Her brows furrow. “So…”
I wrap my arms around her.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, okay?” I say into her ear as I inhale her scent. “I’m not mad at you. Completely the opposite.”
“I feel so bad, though,” she whispers into my shoulder.
I run my hand through her hair, from the crown of her head down to her neck. “I don’t want you to feel bad. But for the record, I always welcome food surprises. No need to limit those to peace offerings.” I pull back as she laughs, her eyes glistening. “I wanted to talk to you about something, though.”
She nods, blinking quickly to dispel the tears.
I let out a big breath and clasp my hands in my lap, praying that I can say things in a way that will be palatable. “What youdecide to do about your career is really none of my business. This is totally your choice, and with a good contract, maybe things would be great. But I feel like I need to let you know about my experience with Fusion?—”
“I turned them down.”
My head whips up. “What?”
“About an hour ago.”
I stare at her.
“I was flattered, of course,” she says, “but I couldn’t say yes to them, Austin. Not after the way I’ve seen them treat you.”
It’s quiet for a few seconds, the trickling of the fountain and muffled conversations filling the silence.
“Are you sure, Mia? Maybe Paul could negotiate someth?—”
“I’m positive.” She holds my gaze, even smiling a little. “It’s not what I want.”
I nod slowly, relief filling me on her behalf. Having Mia throttled by Fusion seems like the worst possible thing that could happen.
“I don’t know how I feel about signing withanybody, to be honest,” she says. “But I also want to keep doing music. Guess I’ll have to decide between those two at some point.”
“Maybe not,” I say. “You could crowdfund—finance your own production.”
Her brows pull together as she considers my idea, then her lip pulls up at one side. “With my following, I could crowdfund atleastthirty seconds of one track.” Her smile fades as she searches my face. “Enough of that. I’m worried about you, Austin.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine. I’ll figure things out. Right now, though, I just want to be with you.”
She smiles as both of our phones chime. We look at them simultaneously, then at each other. We’re needed at the venue.
Mia grimaces. “Rain check?”
At least we have between here and the venue to be together.
32
MIA
I don’t knowwhat to do with Austin today. His mood is so strange. I fully expected him to break up with me. Apparently, that’s my immediate assumption whenever he asks to see me. That’s healthy, right?
I’ve never been so afraid of losing something. Calling Fusion to turn them down was a cakewalk compared to going into that conversation with Austin. I also got to give them a piece of my mind about how they’ve gone about things with him, which felt amazing.
The whole way to the venue, Austin holds my hand. In public. We don’t talk about what’s going on with his label or with Noah. We discuss whether Indian or Thai curry is better, which isalsoa very important topic and one with no clear answer.
Rehearsal is long and tedious, with plenty of sitting around while audio issues get resolved and the last-minute opening act gets things together.
Austin’s energy levels are high and his mood upbeat given the morning’s events. I don’t know if he’s accepted the waythings are or if he’s determined to finish the tour on a high note, but I’m glad for the sake of those attending tonight’s concert. They’re about to get a fabulous final show.
