GABRIEL

What in the world is wrong with me? I feel like a teenager going out on a first date all over again.

Jo went to her room to change into a bathing suit and get her computer while I get my guitar and pack something for us to eat later. My heart is fucking racing with anticipation and I need to take a couple of deep breaths to cool down. Jesus!

I can feel Josh's eyes following me around after I told him about my plans to travel down to the other side of town with Jo. But I can't deal with him right now. Especially after learning he and Jo are Instagram buddies.

There's a secluded beach around twenty minutes north, and that's where I plan to spend the day with her. The rest of the guys are arriving any time now, and I need Jo out of here while they all butt head.

"I thought you were over her, man." I hear Josh say. I decided to make some quick sandwiches to take with us, and he has been studying me since I entered the kitchen.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I open the fridge to get us some drinks.

"And doesn't she have a boyfriend anyway?" he asks, clearly ignoring the warning in my voice for him to drop it.

"He cheated. She broke up with him." I meet his gaze just in time to see the surprise in his eyes. "Maria suggested she stayed here for a while, so I'd appreciate you guys not messing with her summer."

"Always knew that guy was a jerk." He shakes his head.

"You and me both." I find a thermal bag in a cabinet down the sink, but before I have time to start packing things, I get a text from Maria.

MARIA: My boss gave me the okay to work from home, so I was thinking about getting there later today.

ME: Sounds good. I miss your ugly face.

MARIA: Hilarious! See you later in the afternoon.

"That was Maria." I look at Josh. "She's arriving late in the afternoon."

His eyes widen in surprise. "You didn't mention she was coming too."

"I invited her so Jo wouldn't feel outnumbered..." My eyes narrow when he swallows hard. "Is it a problem?"

"Nope." He heads to the fridge to get a bottle of water, and Jo chooses this time to join us. She's wearing a cute flowery summer dress, and I force my eyes not to linger on her legs.

"I'm ready." Jo smiles, adjusting a small backpack on her shoulders.

"So let's get out of here." I rush to pack our food and soon we are hitting the road.

Jo and I talk about the weather and about dinner last night at Ed's while I drive. She laughs when I ask if we can trick him into cooking for us again, and my heart feels too big inside my chest when I realize how simple things are when it's just the two of us.

There's nothing special about this moment, but I feel like I should treasure it. The wind is softly blowing her hair, and she has a content smile on her lips while she talks about the couple she saw earlier on the beach. I learn she has a habit of creating imaginary stories about their lives while she watches them, and I can't get rid of the smile on my face as I hear some of them.

My eyes keep darting to her face as she talks, and I realize how fast I'm getting used to being around this girl. She's always been gorgeous, but I never allowed myself to do a double-take. I always kept my distance.

Maybe, subconsciously, I knew she was dangerous. I knew she held the power to make me fall for her.

But now... The more time I spend around her, the more I want to be around her.

And I can't stop looking at her. Can't stop imagining how good her lips might taste. So, there's also that.

Damn it! Look at where my mind is going. We'll be probably parting ways in a couple of weeks. I have a ton of problems waiting for me when I get home. I shouldn't let myself contemplate how good being with her for real could be.

"I'm rambling, aren't I?" She chuckles when I park in front of the beach's trail. "You've been in silence most of the trip."

"Do you always create stories for strangers you see around?" I get out of the car, quickly circling it so I can open her door.

"Thanks." She squeezes my hand, and I don't let go of it as I pull my guitar over my shoulder and get our thermal bag.

"Do you?" I ask when she looks at me at a loss.

"Uh... Yeah." She lets out a quick breath. "It was a kind of game my dad and I would play every time we went out, just the two of us. I guess it got stuck in my head."

"Do you talk to your dad often?" I ask, guiding us to a secluded spot down the beach.

"Not as much as he would like." She shrugs, a small smile on her lips. Her relationship with her father went downhill after she caught him cheating on his mom, and I can see in her eyes that it still affects her.

But we came here for a good time, so we need to rectify the sad look on her face.

Without thinking much, I throw my arms around her shoulder and give it a little squeeze. "Let's channel all these emotions and write the greatest songs the world has ever seen."

"Ha! I like your confidence." She lifts her head, and when our gazes collide, my heart stops for a second. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. For the first time in my life, I don't know how to behave around a woman.

Pulling away from her, I clear my throat as I put some distance between us. She seems oblivious to how much the short time we have spent together has messed with my head.

"So, how do we do this?" She pulls a big beach towel from her bag and spreads it on the sand before sitting down.

"I believe music is about emotions," I say, sitting by her side. "It's about being real and open so we can connect with people."

