I notice Cadence stand up in the corner of my eyes and head towards the door. I get up and join her just as she reaches for the handle.
“Hey, where are you going?” I ask her.
She doesn’t look at me and presses down on the door handle.
“Hey. You OK?” I touch her gently on her shoulder and she jerks away from, still not answering, a small hiss emitting from her lips.
She turns to the room and clears her throat, “Um, guys, I’ve gotta go now. Give me a call when you’re ready to rehearse. Thanks again for the chance.”
“Ok, see ya, Cadence!” the guys shout out and she gives them a quick wave before pulling the door open and walking out.
I follow her, but she’s fast, pretty much running down the hall to my hotel room.
“Hey! Cadence, wait! What’s going on?” I catch up with her at my hotel room and she stands there staring at it, as if trying to burn a hole through it with her glare.
“Can you please let me in so I can grab my stuff and go home? It’s late and I have an early meeting before class.” Her voice is cold and hard. I haven’t heard it like this before.
“Hey,” I touch her softly on the shoulder again, and she whips around and glares at me.
“Don’t. Touch me. Again.”
“Hey, hey… What happened?” I don’t know what’s happened in the last few minutes that’s caused a complete change in her demeanor.
“Sebastian, just open the door.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Cade-…”
“Just, I didn’t expect to see her there. OK? Just drop it?”
“Who?”
“The woman from last night,” she hisses through her teeth and leans her head against the door.
Oh my god, I’m such a fucking idiot. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection.
“Oh, Cadence, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize… That’s Hailey… She’s…” I try to choose the right words.
“No! I don’t want to know. I told you at the school this afternoon and I’m telling you now, I don’t care.” She turns her head to avoid my eyes.
“Cadence… come on.” I lower my voice, wanting to comfort her.
“Open the door, Sebastian.”
I ignore her, and press her against the door, my hands wrapped around her arms, forcing her to look at me. She struggles slightly, but doesn’t look away.
“Cadence, her name is Hailey. She’s Dennis’ daughter. I’ve known her for ten years. She’s like a sister to me. There’s nothing going on between us, never has been never, never will be.”
She narrows her eyes and takes a breath. “I don’t care, Sebastian.”
“I think you do, Cadence. Contract or no contract, you care. So that’s the truth. What you saw last night, was just me seeing her for the first time in almost a year. She’s been at school while we’ve been on tour. We’re all really close.”
“Fuck, Sebastian! Why did you tell me that?” My hands are still around her biceps but she somehow manages to lift her forearms and thump on my chest with her fists.
“Because I’m not going to have you hating me when I did nothing to deserve it.” She turns her face and I follow her gaze, forcing her to look me in the eye again. I can feel the heat rise through her body to her cheeks. “Hate your ex-boyfriend, hate the real assholes who hurt you, but don’t lump me in with them when I did nothing to deserve it. ” The pain in her eyes tell me there’s a story behind all this. A heartbreaking past. A hurt I don’t deserve to know yet.
Her fists fall to her sides and she sighs, “Sebastian. I… I just can’t.”
She becomes limp against the door and I wonder how easy it would be to scoop her up in my arms. But I don’t.
“Ok. If you don’t want to give us a chance, fine. But it’s not because I didn’t try. When you want to hate me, at least do it for the things I did and not the things you think I would do.”
I let her go and she lets out a breath before asking me, “Why are you doing this?”
“What?”
“This. All of it. Hiring me as the piano player when you could get anyone, people way more talented and less trouble. And the money, the donation. It’s so much money. Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Tell me one.”
I breathe. No point in hiding it.
“You.”
Her breath catches in her throat. I can’t tell if it’s the answer she wanted or feared. Or both. But there was no use lying about it. She smiles softly at me and presses a soft hand on my chest. My heart threatens to jump out of my chest to be cradled in her palm.
“This isn’t going to work, is it?” She smiles at me sadly.
“Yes, it will. The guys love you, they’re not going to let you go now. And anyway, I’ve gotten my one kiss. So now, now we move on.” I give her a resigned smile.
I reach around her and open the door to my hotel room. And try not to bury my face in her hair.
“Take as long as you need, when you’re ready the car will be waiting for you downstairs. Dennis will call you tomorrow about a rehearsal schedule.”
“I’m sorry, Sebastian.”
“Me too, Cadence.” I lean in and kiss her softly on the cheek and walk away.
PART TWO
CADENCE
“Fuck, I’m tired. Can we take a break yet?” Marius sighs at the end of the song and collapses into a nearby chair.
“Dude, we’ve been rehearsing for like five minutes.” Brad pokes him with the tip of his bow.
“Nuh-uh!”
“Um, OK, eight.” Brad corrects himself.
“Exactly, seven’s my limit before I need a break, you know that.”
“I thought that was just with sex.” Sebastian teases him.