“Genevieve,” he echoes, waving.
They straighten and take off, high-fiving each other and talking in animated tones the entire walk back to their car.
Oliver raises his window again. Adjusts his mirror. Latches his seatbelt.
“Can’t believe I’m dating the Oliver Levesque.”
We grab Hadley, and Oliver helps me down the stairs to my studio when we arrive back at the house. I’ve been bursting with excitement to listen to the final cut of the song since Joel sent it over, along with a note that nearly stopped my heart. It was so hard to resist the temptation to listen right away, but I wanted the first experience to be in its best form, shared with the most important people in my life.
Oliver must guess what’s about to go down when his smile grows into a grin as I position us by the console and fire up the studio monitors.
“New song?” Hadley asks, and I draw in a deep breath to face her. “Yes, but not just any new song. This is Viv Hastings’ first single.”
“Who?”
Oliver points to me with a smug look, and Hadley’s eyes widen. “Wait… all that time you’ve been spending down here with Joel was for a new artist?”
I nod, squeezing her arm. “It’s top secret. No one knows except Oliver, Joel, and now, you. We’re going to release it on the down low and see what happens.”
“But… wait… what… hold on…”
“It’s a long story,” I say with a laugh. “I’ll give you the long version later, just trust me. You’ll understand when you hear it.”
I click the link Joel sent me, my hand shaking as I press play when it loads. Gosh, I’ve never been so excited in my life. If there was any doubt that this new journey is the right one, it’s erased by one look at my expression in the mirror. Oliver sees it too and reaches over for my hand as the song starts.
“Unremarkable.” Goosebumps breakout over my skin. A whisper echo and reverb has been added to the breathy vocal, giving it an edgy depth.
Boom-boom.
“
Unsustainable
.”
Boom-boom.
“
Unreliable, deniable, holy hell, I’m shakable, replaceable, untamable. I’ve heard it all.
Heard heard heard it all
.”
Hadley’s mouth hangs open, her gaze swinging to me in disbelief. I nod back, my lips curving into a grin.
“Oh my goodness,” she mouths.
When the electric guitar and drums hit, all three of us are on the edge of our seats.
“
Such a shame your endgames
Don’t concern me anymore
Yeah, see, I’ve heard heard heard it all before
”
“
Oh, she’s a one-trick pony
Though no one knows she
Rides beyond the phony
Tracks they only see
”
The tight drone harmony we recorded fills out my lead vocal on the second verse, sending chills throughout my body. Gosh, I love this so much, and we haven’t even gotten to the good part.
“
Cuz I’m no princess
And if you think I’ll miss this
Better get the message
I won’t”
I literally screech when I hear the strong male harmony come in on the chorus. Joel told me who he tapped to feature on this song, but I didn’t want to let myself believe it. Now, there’s no denying it. Twisted in intricate perfection around my lead vocal is the distinctive voice of Mason West from Burn Card. How Joel got him for this low-profile project is anyone’s guess, but it warms my heart to know Joel believes in it enough to cash in so many favors.
“You can keep me on the guestlist
Cuz I’m about to mess with
The secrets you’ve been left with
Just broke
”
“
Such a shame your endgames
Don’t concern me anymore
Yeah, see, I’ve heard heard heard it all before
”
“Wait, who’s that? Sounds familiar,” Oliver shouts over the music.
“Mason West!” I shout back, bouncing in my chair.
“No way!” Hadley cries, clapping her hands. We exchange an excited look as Oliver shrugs.
“Who?”
“Burn Card,” Hadley explains to him, and his eyes widen.
“Oh yeah. Now I hear it.”
“
No, this damsel doesn’t need your confession
These cries aren’t desperate
Just more leverage
Against the broken ties
Of sheltered minds
Hypnotized eyes
Bleeding lies
That no longer shake me”
There’s no more conversation during the manic end to the song. Joel went over-the-top on the production, adding strings, synth, and other effects to the violence of the bridge and final chorus.
“Make me sing while
This castle wall is coming down
Around old fears
These tears are just the fucking years spent getting here
.”
Despite my ankle, I’m on my feet. How can I stay seated with this masterpiece echoing around us? I want to run to a stage. Grab a mic. Pour out my soul for an audience and introduce the world to the girl in the mirror. I want everything for her, and it’s then I notice how my fists are already clenched for a fight.
“Yeah, I’ll sing through the sting
Because nothing’s worth the time I’ve lost
In the thought
I can’t live without a throne.”
I’m exhausted when the song ends. The sudden silence rings in our ears. Neither Hadley nor Oliver says a word, both as stunned as I am. I collapse onto Oliver’s lap, and he tugs me to his chest. His heart is beating so hard, his lips curled in a smile I want to capture and hold onto forever.
“Fucking brilliant, Viv,” he whispers finally. “You are so fucking brilliant.”
I blink back emotion, believing that for the first time in my life.
CHAPTER 19
I could run… and do.
I could cry… and do.
I could scream… and do.
I could try… and do.
I could search… and do.
I could laugh… and do.
I could love… and do.
Because of you, I don’t hide—I do.
OLIVER
Four days. It’s been four long days since I’ve seen Genevieve, so to say I’m excited as I climb the stairs to her door would be a massive understatement. With the announcement of her retirement, her already crazy schedule has exploded into chaos. We’re doing our best to manage the separation, filling in long gaps with unsatisfying video calls and text messages, but damn, it’s not the same as having the woman you love in your arms. And every time I see some bullshit post or critique of her, it’s everything I can do
