Page 82 of Love is a Lyric
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Ben
“How would you describe your relationship?” Maggie leaned forward as if she could pull the secrets right out of Ben.
He looked down at Quinn who’d folded herself against him. Once, he’d have wrapped her in his arms and not let go. Now, it felt wrong.
Everything was wrong.
The look in Piper’s eye when she saw them.
His mom’s disappointed frown.
Drew’s constant tracking of Piper as if he was the only one who cared about her, the only one who’d been her friend.
But this was what she wanted, for him to go back to his life and her to get on with hers. He replayed the kiss from the night before in his mind as Maggie repeated the question.
Quinn dug her nails into his thigh to bring him back to the moment. She gave Maggie a bright smile. “Trusting.”
That was one word for it.
“Trusting.” Maggie held her phone closer, trying to record every word.
Quinn nodded. “We left Florida because it wasn’t bringing us the inspiration we needed to work on the new album. I needed to go back to L.A. to work on my lyrics, but Ben wanted something quieter. It never crossed our minds we couldn’t trust each other in our time apart.” She pecked his cheek. “My guy is the best.”
Maggie smiled at the cuteness, and Ben wished he could pull away. “And you, Ben? How would you describe it?”
Shallow? Non-Existent? Something told him those answers wouldn’t go over well, but he was a rockstar. He’d learned quickly how to lie to the media. “Understanding. There’s no one who quite gets me like Quinn.” He rubbed his eyes, irritated at the contacts. When he pulled his hand away, a smudge of black streaked over his finger.
He’d been so long without the makeup, the contacts, the tight clothes that he’d forgotten how much he hated it, this persona he had to play.
Maggie turned her body so her full attention was on Ben. “Tell me about the kiss with Quinn’s sister. It’s what the world wants to know.”
Ben sighed. They’d discussed what to say. Claim they’d been drinking, that he hadn’t known what Piper was doing until it was too late. She was young and infatuated. But the words stuck in his throat.
Before he could stop her, Quinn spoke. “I love my sister.” He waited for the moment she turned Piper into a fool for the world. A moment that never came. “I don’t talk about my family with the media, but I think it’s time I start. When Piper was ten, our parents died in a car accident. I left for college soon after, but Piper moved into this house to live with Ben’s parents and his brother. They became a family while Ben and I left to chase our dreams. But that changes a person, shapes them. It’s easy to grow attached to people. Piper and Ben have been great friends recently, and I forgive my sister for anything that happened. Hurting me was not her intent. She’s the best person I know.”
Ben couldn’t speak as he stared at Quinn, wondering if she meant the words she said. Her expression betrayed nothing of what she felt.
Maggie smiled. “Piper told me you two are in love more than ever. That night, she claimed she was just a crazed fan.”
Ben shook his head. “No. She’s family.”
“Good. Good. So, we’ve established that the sweethearts of rock are still very much in love. What’s next forFate?”
That was an easy one to answer. “We’re heading to L.A., where we’ll meet up with Conner Brooks and finish writing our album. Next month, we head into the studio.”
“I’m sure your fans are excited for new music. It’s been two years.”
Ben laughed, but it sounded false to his ears. “Hard to write on a world tour. When we weren’t performing or meeting fans, we mostly slept.”
“And Piper, she was your assistant?”
Why did she keep bringing up Piper? Ben’s fist clenched, but Quinn took it in her hand to hide the reaction. “She was my assistant, but she always ended up working for the entire band. She’s one of the reasons we made it through the tour. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
“Me either,” Ben breathed.
Quinn looked up at him with a sad smile. “But she’s not ours anymore. Piper is about to leave on tour with Drew Stone. A step up from working for her sister.”
