Dedicated to chooseitwisely because I'm so excited for our upcoming crossover chapter/chapters!!!
Shout out to runlikehell for making me a lovely cover! Thank you so much :)
Enjoy!!
Chapter 20
For the next few days, I couldn’t look Mac in the eye. I blushed constantly and whenever I tried to talk to him, I froze up. When I saw him, all I could think about was kissing him and the only time the image faded was whenever I was playing my guitar and music took over.
We didn’t really spend any time alone together over the weekend, mostly because I was avoiding him and by the time we were done at the studio on Tuesday, I could tell that he was getting mad. He kept shooting me glares and I winced, knowing I was behaving childishly but I couldn’t seem to stop it. “Rose,” he growled as soon as Mike gave us the all clear to leave the studio and before I could bolt, Mac gripped my arm tightly, looking down at me with a scowl on his face. “We need to talk.”
I swallowed hard looking at the clock on the wall in the control room which said it was already past eight pm. “I can’t really talk tonight, Mac,” I said, my heart beating wildly at the feeling of his skin on mine. “I have to be at this thing,” I said vaguely, my voice coming out a little breathless as my eyes connected with his angry indigo gaze.
“What thing?” he growled, not letting me go.
I was losing my train of thought from being so close to him and the anger was starting to fade from his eyes as he looked down at me, replaced by something else as his eyes dropped to my lips before moving back up. “Mac,” I whispered, knowing I shouldn’t be leaning closer to him but finding it impossible to stop.
“Mac!” Troy shouted, pounding Mac on the back in a friendly gesture. He grinned at the two of us. “You coming, or what? I’ll give you guys a ride home.”
I stepped back, Mac’s hand falling off my arm as I moved out of his reach and took a deep breath, avoiding his gaze and looking at Troy instead. “Thanks for the offer, Troy but I’m going to be late,” I said vaguely as I slung my guitar over my back and sprinted out of there, making my way quickly down the couple blocks to the small café that the piano open mic night was held at. Eric had told me that it started at seven thirty and he’d also said not to be late or he would kill me.
I sat down at a table, wincing as Eric sent me a glare from his seat behind the Yamaha digital piano set up on the small stage at the front of the café. “Sorry,” I mouthed before he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, placing his fingers on the keyboard and after a beat, he starting playing.
Immediately I was caught by his smooth melody, my eyes closing as the sound reached me, calming my nerves immediately. I let out a breath and leaned back in my chair, letting the music take over as his fingers moved lightly over the keys, drawing out the notes to their maximum length, filling them with emotion. A small smile curved my lips and I no longer noticed the room around me. I was wherever Eric wanted to take me, floating on the music, letting it ease away all my worries as it came to a crescendo before ending with a soft chord that resonated through the silent café. I smiled, knowing that the rest of the patrons were caught in the same feeling that I was. When a few people started to clap, I sighed and opened my eyes slowly, moving my hands up to clap but instead I covered my mouth, stifling my gasp as I saw Mac directly across from me, glaring.
“What are you doing here, Mac?” I asked breathlessly, my heart racing as Eric moved into his second piece, this one much livelier and half my attention automatically focused on his song.
Mac raised his eyebrow at me, and a muscle in his jaw twitched as he leaned further across the table, bringing his face closer to mine. “I’m here because I want to know why you’ve been avoiding me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed that kiss, was I?”
I swallowed, my gaze locked on his, finding it a little hard to breathe with him so close to me. “Mac, this isn’t really a good time,” I whispered, jerking my head to where Eric was sitting at the piano.
Mac sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at me before saying, “Fine, but before you go home tonight, we’re talking about this. You’ve avoided me for long enough, Rose.”
I bit my lip and nodded, feeling guilty as I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. I hadn’t wanted to hurt him, in fact, I’d planned on facing him like any other day but then I’d seen him and before I knew what I was doing, I was bolting.
He turned his head to look at Eric and while the music relaxed my nerves, I looked Mac over, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the downward tilt of his dark eyebrows. His dark hair was falling into his eyes again and my hand itched to push it back. His jaw muscle was ticking and I could tell that his jaw was clenched as he watched Eric with his arms crossed, looking pissed off. Mentally, I sighed and looked down, taking in his David Bowie t-shirt that stretched tight across his chest, making my eyes glaze over slightly before I tore my gaze away and focused resolutely on Eric as he moved into his third and final piece.