"But isn't it funny how the interpretation people make of what you have written is sometimes so different from what you had initially created?" She gets her phone and a notepad from her bag.

"Absolutely." I adjust my guitar on my lap, absently picking the strings. "But I guess that's the beauty of it."

"Tell me about your writing process." She adjusts her body, so she is facing me. "Do you come up with the lyrics first or...?"

"Sometimes it starts with me just humming something. Sometimes it starts with a sentence or an idea that pops up in my mind." I shrug. "One way or the other, I need my guitar to make it more concrete."

"But how do you know you got something good?" Her eyes shine with curiosity.

"That's a hard question — to know if what I've written is good enough for the public. Nowadays, most bands and singers hire songwriters, so creating songs kind of involves a bunch of people and external facts. But we're kind of old school, so the guys and I basically decide and create everything together." I shrug, noticing how focused she is on what I'm saying. "What about you? What's your creative process like?"

"Chaotic." She snorts, her eyes rolling. "But it often starts with a scene that pops up in my head and then me trying to fill the surrounding parts of the story."

"What was the last scene that came to your mind?" I play an old Adele song on the guitar and her eyes light up.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Her eyes shine with humor as she studies me.

"I promise not to make fun of you," I say, my lips curling into a smile already.

"So, this girl is having her first one-night stand..." She tries to sound serious but fails miserably. "She is a resident at a hospital in NY and has been working non-stop for months. She hasn't had time to think about a relationship, but she misses having sex. Her friend hooks her up with a guy - you know, a blind date. And the chemistry is off-the-charts from the beginning and... Ah, that sounds horrible, doesn't?" She rubs her face.

"Come on, no self-doubting things, Jo." I pull her hands away from her face. "Let it all out."

"Okay." She takes a deep breath. "They had met at the hotel bar the guy is staying at, so they go up to his room and..."

"And?" I meet her eyes, my eyebrows raising in anticipation.

"And they..." She clears her throat, her eyes never leaving mine. "They make out. He goes down on her. She has the orgasm of her life and... She, then, straddles him... Their eyes meet and something clicks as if them being together is the most natural thing even though they had just met. But then..." She drags the word.

"Then?" I ask, unable to look away.

"Then the hospital calls and she leaves in a rush." Her eyes sparkle when I gasp.

"Wait. What?" I shake my head, confused.

"It's called delayed gratification, Gabe." She laughs, and I frown even harder. "Imagine how much fun it will be when she gets to the hospital the next day and finds out the guy she was with the night before is her boss."

"Fuck! You're good!" I chuckle, and she smiles, looking down. "Why the hell are you saying you have no inspiration left?"

"Oh! That's a thousand words scene." Her eyes meet mine again. "The hardest part is to fill the ninety thousand words in between."

Instead of replying to her, I let my fingers dance along the strings of my guitar; the notes filling the air with a gentle melody. As the soft strum of the guitar reverberates in the air, I begin to hum quietly, my voice gradually increasing in volume as I start to sing.

In this mass of people

When our gazes meet

You don't need to say a word

I know what you need

But when our lips touch

I catch the whisper of a melody in the air

I can see past the walls you built

And it fills you with fear

Because you know

This feeling is rare

It's difficult to find

Someone who gets you

When you're trying so hard to hide

As I play the last note, Jo's eyes flutter open and shut a few times before she says anything. "I can't believe you just put this together." She murmurs.

"Well, you know I still need to make it at least two and a half minutes long..." I roll my eyes playfully and she smirks.

"Okay." She chuckles, her head shaking. "I see what you're doing."

"All I'm saying is we can do this, Jo." My finger pushes some strand of hair behind her ear, and her lips part on a soft breath—enough to bring my attention to her mouth.

When her eyes drop to my mouth, I need to use all the self-control that I possess not to pull her into a kiss. She's looking at me as if she wanted me to and damn if it doesn't mess with my head.

"So." I clear my throat, looking away from her as I get the notepad in front of us. "How about we kind of explore this scene idea of yours and turn it into a kick-ass song to go with your book? I'm sure your readers will enjoy it and you can use it as a marketing tool."

"Uh... What... What do you mean?" She murmurs and I bring my eyes back to hers.

"This is the era of social media, dancing online, and trending songs. Let's make this benefit us by giving your readers a book, a song and us working together." I shrug, imagining how this could work as good marketing for her upcoming novel.

"You really believe we can do this, don't you?" She takes a deep breath, something in her changing as if she is putting her game face on.

"I really do." I smile and she nods.

"So let's get this started."  

_____

A/N: How long until they finally admit their feelings for each other? hehe

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Celeste