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The sheet is pulled away from a canvas half my size and my breath catches in my throat. In painstaking detail is a drawing of me lying on the log beside the bonfire. I’m looking up at the stars, one side of my face glowing in firelight, my hair flowing to nearly touch the ground. Thin gray smoke almost appears to be moving in the wind. It’s the same way the water felt in his creek drawing. I’m stunned beyond words at how he’s portrayed me.
The silence must be more than he can bear because my name comes out in a whisper. “Calliope. Say something.”
“You’ve made me so…beautiful.”
“I didn’t make you anything, I only showed it. Only a fraction of who you are could ever be embodied in any work. You’re my muse.”
My heart leaps in my chest, swelling with hope. Maybe I’m reading too much into that statement because my feelings are getting too strong to be ignored. The only reason he’s given for wanting to know me is that I inspire him to draw, but the soft way he treats me, the passionate night we had, it must be more than that, right?
“That’s why you want to be around me?” I clarify, fighting to keep my voice even. “Because it helps you draw?”
He walks toward me with an adamant shake of his head. “No, I want to be around you because you’re amazing. You’re sweet and smart and fun. I love talking to you. The way we can spend an entire night talking about everything and nothing, I’ve never had that sort of connection with anyone before. You don’t just shine, Calliope, you blind me with it.”
His words steal my breath and nearly bring tears to my eyes.
It’s unfortunate how often men ruin things by continuing to talk. “Please say you forgive me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for following you in the beginning. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for letting last night happen—as fucking perfect as it was.”
It feels like my entire body deflates, and I have to swallow before speaking. “You regret last night?”
“I regret letting things go too far between us when I can’t be with you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I’m grateful for the excuse not to answer him, to look away. “My friends are here.”
“Calli…”
Looking into his eyes, I find a matching pain there. “I have to go. We have a long drive.” When I turn to rush out of the barn, he follows, locking it behind us.
I’m surprised to see Leo’s RV sitting in Arlow’s driveway instead of mine. He, Freya, and Calvin all climb out, excited to see me. It’s been too long since our last concert together.
“I told you it was this place, not that creepy ass cabin!” Leo announces as Freya hugs me. “She swore I had the wrong house.”
“You do, actually. I was just talking to my neighbor. I do indeed live in the creepy ass cabin,” I inform him, hugging him as everyone laughs.
Calvin points at me and we both shout, “Cal!” before he charges at me, lifting me off my feet with a hug. It’s a silly joke on our names that always makes the others roll their eyes but never gets old. God, it’s good to see them.
“How are you?” he asks, placing me back on my feet.
My brain is pure chaos and I’m losing my shit in a stunning number of ways. “I’m great. I can’t wait to get going. Who’s riding with me?”
There’s room enough for all four of us in Leo’s RV but they’ll be heading off to another festival after this one, and if I drive separately, they won’t have to bring me home.
“I am,” Cal announces, pulling a bag out of Leo’s passenger seat and slinging it over his back. “I made a killer playlist with every band that we’re going to see this week.”
Leo looks past me and nods. “How’s it going?”
I didn’t realize Arlow was standing behind us until Leo addressed him.
Arlow gives him a nod back, then regards me. Words form and die on his lips multiple times before he mumbles, “Have a safe trip.” He doesn’t look back as he returns to his house.
“What was that about?” Cal asks before we even make it out of the driveway. “Your neighbor looked like he wanted to bury me in that graveyard. Are you seeing him or something?”
“No. We’re…friends.” Are we? I’m not sure about anything anymore. “He’s just not very social.” I nod toward the screen on my dash. “Connect your phone and let’s hear that killer playlist.”
“Hell yeah.”
This is what I need to clear my head. Music and time away. It may not give me any answers, but for a while, I just want to forget. Forget being followed through the woods. Forget busted windows and stolen ATVs and ashes that still need to be dumped. Forget the confusing man who goes from wanting me to wanting me at arms length. For a few days, I want to let it all go and have fun with friends I likely won’t see again until spring.
The rock and blues festival is the biggest of its genre in the country and the one I look forward to the most every year. It’s four straight days of some of my favorite bands along with a lot of newer and smaller artists. Alcohol flows constantly. There are too many delicious food choices to choose from. Just the energy of all the people together, hyped to see our favorites, is such an uplifting experience.
