“I bought it at a pawn shop, along with the amp.” Both were chipped and dented, but I loved them. They were the only instruments I’d ever bought with my own money, right after I’d left for college. The grand piano back home, my violin and clarinet, and even the keyboard crammed next to my bed were all guilt presents from my father. My acoustic guitar had been my mom’s once, back when she did things like play music. But this guitar—it was all mine.

“May I?” he asked, and I nodded.

He ran a hand over the body and neck of it with the gentle caress of someone who understood how precious it was. I watched his fingers touch each string and imagined what it’d be like if he touched me that way.

Stop it. I forced my eyes to the floor. He’s not for you.

“Very nice,” he said. “You can use your guitar for the audition or use mine if you want. Whatever works.”

“I’ll use mine, I guess.” Even though I’d played Jared’s guitar last night, it seemed too intimate now, too much of a reminder of that embarrassing moment when he’d caught me. It was bad enough being alone with him in this studio again. “Where are the other guys?”

“They should be here soon. You can start warming up if you want.”

Warming up was a little too close to playing guitar, which was the entire reason I was in the studio, but that didn’t mean I was ready to do it. I hadn’t played in front of anyone but Julie and Carla in years. And Jared, but that had been an accident. Now he expected me to play again, and the thought made me want to run straight back to my car.

I picked up my guitar and started to tune it, mostly to give myself something to do. My hands shook while I adjusted the knobs, and I took deep breaths, trying to force myself to be calm. If I didn’t get control of my fingers soon, I’d never be able to play. I couldn’t decide if I was more worried about that or more hopeful.

Jared opened another case and pulled out a deep blue electric bass I hadn’t seen before. Soon the studio was filled with the sound of us plucking strings as we tuned our instruments. We stood only a few feet apart but didn’t speak, and an awkward cloud hung between us. Or maybe that was just me; Jared seemed oblivious to it.

“So you play bass?” A dumb question, but I had to say something to end the tension.

“Yeah, although it’s been a while.” His gaze swept across the studio. “I can play everything in here to some degree.”