Page 86 of Playing With My Heart Strings

The rest of the girls have already left the dressing room to wait backstage, but as I’m adding the finishing touches on my hair, someone knocks at the door.

“Come in!” I call out, not bothering to get up to let them in.

“How’s my girl?” The mirror’s reflection shows Dusty leaning against the door frame.

“I’m not youronlygirl.” I playfully roll my eyes.

He walks over, letting the door shut, and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “No, but you’re myfavoritegirl.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be saying that kind of stuff. Takes away all the mystery.”

“It’s not a mystery that I’ve been falling in love with you for weeks now, Baylor. It’s not a mystery that you occupy every corner of my mind.” He brushes my hair to one side, and his lips move down my neck, placing gentle kisses that send shivers down my spine.

“It needs to be a mystery. You know, for the viewers…” I trail off, because what I’m saying isn’t something a contestant would say.

“I’m afraid I can’t pretend when it comes to you. You look absolutely stunning, by the way.” With a gentle brush of his knuckles on my cheek, he heads toward the door. “I’ll see you out there, darlin’.”

My heart races in my chest. I’m not sure I’ve been able to pretend with him either. Not for a while, at least. I know this was all supposed to be fake and I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him, but it’s not a game to me anymore. I’m not sure if it ever was. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to compose myself, fluff my hair one more time, then head toward the stage with my head held high.

“How are y’all doing tonight, Atlanta?” Jarrod waves as he struts out on stage, microphone in hand. “This is our second leg on theHeart Stringstour, and I know I can speak for the ladies and Dusty when I say we are so honored to be here. You’ll be spending the next couple hours with us, so I hope you all thoroughly enjoy the show.”

When Jarrod exits the stage, the lights go out—the cue for the four of us to go out and take our places.

The opening number goes perfectly, even smoother than the show in Chattanooga. My confidence has definitely improved since the first rehearsal for the tour, and I can only hope the viewers see that.

All of us except Katherine exit the stage, and Sage grabs my hand when we’re out of the audience’s view.

“You were amazing out there, Bay.” She gently squeezes. “If it’s not me tonight that makes it, I really hope it’s you.”

“What do you mean? You don’t think we’ll both make it?”

“Katherine and Valerie are going to make it. That’s a no-brainer. I’ve seen the way Dusty interacts with them. He’s smitten.”

My stomach drops a little at the thought of Dusty having a strong relationship with them. But she’s right. From what they’ve told us about their dates, the producers are setting them up to be the final two. The worst part is that even though we’re friends, we’re all competing for him.

It’s kind of fucked up if I think about it too much. If I don’t win, I don’t think I can ever watch the show back. Even if I win, I’m not sure if I can watch it. It’ll hurt to see Dusty kissing other women knowing what we’ve been doing behind the scenes.

“Mhm, yeah.” I try not to sound wounded, but I don’t think I succeed.

“I’m so sorry, Baylor, I didn’t want to make you feel bad,” Sage apologizes quickly, guilt laced in her words.

I place my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’re not. We all knew what we signed up for, right? I think you’re on soon, you should probably get ready.”

She purses her lips but then nods, even as her eyes glass over like reflective pools of sadness. And when Katherine kills her performance, earning a standing ovation from the crowd, Iworry Sage might be right. If Katherine and Valerie both move on—something that’s looking more and more likely to happen—it’s going to be a battle between me and Sage tonight for the final spot.

Sage and Katherine trade spots on stage, and Sage begins her solo. Her vocals start off wobbly, but she finds her rhythm soon enough that I don’t think many people notice. I wonder if she’s as nervous as I am with the elimination hanging over our heads.

“How are you feeling about tonight?” Valerie sidles up to me. Her normally bouncy curls are straightened today, and the corners of her eyes are brightened with white eyeliner and highlighter.

Jealousy pricks at my skin when I look at her. She’sbeautiful. There’s never been a doubt about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dusty’s label would want him to pick her. She’s incredibly talented and would no doubt make her mark in the genre. They’d be remiss to let someone like her go. And she deserves it, arguably more than anyone else here.

“Baylor?” She raises a perfectly shaped brow.

What the hell am I thinking?Valerie’s been nothing but kind and supportive of me, even in this competitive environment.

“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling overwhelmed,” I admit. “The elimination is stressing me out. And I don’t know, I was kind of jealous of you for a second.” I choke out a laugh, but not because I think it’s funny.

Valerie doesn’t give me any pity laughs. “You’re so talented, Baylor. Of course, all of us want to make it to next week, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. What you have with Dusty is special. I can see it in his eyes.”

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