Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Needed to feel it.
I slipped my hand between our bodies and pressed my thumb against her clit, giving her the extra jolt of pleasure to send her spiraling in pure euphoria. I wrapped my arm around her lower back and anchored her body to mine, thrusting into her a few more times before I spilled inside of her with a grunt. A shudder passed through my body as the intensity struck me like lightning.
I cupped her cheek and gazed down at her, taking her in her vibrant and happy laugh. She was so beautiful, so radiant. I wanted to hold her forever, kiss her forever. But I couldn’t hold her back. I had to let her go.
So I did.
I snapped out of my memories and returned to reality, an aching sensation filling my chest. I missed Delilah like crazy. I believed that I made the right choice back then by letting her go and pushing her to chase her dreams in New York. However, was I making the right decision now by considering working with her?
Maybe dropping the idea was the best move, but something deep inside of my mind and heart told me to give it a chance, to see what could happen. In the past, we had to choose between love and music.
What if we could have both now?
Chapter 3
Delilah
My phone rang for the third time today, and I already knew who was calling. Mark was pressuring me for an answer to his proposal about collaborating with Ryder’s band.
Ryder’s band.
The thought of that made a slew of memories hit me, playing through my mind like a long film strip. I remembered hearing him play guitar for the first time on the porch of the ranch house when Brianna and I were throwing a Frisbee to each other in the front yard. I paused after throwing, turning my head to peer at a younger version of Ryder strumming his guitar with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He messed up a few notes, but he was learning. He was good.
When the Frisbee sailed back toward me and clocked me in the side of the head, Ryder didn’t laugh when I grimaced and held my head. He stopped playing and hopped off the porch to check on me, making my face burn red and hot. I complimented his playing, and Brianna reminded Ryder loud and clear that I sang.
Ryder was ecstatic, begging me to perform with him in the town’s local Christmas talent show. As nervous as I was, could I really deny his warm smile and pleading eyes? It gave me an excuse to hang out with him more too, so I accepted.
After that, we did some other little shows together and even performed at a wedding for a family friend. More people than I could count pushed us to become an official group, a country duo. We discussed it a few times, but he wanted to go the band route, while I preferred being a soloist or with one other member. We didn’t want to pressure each other and put any strain on our friendship, so we just focused on playing together for fun.
I never expected our paths to cross musically after I left for New York or for us to ever actually work together professionally like this.
The truth was that I didn’t have an answer for Mark yet. I was trying to make a pros and cons list regarding the opportunity, and my mind was all twisted up in various scenarios and worries outside of seeing Ryder again. That was a huge issue on its own.
First off, I was wary about leaving New York and going back to Chalice Falls. I always felt so restricted there, and I wasn’t exactly close to my parents. They always wanted me to be a teacher or a nurse and stay in that town forever. When I told them that I wanted to be a known country singer, they waved my dreams off like I was some naïve child, which stung. They didn’t believe in me.
The only people who did were my friends and Ryder.
Ever since getting to New York, I hit the ground running, releasing songs, making contacts, and playing shows. I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to now that I had the chance to be the artist I’d always dreamed of being. In my mind, Chalice Falls constricted me creatively. What if I went back home and lost all of my momentum?
I didn’t want to be stuck back on square one.
Chalice Falls had one small community theater that could be used as a venue. There were only two festivals per year that hosted live talent. There wasn’t even a music studio within the town’s vicinity. How could I foster a music career where the entertainment industry didn’t even exist?
The pros of this offer that I could think of was the fact that Ryder’s band was really good. They were talented musicians, and Amos was a great vocalist. His register would align well with mine, and if things were civil and collaborative between all of us, I believed that we could make a great single to show the masses.