Sing For Me

by Grace, Trisha

  She took a deep breath and rehearsed her speech in her head.

  Jason, I’ve given your question—no, proposal. She should be more direct. Jason, I’ve given your proposal some thought, and I don’t think I can say yes.

  That sounded direct but kind. At least she hoped it was.

  I’m sorry. I think I’m just not the marrying kind.

  Neither was he, but she decided she wouldn’t add that part in.

  She waved at the receptionist seated on a bright red chair behind a white counter. She went right past the meeting room framed with frosted glass and headed straight toward Jason’s office.

  She’d slowed her steps while she tried to come up with a proper speech. Despite that, when she got to his assistant’s desk, she still hadn’t figured out how she was going to tell him about the kiss she shared with Christopher.

  She would start with an apology, of course, but she couldn’t come up with anything beyond that.

  She clasped her hand around the handle of her bag and tucked the other into her jeans’ back pocket. “Hi, I’m looking for Jason Morgan.” This was the first time she had come to his office without Jason beside her, and it seemed he’d changed his assistant again.

  “Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist didn’t bother to look up from her bright red chair. She continued clicking on her white mouse on the equally white desk.

  She shook her head. “Is he here?”

  “Mr. Morgan doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.”

  Chloe scratched the uncomfortable tingling along her neck and tried to ignore the growing green mist. “Would you just pass him the message that Chloe is here?” You’re fine; the mist won’t suffocate you.

  She clenched her jaws, but managed to keep her eyes on the assistant.

  “Chloe who?”

  She licked her lips at the assistant’s rude tone. “You know what, maybe I should just call him.”

  “Yeah.” The assistant nodded patronizingly. “You do that.”

  She turned her back to the assistant and moved away from the green mist that was threatening to envelop her. When she was certain that the dissipating mist wouldn’t be able to get her, she pulled out her phone. She was about to click the dial button when she noticed a shadow.

  She stopped and looked up from the shiny black leather shoes. “Lawrence,” she said and smiled at Jason’s grandfather.

  Lawrence opened his arms, and she stepped in to give him a hug.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I’m looking for Jason, but I don’t think he’s here.”

  Lawrence frowned. “I just saw him.” He cocked his head to the side. “Walk with me. So how are you doing? Working with any new artist?”

  She laughed. “You know I won’t reveal anything.”

  “Not even to me?”

  Chloe’s smile faltered slightly. Lawrence had always been nice to her, but he was someone she couldn’t quite figure out. He was someone whose colors varied widely from one person to another, and sometimes his words were laced with strange dull purple, red, or black.

  He did seem to like her. When he spoke to her, the color was usually of a light pink; a color she’d often spotted when parents spoke gently to their children.

  Still, there were times when even the pink was laced with a trail of dark gray smoke.

  “You’ll know when they come to you for music promotion.” She grinned. She had always liked Lawrence. Though he owned the largest music promotion firm, he never spoke to her as if she was beneath him, which was an irritatingly common bad habit in the music industry.

  The contempt could be so thick that she often had to step away for fear of suffocation.

  Though all the songs she’d written got the singers onto various charts, she was young. Many in the industry, especially those who had been in this line for a long time, thought of her as a quirky songwriter who got lucky.

  She shouldn’t care what others thought about her, but she did.

  The odious green in their tones spelled out their real thoughts and feelings; the same shade that laced most of the words her mother spoke to her.

  She never knew how to react in those situations. She should probably walk away with a flick of her hair, but she wasn’t that sort of person. Instead, she would swallow whatever emotion she felt and force a smile. If she didn’t do that, if she didn’t have her guard up, she was afraid she’d shrivel into a wimpy crybaby; exactly what happened when she allowed her mother’s words or her father’s inaction to affect her.

  “Mr. Morgan.” The assistant immediately straightened her back. “Um … Mr. Morgan, Jason, your grandson—”

  “I know who you’re talking about,” Lawrence said. “Tell him that his grandfather and girlfriend are here.”

  “Um …” The assistant licked her lips again, and her gaze skittered across her desk. “He isn’t inside.”

  Chloe frowned at the red and black sparks going off.

  She looked over at Lawrence and found his brows drawing closer as well.

  After a moment, Lawrence turned to her and gave her the most dazzling smile. “Let me take you out for lunch.” A halo of dull reddish gray smoke surrounded the light pink.

  She followed the bubble of color for a second, then turned to the closed door and finally stared at the assistant, who was now displaying the brightest smile along with wide, non-blinking eyes.

  She looked at Lawrence again as he placed his hand on her back. She doubted Lawrence knew what was going on, but he seemed ready for her to leave as well.

  She didn’t demand that Jason put her first place. For the both of them, work had always come first.

  Why did his assistant have to lie? Why didn’t Lawrence call her out on it? He always did.

