“Come, I’ll play it for you.” Sienna grabbed Kellan’s hand and pulled him toward a piano in the back of the room. I tried to not be irritated with how comfortable she was touching him, or how little effort he made to get away. I also tried to ignore how much of her body was visible through her diaphanous cover-up. Shouldn’t business meetings be conducted fully clothed? Not if you’re a world-famous pop star, I guess.
Excited over a private performance, Anna giggled and grabbed my hand. Sienna sat down at the piano while Kellan stood beside it, arms folded over his chest. As Sienna began to play, Matt and Evan made their way over to Kellan. I reluctantly followed, not really wanting to hear how fabulously talented this provocative, beautiful woman was. But then her voice filled the air and I couldn’t deny it—she was incredible. She was clear and powerful, sweet and sassy, all at the same time. The rhythm of the song was beautiful, not quite a ballad, not quite up-tempo. The lyrics were similar to something Kellan would have written. They were good, really good. Haunting, soulful, a touch profound, and . . . romantic. “Regretfully” was a song of loss. Of having everything with somebody, and then losing it all and trying to pick up the pieces.
Evan started tapping out a melody on the top of the piano, and Matt was nodding to a beat only he could hear. Kellan tilted his head, absorbing how the two styles would blend together. I could almost hear the D-Bags accompanying Sienna in my head, and the imaginary sound was incredible. The real sound would be unbelievable.
When the song was finished, Matt and Evan looked sold. Kellan still seemed unsure. Lana put a hand on his back and he twisted to her. “This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that we talked about, Kellan. I would say yes, if I were you.”
Kellan smiled and nodded at Lana, appreciating her advice. Being in this room, with people who knew Kellan in ways I didn’t, made me suddenly feel very small and insignificant. Pushing back the feeling, I reminded myself that I wasn’t. I had a voice, and it was an important one. To Kellan, at least. Looping my arm around his waist, I asked, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
Not sure if I was telling him the right thing or not, I gave him my honest, impartial opinion of the song. “I think it’s incredible. I think it would be a waste of your talent to say no.” And I’m afraid I’ll lose you if you say yes.
I didn’t tell him that last part, though.
Kellan smiled at me, then looked over at Nick. “I guess we’ll get to work on it first thing.”
Nick smiled, clearly expecting that end result. Sienna squealed with delight and started playing another song on the piano. Surprisingly enough, she was playing a D-Bags song—she really was a fan. Even before she started singing, I recognized it as one of my favorites. It was the one that had first made me notice Kellan; it held a special place in my heart.
Halfway through the first verse, she told us, “This is my favorite of yours. I may have to cover it someday, with your permission, of course.” She winked at Kellan. His corresponding grin was massive.
Holding me tight, he told Sienna, “That’s Kiera’s favorite too.”
Sienna turned her radiance to me. “Well, don’t we have a lot in common?” As her eyes drifted back to Kellan, I thought the two of us had more in common than I cared for.
Fifteen minutes later, we were back on the second floor. Matt, Evan, and Anna were all flipping out over the upcoming collaboration. Griffin was pissy, scowling as he sat by himself in the corner. Anna eventually cheered him up by sitting on his lap and nibbling on his ear. I guess meeting her “idol” had obliterated her irritation with Griffin. Of course, she never stayed mad at him for very long. Kellan was deep in thought as he sat beside me on the couch, stroking my hand with his thumb. I wasn’t sure where his mind was, but I was pretty sure he was thinking about Sienna. I wanted to disrupt his train of thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.
In the end, I decided to get out my notebook and work on my story. I would let Kellan keep thinking about . . . whatever he was thinking about. I wanted to be the supportive and encouraging type of person that he often was. Kellan would sort out whatever he was sorting out, and we’d be fine, because we trusted each other. Even though my head was spinning with a multitude of horrible scenarios, I wouldn’t give them power over me by dwelling on them.