Page 25 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
“Wyatt, I’m here now, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“A bonk on the head had to give me sense, I guess.” He tilts his head. “I won Talent Quest?”
I giggle with pride. “Yes, you were so amazing.”
“A nurse asked me to sign a T-shirt with my face on it, and said she saw one of my concerts.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve played concerts?”
“You’re incredible on stage,” I gush. “You played a small list of shows after the season wrapped, and then you played a bigger tour for the second album.”
“I saw some of the titles on the back of her T-shirt. Did I write those songs?”
“I’ve read every tidbit of information about you. You have a partial writing credit on a few of the songs.”
“I should have you writing the songs,” he replies. “Are you still writing?”
I plant a hand over my thumping heart. “You remember that? Yes, I’m writing almost everyday.”
“I’d love to read what you’re working on,” he says with eagerness, and then shifts awkwardly. “Well, maybe you’ll have to read to me. I’m not so good at the reading part at the moment.”
He taps the space beside him, and with bashfulness, I sit up on the mattress next to him. “Is it your eyesight or the brain fog that’s tripping you up?”
He shrugs. “Bit of both. Just like the stutter, the headaches come and go.”
I rub his arm. “Then it means, eventually, they can go completely. Just a momentary setback from the accident.”
He crosses his fingers. “Hopefully.”
I gesture at the playing cards. “Did you want to get back to the game? Or we could play go fish?”
Wyatt mumbles a laugh. “Only if you want an easy win.”
I giggle. “Well, that’s okay. We don’t have to play a game. We can just talk.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t been in my life,” Wyatt says. “It’s crazy because everything about you came back. Everything from back home is clear as day.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m so glad.”
He rubs under his chin. “I haven’t visited you at home?”
I frown. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
He grounds his hands against the mattress. “Yes.”
“Wyatt,” I say gently, “you don’t visit Victoria Falls.”
His expression is muddled. “Ever?”
“Not in the three years since you left for the TV show.”
“My parents said they sold our home.”
I nod. “They left town to support your career.”
“But I have friends in Victoria Falls,” Wyatt says in a small voice. “I don’t bring them on tour?”
I smile, biting my lip. “You don’t realize how big a deal you are these days.”
He stares at me intently. “You’re a big deal.”
