Page 23 of Love is a Lyric
“That was profound, dude.”
“Yeah, I have my moments. Don’t call me again, Ben. We aren’t friends.”
Ben grinned as he hung up. They were so friends. It had snuck up on him, these bonds he’d formed in the rockstar support group. Melanie had been right. They all needed each other to stay grounded in this fast-moving world.
“Sunday Funday!” Conner called as he pushed open the slider with his foot and walked out carrying a tray of margaritas. He’d started early with a Bloody Mary at breakfast. “Want one, Ben?” He set the tray on the table.
“Nah, not today.” Ben didn’t know when he’d become the guy turning down parties, but all that mattered to him was the work, the music.
“You’re no fun.” Quinn joined them and retrieved a drink, downing half of it in one gulp. “Ouch, brain freeze.”
Conner reached up to massage her temples, something Ben should have done. But annoyance raced through him. They had a single song for the new album, and all they wanted to do was drink.
He wouldn’t celebrate until the album was finished. “I need to go work on this.” He took the papers with him and went to fetch his guitar as their laughter followed him in.
He froze when he caught sight of Piper leaning into the refrigerator. In holey sweatpants, an oversized t-shirt, and messy hair, she didn’t look like the assistant who’d followed them along on the tour. “You’re alive.”
Her back straightened, and she turned. “Um, yeah. I…”
“Weren’t sick? I guessed. You going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Are you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Ben.” She sighed. “Your fingers are clutching that song way too tightly. Your jaw is clenched like it normally is when something really annoys you. And don’t even get me started on the look in your eyes.”
Every time she did something to show just how much she’d paid attention to him over the years it surprised him. He’d always thought she was Chase’s friend and Quinn was his. Yes, they had a family dynamic since his parents raised her for half her life, but this was more than that. It was like her assistant role and almost-sister role combined to create the person who knew him best.
Not even Quinn could tell when the easy-going Ben Evans was upset.
“It’s this song,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t—”
“I know.” She did. Piper was the only person other than his parents and Chase who knew how much trouble he’d had in school. And his parents thought it had gotten better, but he’d really just gotten better at hiding it. He hadn’t told Quinn because she wouldn’t understand, but Piper… she understood everything.
“Will you…” He lifted the song in question.
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say no, but that was the thing about Piper. She always thought of others before herself. “I need to clean up then we can go down to the beach.”
“The beach, okay.” Away from Quinn and Conner who’d never look at him the same way if they knew.
He leaned against the island counter fiddling with his guitar strap as he waited. Piper emerged a few minutes later in cut-off shorts over a one-piece blue bathing suit with a towel rolled up under her arm and a beach bag over her shoulder. “Come on.”
They walked out onto the deck where Quinn and Conner sat shoulder to shoulder on the edge of the pool, drinks in hand. Ben barely noticed them as he followed Piper down the stairs to the white sand below.
She picked a spot and unrolled her towel before digging in the bag for sunscreen and slathering it over her skin as she gave him a sheepish smile. “I know, Quinn would tell me I’ll never get tan with this much lotion. Lucky for me, no one cares what the assistant looks like, only the stars.” She laughed as if she’d told a joke.
Ben studied her, wishing she’d tell him about the shadows in her eyes, the strain in her smile. She’d have told Chase if he was there, and Ben always envied their relationship, the kind he’d never had with a friend. They could say anything to each other, and it wouldn’t change how much they cared for one another.
Ben pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the towel. He hadn’t worn his swim trunks, but his shorts would do. He took off running for the water.
“What are you doing?” Piper called.
“What does it look like?” He crashed into the water as the beach sloped down. When the ground beneath his feet dropped away, he dove in. A wave lifted him to the surface, and he gasped for breath, a grin on his face. This was vacation to him, not sitting up at the house drinking.
The sand. The sea.
He glanced back over his shoulder to see Piper diving into the water with a squeal. She broke through the surface and jumped into a wave rolling toward her. The sun shimmered off her dark hair, setting her aglow as she swam toward him.