When he was done, the audience cheered enthusiastically. He really was amazing. His pieces had a contemporary edge but they were still classical at the core. They would fit nicely into both genres and the emotion he put into his sound would draw listeners. Just as I was thinking that he’d be getting a contract soon, a guy strode up to him, holding his hand out as Eric stepped off the small stage. Eric took the offered hand and I felt a bolt of excitement in my chest for him as his face lit with enthusiasm. Obviously the guy was important and I focused on the newcomer, squinting in the dim lighting to see him more clearly.
He was tall, around six three and his dark blonde hair was cut close to his head, making his sharp cheekbones seem even more pronounced. His face was long and angular, not exactly handsome but interesting. He had a long nose but it fit his face and when he turned towards my table, a gasp of shock caught in my throat, his pale blue eyes widening as they landed on me. “Sheldon,” I whispered as his lips quirked into a small smile and he began walking with Eric towards where I was sitting.
“Do you know that guy, Rose?” Mac asked but I didn’t get a chance to reply before they were standing in front of us.
“You were late,” Eric said and I could tell by his voice that he wasn’t really angry, excitement vibrated through his body and I didn’t have to look at him to see that he was smiling. “I don’t care, this is Sheldon Jones, the Sheldon Jones. Rosemary, do you have any idea what this means?”
“Hey Rose,” Sheldon said, looking down at me with a smirk on his face, his dress shirt was perfectly ironed as it usually was, stretching across his lightly muscled shoulders and fitting his thin form perfectly. His dress pants were also nicely ironed and tailored to fit him. He looked professional but I knew that he wore a similar outfit no matter where he went.
“Hi Sheldon,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat as memories of performances and stages came to my mind.
“Mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the empty chair beside me. I shook my head. “Thank you,” he said politely, turning his gaze towards Mac and sticking out his hand for him to shake. “I’m Sheldon Jones, an old friend of Rosemary’s.”
Mac just scowled at Sheldon’s outstretched hand for a second before he gripped it briefly, letting it go after one small shake. “Mac.” His eyes moved to mine, scowling. “Rosemary’s band mate.”
Sheldon raised an eyebrow and swung his gaze back to me. “You’re in a band?” he said in his smooth voice his tone one of disbelief as humour filled his eyes.
“Yeah,” I said still feeling stunned to see him there.
“Playing what? The keyboard?” he asked, his voice filled with sarcastic humour that made me smile unconsciously, remembering the way he used to make me laugh before a performance.
“I play the guitar,” I said, grinning at him as his eyes widened.
“That’s new,” he said, tilting his head to the side and examining me.
“Yeah,” I said and I turned to look at Mac when I felt the weight of his glare on me. “Sheldon and I have done a couple small tours together. We did a series of duets a couple years ago.”
“Isn’t that sweet,” Mac growled, turning his glare to Sheldon who just raised an eyebrow at him and a knowing look entered his eyes as he turned back to me and wrapped an arm around the back of my chair, leaning in close.
“It was sweet actually,” Sheldon said, pitching his voice a little lower as he grinned at me before turning back to Mac whose jaw was clenched so hard that I could hear his teeth grinding. “Rose and I had a great relationship. It’s too bad I’m five years older than her. She always had a crush on me,” he said, turning back to me with a wink.
I felt my cheeks light on fire as I groaned and buried my face in my hands, wishing I wasn’t anywhere near this embarrassing situation. “Oh god, Sheldon, shut up,” I muttered.
“Oh yeah?” Mac said, his tone deceptively light but when I glanced through my fingers at him, his eyes were a dark blue and there was a fire in their depths. “You never told me you had a crush, Rose.”
I winced, pulling my hands from my face, trying to ignore the blush on my cheeks. “It was nothing,” I said, proud when my voice came out strong. I sent a glare towards Sheldon who was looking at me with mischief in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t say, ‘nothing’, Rosemary. I still have the letter you wrote me,” he said winking.
I clenched my jaw and I saw Mac’s hand fist on the table. Apparently Sheldon saw it too and maybe he realized that he shouldn’t be sitting so close to Mac because he stood abruptly and leaned down, slipping his card into my hand and whispering in my ear, “Call me, Rosemary. There’s something we have to talk about. It has to do with Olivia.”
My heart stopped at the sound of her name and I could feel all the blood drain from my face as a panic and curiosity washed over me. He stood up to his full height and gave Mac a quick smirk before nodding at Eric and walking out of the café, his stride confident while my heart raced.
I took a deep breath and managed to calm down after a couple minutes of silence. I glanced over at Mac to see him still glaring at me angrily but there was a hint of concern in his gaze that disappeared shortly after our eyes connected.
