Page 78 of Dark Verse

“I mean you do,” I say, keeping my tone lighthearted, even as my thoughts turn darker.

Knox smiles, but it doesn’t make it to his eyes, nor does he respond right away. His expression shifts thoughtfully. His brows pull down into a firm line. His expression triggers my unease, my mind turning back to my last night in Colorado. In hindsight, I wish I would have stopped Knox and Zeke from destroying the iFind tag and instead encouraged them to take it to the authorities. Maybe they could have traced it back to the owner.

“I’m thinking about closing my DMs for a while, at least the DMs to my page. We probably don’t want to completely cut off access to the band’s official page.”

“That sounds like a healthy boundary to set for yourself. Have you reconsidered my idea about getting a social media manager? I know plenty of people who would take that on,” I remind him.

“Maybe.”

“Float it by the rest of the band,” I suggest. “The more popular you all get, the more frequent these things will happen. It’s a shitty part of the deal that no one really talks about enough. I’ve seen it happen to several bands in the past. Having a media manager can do wonders for your peace of mind.”

“Yeah…maybe,” his expression remains contemplative.

“Really think about it, okay? You don’t want that energy in your life.”

After another long pause, his frown shifts to content.

“You’re right. I’ll talk to them tomorrow, maybe get a few of those names of available managers from you then too. So what are you eating?” he asks, shifting the conversation.

“My favorite from a local restaurant.” I angle the dish so he can see it. “They call it the ‘everything from scratch’ chicken pot pie. And when they say everything, they mean everything. The veggies are homegrown, the crust is made fresh every day. I’m pretty sure they raise the chickens themselves too.”

“Yummy. Wish I was there to try it.”

“Me too.” I pause, looking over at the flowers again. I haven’t been able to repeat his I love you verbally, but I feel it more every day, even with the distance between us. The closest I’ve been able to express the L word is, “I miss you,” I say, my tone turning sad without my permission.

“I miss you too, sweetheart.”

“So as part of the new work arrangement, Alice wants me to check in on Danica and Hendrix and make sure the business is still doing well. I think I’ll be out there at the end of September.”

“I will never say no to a chance to see you again, but you know you’ve got an inside man that could tell you anything you would want to know, right?”

Chuckling, I say, “Okay, inside man. Tell me everything you know.”

“Business is good.”

I laugh harder. “Very helpful.”

Knox starts laughing too.

I stand up from my bar stool, stretching my limbs out.

“So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” Knox asks.

“Finish dinner and clean the apartment. Maybe do some laundry before the weekend rush.”

“Something tells me there isn’t much to clean. You’re a very tidy person.”

I look around the space. I live by a 30-minute rule when it comes to the cleanliness of my apartment. I never want it to take me more than a half hour to get it ready for unexpected company.

“I don’t know, you tell me,” I turn my camera so he can see more of the space around me.

“Oh my god, is that a cup I see out of place? For shame.”

I cackle.

“Show me more,” he says, “Give me the full tour.”

“Okay.” I take one final bite of my food before I move across the living room. “Balcony.”