“I was seeing how long you’d last.”
I walked into the room, pretending to be offended. “I came to rescue you. But now I’m intrigued.”
My eyes wandered around the room again, taking in details I’d missed from the doorway. There were notebooks filled withhandwritten lyrics, a keyboard worn smooth from years of use, and headphones resting beside the console.
“I’ve seen your suite in Vegas, your house in Malibu, and the studio there.” I smiled to myself. “But somehow... this room tells me more about you than any of them.”
“Say more.”
“It doesn’t feel staged.” I shrugged. “Everything else is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but this...” I looked around once more. “This feels lived in. Like if you left for a month, I’d still know you spent your days in here.”
A grin spread across his face. “Word.”
“I know what I know.”
He turned his chair toward me completely this time. “Come here.” He tapped his lap, and I followed his command, sitting on it.
“What you working on?”
“A record.”
“I figured that much, Kier.”
He laughed. Without another word, he picked up the headphones and placed them over my ears, taking his time adjusting them until they fit comfortably.
“Let me teach you something. Close your eyes.”
“I can’t learn with my eyes closed.”
“You trust me?” I nodded. “Then close ’em.”
The beat engulfed me instantly. This wasn’t how music sounded in a car or through my phone. Tiny sounds I’d never noticed before suddenly had their own place. Even hidden beats behind a bigger bass stood out. Those little details somehow changed everything. When the track ended, I slipped the headphones off slowly.
“Well?” he asked.
“I don’t even know how to explain it.”
“Try. What you say doesn’t have to be perfect.”
“It feels unfinished but beautiful.”
His smile widened. “You hear the beauty.”
“You don’t?”
“Nah.” His attention drifted back toward the screen. “I hear everything that’s missing.”
“That has to be exhausting.”
“What?” He asked, looking over to me.
“Never letting yourself enjoy something before trying to make it better.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned back to the console, replayed the same section one more time, then stopped it before the chorus.
“I never thought about it like that.”
“Maybe you should.” I smiled. “Some of the best decisions I’ve ever made started with uncertainty.”
