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“You’re not wrong,” Asa said, surprising Zara.
He was scraping his brush against the side of the paint can.
Zara and Nikki exchanged a look that was more like a conversation. It went something like this.
Did he say what I think he said?
He sure did.
What does that mean?
I have no idea.
Why not? You’re his best friend.
You’re the one living with him.
“Stop doing that.”
They both snapped their gazes to Asa’s narrowed eyes. He gave them a calculated look and shook his head. “It’s weird. Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
“We didn’t say anything,” Nikki pointed out.
Asa’s lips flattened and he snorted.
Nikki and Zara looked at each other and cracked up.
That night, after Zara had scrubbed yellow paint off her face but failed at getting it all out of her hair, she snuck downstairs to her favorite spot.
The light under his door was on and she didn’t have to wait long for him to start playing.
But it was different somehow. His voice seemed stronger. Freer. The guitar clear and precise.
She sighed and rested her head against the wall.
That’s it, babe,she thought.You’ve got this.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FINALLY // BEAUTIFUL STRANGER
ASA
He found Shawn in Studio Y.
Since dinner the other night, he’d been thinking about what Nikki had said. The last time he and Shawn had spoken in depth it had been about whether or not it was a good idea to have a muse.
But that had been…shit, October? Eight months ago? Had it really been that long since the NMAs?
Time was weird. Some days lasted forever; some days were a blur.
And all the days with Zara were in vivid color.
He had nothing to compare it to. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d felt so dangerously, haphazardly, completelyalive.Not in his youth, not when Winking Pete had gotten signed, not their first international tour. All of those moments had been amazing but they’d also been underlinedby constant stress and anxiety. Worrying about Shelby’s mental state, wondering if she’d be sober enough to do the show, waiting for her to sabotage all their hard work.
Not to mention the emotional toll it had taken on the band, on their family, on his relationships. He’d gotten so used to carrying the weight of it that he had no idea what it felt like to put it down.
The night he’d opened up to Zara about Shelby had been confusing. Her reaction triggered an unpleasant memory. Of trying to communicate to Gemma what he was feeling and how fucked up Shelby was being and having her turn it around on him.
