“Yours is nice too.”
I pull my guitar out of the case and sit on the edge of the couch, tuning it and plucking the strings as I go.
Josh watches me, shifting back and forth, silence hanging between us.
I look up from my guitar. “You can sit down, you know. It’s your house,” I tease, a gentle smirk playing on my lips.
“Right, yeah.” Josh slings the guitar strap over his shoulder and perches on the edge of the armchair. “So, what songs do you know?”
I laugh. “I know a lot of songs. What songs doyouknow?”
“‘Wonderwall’?” Josh suggests with a quirk of his eyebrow.
I nod. “Yeah, okay. I know ‘Wonderwall.’”
My fingers find the chords, a little stiff at first, and when I open my mouth to sing, my voice wavers. I can feel Josh’s eyes on me as he starts to sing along, his voice warm with a rough edge to it. The way he looks at me, the way he sings like it’s no big deal. Not perfect, but real. It’s like he’s giving me permission. And it makes me brave. Something in me loosens, and the words tumble out before I can stop them. For the first time in my life, I let my voice pour out, unguarded.
I watch Josh’s strumming fingers through my long lashes but don’t look up to meet his eyes.
He beams, slipping into the riff like it’s second nature and adding in a punchy rhythmic tap on his guitar between chords. The sound fills the space between us, steady and sure, and it makes me want to keep going.
Our eyes meet, and I have to ignore the unexpected tingle sparking up through my ribcage when our voices come together. We finish out the entire song in unison, taking turns grinning at each other. Something blossoms inside my chest, and I recognize it as happiness. I haven’t had fun playing music in a long time. It’s usually me writing sad lyrics or singing sad songs. This isn’t sad. This is collaborative. This is fun. This makes mereallyhappy.
“What else do you know?” Josh asks when we finish the song.
I push my lips together thoughtfully. I’m kind of an emo girl, and not many people know it. “Do you know any Saves the Day?” I bite my lip, waiting for Josh to tell me they suck, but instead he grins.
“‘Through Being Cool’?” He doesn’t wait for me. Instead, he jumps right into the song, strumming and singing like it’s second nature.
It takes me a moment to get over my shock but then I join in, matching his melody with harmony on the chorus. His fingers expertly pluck the strings without a guitar pick, and I am more impressed than I care to admit. I stop singing, finding myself overwhelmed by Josh, no longer the little brother type he has been to me for most of my life. My fingers move instinctively, but I can’t find my voice, so I let Josh’s smooth melody seep into my soul while he finishes out the song.
Before I can react, we’re interrupted by clapping. “Well, look at you two.” Cara’s cheerful voice startles us. “You sound great together.” She plops next to me on the couch, still in her soccer uniform, blue eyes glimmering. Cara cracks open a water bottle, taking a long gulp before letting out anahhsound. Her blonde hair is piled in a knot on the top of her head, a few stray pieces escaping. A streak of dirt runs across one knee, and her cheeks are flushed like she just ran a mile, but her signature wild energy is still buzzing off her.
“You’re home early.” Josh leans his guitar against the chair and scratches his chin.
“Coach wasn’t feeling well so she let us go early,” Cara says with a shrug. “Sorry to break up your little music date.”
I feel my cheeks heat and scoff, embarrassed. “It’s not a date.”
“Yeah, we were just jamming.” Josh’s voice cracks, and I realize he may be just as mortified as I am at his sister’s insinuation.
Cara barks out a laugh. “Right, okay.” She rolls her eyes, her mouth twisting into a half-smirk as she treks into the kitchen, retrieving a bag of chips from the pantry. “Well, Mel, do you want to work on this project or stay here with Josh?” She drags out his name in a taunting way that only makes me more self-conscious.
I stand abruptly and move to put my guitar in its case. “Definitely the project.” I shoot Josh an apologetic look, but he’s avoiding eye contact with me. I close my case and walk into the kitchen with Cara before turning back to him. I pause, turning back to him. “This was fun, Josh.”
“It was,” Josh agrees, planted in his spot. “Maybe we can do it again.”
I grin. “I’d like that,” I say, because it’s true. I turn to go. “See you later,” I say over my shoulder.
I follow Cara upstairs, trying my best to put Josh out of my mind. It’s probably just because no guy has given me attention in areallylong time. I’m sure that’s all it is.
I almost convince myself of that when Cara whirls on me, wagging a finger and frowning. “What the hell is up with you and my brother?”
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MELANIE
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