Page 91 of Tumbling Hearts

“Your words mean nothing. It’s your actions that prove it to me. And I’ve had enough of this shit! If you don’t want me as your girlfriend, you should’ve broken it off a long time ago. Well, I’m breaking it off now!”

She turns about-face.

“Goodbye, Ray. Good-fucking-bye!”

She storms off, grabbing her purse by the couch before she heads toward the door to the entry foyer.

“Carrie, hey!” Ray calls out.

“Carol, wait, hang on—” Pat says, rushing toward her.

She doesn’t pay them any mind. She keeps walking, pushing past Stefan and the sound engineers.

“Where are you even going? We’re your ride!” Dennis says. Carol walks out the door, Dennis following close behind her with Pat in tow.

And Ray stands there, in the same spot as he was, dumbstruck. He stares at the door as it swings shut, catching a glimpse of Dennis through the glass window in the middle.

His hand is still clenching his shirt. His heart thwacks against his chest, the beating rushing through his head, in his ears.

“Oh my god, she just… left like that,” Santi says, still standing next to Ray.

“Carol…” Ray mutters.

“Ah, excuse me…”

Ray turns his head—finding Toshiko raising her hand.

“Um… yes?” Ray says.

“Is she… Is she going to be alright?” Toshiko asks.

Ray shrugs. “Yeah. I think so.”

Me, on the other hand…

They stand there in silence, still staring at the door. Ray’s heart is working overtime. Gene tugs his guitar off his shoulders and sets it down on his seat. Dennis and Pat come back in after a few minutes, but Carol is nowhere to be found. Their manager shakes his head, pulling his sunglasses off and placing them to hang on the front of his shirt.

“I’m gonna make a phone call,” Dennis says. He doesn’t wait for anyone else to respond before he rushes into another room—the secretary’s office—shutting the door behind him.

“That’s really it for you guys, huh?” Pat says, crossing her arms.

“It… seems like it. Fuck.” Ray sighs, long and steady. There really is no coming back from this. Carol made her point known.

Their relationship is finally over.

“What happens now?” Stefan asks, jolting Ray out of his thoughts.

“Denny is going to call Tim Price,” Pat says. “Carol is waiting outside. Tim’s still staying here in LA for a bit, so I think Denny’s hoping he can pick her up.”

“Alright,” Santiago says, nodding. “If they can’t get ahold of him, I can always call a cab and ride with her back to the hotel, if she wants.”

“You’re too nice, Santi,” Pat chuckles. “But I have a feeling Denny and Tim can take care of this. We need you here to record.”

“Alright, true.”

Ray has nothing to say. Not about Carol, anyway. He still stands there, static buzzing around in his brain. The only thing he can think of doing is to look at Gene. His best friend gazes back at him, almost sad, a pain-crease forming between his brows. Maybe the others are right—Gene isn’t doing anything wrong writing a song all by himself. Hell, maybe it would’ve been worse if he’d asked Ray to write it with him, since it’s a love song for Toshiko. Of course he wouldn’t want to do that. Instead, Ray just made a fool of himself. He freaked out over nothing, setting Carol off, making her leave in the process.

“I’m sorry, Gene,” Ray says. “I’m sorry! I never should’ve fucking said anything. Just forget it. Forget I said anything in the first place. I won’t bother you anymore with my nonsense.”