  She nodded and turned, but at the last second, she rounded the table and opened the door.

  She heard a gasp. It took her a moment to realize she’d made that noise and another moment to close her eyes and turn away from the naked brunette lying on Jason’s table while an equally naked Jason laid on top of her.

  “Lock the door next time,” she said.

  “Chloe!”

  She shot Lawrence a disapproving glare. “Oh.” She turned around.

  Jason skidded to a stop, his hands still fumbling with his pants’ zipper.

  She turned her face away. “I came to tell you that I can’t marry you.”

  Jason took her hand.

  “Don’t touch me.” She pulled her hand back and wiped it down on her jeans. “We’re done.”

  “Chloe, wait.” Jason grabbed her arm again.

  “Stop touching me.” She took a deep breath. While she did, she tried to gather her thoughts and feelings.

  Nothing came to her. “Our hearts are clearly not in our relationship.”

  “For heaven’s sake, get your shirt on!” Lawrence placed his hand on her back and led her away from the office. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

  She pursed her lips and turned to him. “I wasn’t an angel either. I kissed someone, which was why I came here today.”

  Lawrence didn’t say a word. They continued the rest of the walk in silence until they stepped into the lift.

  “The two of you spend too much time apart,” Lawrence said as the lift made its descent.

  “That was what we liked about the relationship. We didn’t have to talk every day or text each other every hour. Both of us like our space.” Now she had a better understanding on how Jason enjoyed his space. “This wasn’t the first time he’s cheated on me, right? You knew something was up when the assistant lied.”

  “I had an inkling.”

  “And you never told me.”

  He sighed softly. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I’m a selfish old man. You’re such a good influence on him. When he’s with you, he’s a better person.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she stared ahead.

  “Are you angry with me?”

  She pinched her lips together. Sh
e couldn’t really say she was. She still didn’t feel anything besides the shock of seeing her now ex-boyfriend having sex with a brunette. “Would you have said anything if I agreed to marry him?”

  “I would’ve called him into my office and gave him a stern warning.”

  “That’s all? That doesn’t sound as if it would be effective.” She waved it off. “Oh, well, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to marry him anyway.”

  “Why?”

  One of her shoulders twitched. “I don’t know. I just don’t see myself marrying him.”

  “So who do you see yourself marrying? The guy you kissed?”

  She thought about his question. When she realized she was smiling, she pulled her lips between her teeth.

  She thanked God when the lift doors opened.

  She gave Lawrence’s arm a squeeze. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  “Let me send you home.”

  “I drove here, and I’m meeting someone nearby for lunch. Don’t worry about me.”

  Once she left the building, Chloe drove to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet her friend. Since she was rather early, she walked around and searched for a cafe instead.

  She got herself a cup of latte and settled into a seat. The one thing she didn’t quite enjoy about Italy was the lack of coffee like this. Most of what they drank there were espressos, and they drank them like shots.

  She liked her coffee with lots of milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

  She brought the cup up to her nose and took in a deep breath, allowing the aroma of the coffee to wake her.

  She didn’t feel exceptionally tired, but there seemed to be a fog in her head. Perhaps it was due to the lack of sleep.

  Taking a sip of coffee, she rested back against the chair as she thought about what just went down with Jason.

  She should be sad, right? Or angry at least.

  Staring at the coffee in her hands, she realized how relieved she was. Maybe Josh was right; if freedom was what she enjoyed most about the relationship between her and Jason, maybe she didn’t like Jason very much.

  Since she didn’t have any answers, she decided that a distraction was what she needed.

  She pulled out her laptop and plugged in her noise-canceling earphones. She closed her eyes and listened to the music she’d written.

  Though the song wasn’t completed, she could already hear Christopher’s voice accompanying the tune. She made the few changes that came to her mind while she sipped her coffee.

  She didn’t know how long she had worked on the music until a text came through her phone, and she realized she was late for her lunch appointment. She stuffed her laptop into her bag and hurried over to the restaurant.

  The loud and enthusiastic Japanese greeting startled her. She smiled and nodded at the chef looking at her, then made her way toward Ella, who seemed to be daydreaming.

  She had requested to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Other than missing her lattes, she’d missed sushi as well. She hadn’t had sushi in years. The only Japanese restaurant she’d seen in Italy was at least an hour and a half from her apartment, and it was always packed.

  “I’m so sorry,” Chloe said as she settled on a chair.

  Ella gave her a small, awkward smile and handed her a menu. “It’s all right. I’m just grateful that you can make it today,” she said. “Thanks for shifting our appointment.”

  She blinked and tried to ignore the grayish-blue cloud of words. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

  Ella cracked a smile. “I know you’re picky about your friends.”

  Picky? That was the first time she heard someone say that about her.

  “And I know you have certain expectations of your friends.”