“Tell me about your letter to Sheldon,” Mac growled after a while, making me wince.
“He was lying,” I said firmly.
Mac narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “So he was lying about your crush, too?”
I swallowed and slowly shook my head. “No, that part was true,” I said quietly and Mac’s expression darkened further as he glared at me before standing up.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, standing beside my chair, looking at the door.
“Go?” I asked, looking at Eric who was frowning at me.
“Aren’t you going to play?” Eric asked.
Mac’s expression softened slightly and he took a step backward towards his chair. “If you want to play, I can wait,” he said, his voice still a little rough and his eyes still angry but it wasn’t as bad as it had been.
I shook my head slowly, sending an apologetic glance towards Eric. “I’m not really up for it tonight,” I said softly, feeling shaken up by Sheldon’s appearance and the mention of Olivia.
Something in my eyes must have reached Eric because he just frowned at me before nodding. “All right. Well, there’s really no point in me staying here to listen to these amateurs,” he said loudly, standing from the table and moving towards the exit without a backwards glance.
“He’s not very nice, is he?” I said, looking at the door that had slammed shut behind him, noticing the angry glares of the other patrons.
“Let’s go,” Mac said, ignoring me and following Eric out without waiting to see if I was following.
I briefly considered finding a back door and running away but I needed to face him. That kiss had been amazing on so many levels and I didn’t want to forget it or feel weird about it but I needed the band and I was pretty sure that Mac felt the same way. I didn’t want to ruin what we had with Burn to Shine just because I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off of the lead singer.
Taking a deep breath, I followed Mac out to find him leaning against the brick wall, his eyes glaring at me through his slightly too long hair. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at him, thinking that he could really make a glare look hot before I mentally shook myself and resolved to talk this out.
“So tell me about this Sheldon guy,” he snarled, still leaning against the wall.
I shrugged. “We just played piano together sometimes.”
“Really? It didn’t seem like that. What did he whisper in your ear?”
“It’s none of your business,” I snapped, feeling my heart pick up its pace and the panic return. My stomach clenched as I thought of whatever news Sheldon was going to tell me and part of me was desperate to know while the other part of me just wanted to forget about that night and move on.
I saw hurt flash across Mac’s gaze briefly before his scowl deepened and he pushed off the wall, gripping my arms and leaning in close. “Fine. It’s none of my business. Is this what you want, Rose? Do you want me to not care? I thought maybe after that kiss that you were starting to get it. I like having you around, Rose. I like talking to you and I like being in the band with you but if you keep running away from me like you have been then maybe it would be better if we just forgot about that kiss.”
My heart clenched at the thought of forgetting that night. The last thing I wanted to do was forget kissing him and I could tell by the frustrated and hurt look in Mac’s eyes that he didn’t really want to forget either. Taking a deep breath, I looked him in the eye and said, “I just think that maybe we shouldn’t have kissed in the first place.” My voice was soft and cracked lightly but it was effective.
He released me quickly, taking two quick steps backward, not looking at me. “Okay,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse before he turned and strode quickly away.
I stood there like an idiot, staring after him as he walked away, trying to reassure myself that I’d made the right decision for the band when every part of me was yelling at me for being so stupid. I couldn’t deny that I liked Mac but we were in the middle of something big and throwing a relationship in the mix just didn’t make sense. Not to mention, Hereafter Records frowned on band mates dating. I didn’t want to get in trouble before we’d even released a single.
Gritting my teeth, I moved to go to my house. Walking slowly and feeling sad as my guitar that Mac had repaired for me bounced lightly on my back, reminding me with each step what I was giving up. I stopped suddenly and turned on my heel, heading in the direction of Mac’s house, running through the darkened streets. I made it to his place within minutes and before I could stop myself, I opened the door which was unlocked and made my way into the garage.
Mac looked up at me in surprise, his eyes widening before settling into a scowl. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone less than friendly as he set the acoustic guitar in his lap aside.
I took a deep breath and before I could over think it, I said, “Maybe it was a mistake to kiss you,” I began and his scowl deepened, his mouth opening to interrupt but I cut him off. “But, I wouldn’t take it back for anything.” He snapped his mouth shut and his scowl disappeared, replaced by a blank look. “I don’t want to forget it, Mac. Not even a bit.”
He just blinked for a moment before frowning at me. “Then why have you been avoiding me?”
