiss her forehead. “Bonus points, some of my lyrics could be interpreted as a reference to Cooper, which is exactly what the label wants and what the world will be expecting from us, so it would be a smart move, from a business standpoint.”

“Good point. I didn’t think of that, but the lyrics hint at him just enough to make the internet go feral over dissecting them.” Ruby smirks. “And you know what happens when people go feral over dissecting lyrics, don’t you?”

I wink. “The song becomes a smash hit, baby.”

“Amen to that.”

We high-five and laugh.

“Okay, cutie. Your wish is my command. Let’s do it.”

Ruby squeals and thanks me.

“The only problem is, I didn’t bring my journal with me today, and I don’t have any of that stuff memorized.”

“I do. Every word.”

I smile. “Of course you do.”

Ruby snickers. “Not that it matters, since I also took photos of those two pages.”

“Ruby!”

“Not to do anything bad with them. Only because I love your words so much, I wanted to be able to read them, again and again, anytime. ”

“Why do you need to read them, if you’ve got them memorized?”

Ruby tilts her head up for a kiss. “Your frenzied handwriting is a huge turn-on for me.”

Laughing, I lean down and kiss her. “How are you so cute? It’s like a superpower.” I exhale. “Okay, come back inside, baby, so you can tell everyone about ‘Spark’ and then text them the photos.”

I turn around and bend down, and without needing to be told what I’m intending, Ruby hops aboard my back with a whoop, even though the ride back into the house will be extremely short.

With one hand around my neck and the other swirling in the air like a cowgirl, Ruby bellows, “Come on, baby! Let’s spin your gorgeous words into a goddamned hit song! ”