It’sbeen so long since the day we met.
AndI’m,
ScaredI got as close as I’ll ever get.
Whenwe’ve,
Barelyeven gotten started yet …
Has itbeen,
Toolong since we first met?
Pleasetake me back,
To theday we met.
Let mego there,
To theday we met.
Tellme it hasn’t been too long …
Sincethe day we met.
Thetune trickled into a melancholy series of complex notes before coming to afaded stop. His head hung over the guitar, his chest heaved, and me? Well, Iwas struggling to keep myself from falling apart as I held my hands to my face,allowing the tears to slip between my fingers and over the backs of my palms. Ipinched my eyes shut and coached my breathing to slow, before I tipped over theedge of hyperventilation.
Steppingoff the stage, he took one of my hands in his, pulling me to my feet and Ileaned into him as his arms wrapped around me. His cheek pressed to the top ofmy head, and he said, “Kylie.”
“Yeah?”I asked, barely audible through my tears and his t-shirt.
“I’mreally fucking sorry.”
Witha shake of my head, I said, “I am too. I was so selfish, thinking you’d alwaysdo exactly what I wanted you to do. I never thought about whatyoumighthave wanted, and—”
Liftinghis head, he brought his hands to my shoulders and held me away from him,looking into my eyes. “What I wantedneverincluded losing you.”
Myeyes watered with a fresh batch of tears. “Oh God, Devin … I never should haveleft. You wouldn’t have left me, and I just … abandoned you.”
Breakingthelockhe held on my gaze, he looked up to theceiling and tipped his head back. “Yeah, well … maybe you shouldn’t havewalked away. But I shouldn’t have given you a reason to. So, let’s consider useven, okay?”
Witha deep breath, I looked up to him and nodded. “Okay,” I said, in mild disbeliefthat he was standing there in front of me, and I asked, “What the hell are youdoing here anyway?”
Thechuckle rumbled through him and he smiled. “I quit.”
“Shutup. No, you didn’t.”
“Iactually did,” he said, nodding.
Ishook my head. “But why would you do that?”
“BecauseI went out to dinner with this girl named Becca, and I told her I’d rather giveup playing guitar for the rest of my life, before I went another day withoutyou,” and he shrugged. “So, I went back to the hotel, told Richard, I was goinghome, and grabbed the first flight I could find.”
Inarrowed my eyes. “Wait, you went out to dinner with another girl?”
Helaughed. “Yeah, she was supposed to be an offering or some shit from Robbie.Thought I at least owed her dinner.” And then, his eyes met mine. “She had redhair and it was hot, but purple is more my color.”
Mymouth had a mind of its own, and I grinned, wrapping my arms around his waist.I breathed him in, held on tight, and said, “Dev?”