I winced and sighed, moving to the couch and sitting beside him. “Well it was partly because I’m a chicken and partly because I was trying to figure out what to do. The band means a lot to me Mac and I know it means a lot to you. I really don’t want anything between us, to ruin what we have as a band.”
He sighed, turning to face me, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up. “Okay, you have a point. We’re already so busy and it hasn’t even been a week. It’s just going to get worse and I do think we really need to concentrate on our music right now but,” he looked me right in the eye and something in his gaze made my heart flip, “I don’t want to forget that kiss either.” For a second we just stared at each other in silence before he cleared his throat and sat up. “So until things start to settle down, let’s just keep going as we have been.” He grabbed his guitar and put it on his lap, strumming a few chords lightly, frowning down at his fingers before turning to frown at me. “For that matter, you don’t really have time for any kind of relationships so you might as well just put whatever crush you used to have on that Sheldon guy behind you. If you have spare time, you should be working on music, got it?” he asked, giving me a stern look.
I felt a grin tug at the corners of my mouth as his eyes lit with jealousy. “Okay,” I said softly.
His frown deepened as he looked at me. “I’m serious.”
I nodded. “I know.” I moved so that my head was resting on his shoulder and I heard him take in a quick breath.
We stayed like that for a while. My eyes closed, my head resting on his shoulder as he sat there, playing lightly on the guitar, not really making any melodies. After a while he said softly, “I’ve been working on a song. Do you want to hear it?”
“Yeah,” I said, not moving my head or opening my eyes as he began to play.
He plucked the strings with his fingers and I recognized a D chord before he switched, the sound whimsical and sweet. The tempo was slow but there were a lot of notes and he played them so softly that I was immediately drawn in.
He opened by humming a few bars, his voice rumbling through his chest before the melody thinned out, the guitar taking a back seat to his voice as he started to sing.
My heart is racing
You’ve walked in the room
There is not oxygen
When you’re here
You move through the crowd
Untouchable grace
I’ll be here when you’re ready
One step, one look, one touch
You’ve got me
One word, one breath, one moment
I’m yours
One sigh, one night, one smile
To make you see.
A different kind of beauty
Never seen
Always felt
Stop for a minute
Float this way
Oh and see me.
One step, one look, one touch
You’ve got me.
One word, one breath, one moment
I’m yours.
One sigh, one night, one smile
To make you see
To see beneath
See me.
Oh turn your gaze
Oh see me.
He finished the way he had begun, humming as his guitar picked up the melody again and I felt breathless as he gently strummed the final chord. I couldn’t think, couldn’t move, the only thing that I heard was his smooth voice with that slight rasp in it ringing in my ears.
After a while, he cleared his throat. “What did you think?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
What did I think? I was thinking that maybe leaning so close to him while he sang was a mistake. I was thinking that his voice made me shiver and I was thinking that I really wanted to kiss him again.
I mentally shook myself and pulled my head off his shoulder, looking him in the eye and giving him a soft sincere smile as I felt my eyes glaze over. “Mac that was…” I trailed off, looking for words. “It was so beautiful the way the music and the lyrics worked together. The way the guitar and your voice shared the melody…” I shook my head frowning, frustrated that I couldn’t describe what I was feeling to him.
He chuckled softly and reached up to cup my cheek. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s written on your face.”
“Oh,” I said softly, immediately forgetting what we were talking about as soon as his hand touched my face. I felt my eyes glaze over as his darkened, his gaze focusing on me intently.
“Rose,” he said, his voice husky.
“Mm?” A small smile lifted the corners of my lips as I looked at him, my eyes roving over his features.
“I want to kiss you,” he said softly, making my heart skip a beat as my eyes widened and focused on his. “But that’s bad for some reason, right?”
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I pulled back, his hand falling slowly to his side. “The band,” I whispered, feeling my skin tingle where his hand had rested against my cheek.
“Right, the band,” he muttered, running a slightly shaking hand through his hair. “Do we like being in the band?”
I laughed, feeling some of the tension leave the room. “Yes,” I said standing and slinging my guitar over my back once more. “I’m going to go now,” I said, heading towards the door and pulling it open.
“I’ll walk you,” Mac said, standing and moving with me.
We headed outside in silence and after a while, his hand lightly gripped mine as we moved, sending tingles through my entire body. For the entire walk, I tried to convince myself that it was perfectly normal for band mates to hold hands and even though I wasn’t entirely convinced, I never once let go.
a/n oh no another song hahaaaa. Just pretend it's awesome, okay?
I kind of struggled writing this chapter for some reason...the next one is going to be...interesting lol.