  “And I hate it when people beat around the bush.” She stared at the conveyor belt and grabbed a few plates. “So, what can I do for you?”

  Ella licked her lips. “I need a favor.”

  “I figured.”

  “I need a song.”

  Chloe smiled. “For yourself? Sure.” She knew Ella well enough; she could definitely write her a song. “I didn’t—”

  “Not for me.”

  She waved at the grayish-blue cloud moving toward her face. “Sorry,” she said when she noticed Ella staring at her. “I thought I saw a fly. So who do you want me to write a song for?”

  “Nicole Lane.”

  “Is this Nicole a friend of yours?”

  Ella shook her head. “I’ve never met her before.”

  Chloe chewed and swallowed her seasoned octopus. “Then why are you asking me to write a song for her?”

  “As a favor for someone else.”

  Chloe sighed. “I—”

  “I know it’s confusing, but I really need you to do this.” Dullish red and yellow spiraled toward her.

  She closed her eyes; the colors were making her dizzy. “Ella—”

  “Please.”

  She rubbed her fingers against her temple. “Ella, please just tell me what’s going on.”

  Ella sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “I did something stupid.”

  She opened her eyes and sighed softly at the calmer colors. The words were still tainted with gray, but at least they weren’t giving her the desire to throw up. She took a sip of her hot green tea and waited.

  “I had an affair.”

  She pursed her lips, nodded, and reached for another plate.

  Ella clearly needed to get something off her chest, but she seemed to be debating if she should lay everything out for her.

  Chloe never looked too kindly on people who cheated, but Ella looked as if she’d been through enough.

  “He’s a married man.”

  Chloe chewed on the sushi, watching Ella’s words morph into an intense dark purple.

  “It was stupid. I broke it off after a while, but someone has gotten hold of a couple of photos and is blackmailing me.” Ella buried her face in her hands. “If Clayton finds out …”

  “And all this person wants is for me to write a song for Nicole Lane. Why?”

  “I never know what she’s thinking.” Ella cradled the tea between her hands.

  Chloe watched Ella for a moment. “I’ll do it for you if you promise you’ll never cheat again.”

  Ella broke into a wry smile as she reached out and took her hands. “Thanks, Chloe. I swear I’ll never do it again.”

  “I don’t want to get involved with this blackmailer, but you can’t keep letting her blackmail you. Tell the person that you want the photos and negatives burnt in front of you before handing the song over.”

  Ella pursed her lips. “I don’t know. Rebecca can be rather scary. I’m afraid I’ll piss her off, and she’ll send Clayton the photos.”

  Rebecca. Chloe thought the name sounded familiar. “It’s your choice.” She pushed the plates to the side of the table. “What else has she blackmailed you for?”

  “Nothing,” Ella said. “She called me once and pretended to be all friendly, asking me about my work and family. Then she hung up and sent me the photo.”

  Chloe frowned. It didn’t make sense, but Ella wasn’t lying. She could see the stable color through her words. “That’s strange.”

  “She’s scary and evil.”

  “Then are you sure that giving in to her request is the right thing to do?”

  Ella pursed her lips. “I don’t have a choice. I don’t dare to risk it.”

  Chloe sighed and nodded. “What song should I write?”

  “I don’t care if it’s the worst song you’ve ever written.” Ella grabbed a plate off the conveyor belt and sighed again as she slammed the plate onto the table. “I can’t believe I did something so stupid.”

  Chloe didn’t reply to that; she didn’t know what to say.

  As she was reaching for another plate, her phone rang. She took a peek at the number, rejected the call, and flipped her phone over.

  Jason had completely dropped
out of her mind until now.

  “You can answer the call if you want,” Ella said.

  She shook her head. “It isn’t anything important.”

  “Had a fight with Jason?”

  She shrugged.

  “Speak of the devil.” Ella’s chin jerked forward.

  “Chloe.”

  Chloe looked over her shoulder. “How did you know I was here?”

  “I told him,” Ella said softly. “I saw him this morning, and I told him we’re having lunch.”

  She suppressed the urge to sigh aloud.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  She couldn’t say no now. She smiled politely at Ella and stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  She led the way out of the restaurant and stood right outside. No one inside the restaurant would be able to see them anyway. The top half of the glass panels was blocked off by dark blue cloths with white Japanese wordings while the bottom half of the panels was frosted.

  “Chloe, I’m sorry, but it wasn’t what you think.”

  She wanted to laugh. She looked at the time on her phone, then back at him. “You had nearly three hours, and this is the best you came up with?”

  Jason licked his lips. “Chloe, I’ll do anything. Please forgive me.”

  “Forget it, Ja—”

  “I’ll become Catholic for you.”

  She frowned. “I’m not Catholic.”

  “What? Isn’t that why you love staying in Rome? Because it’s near the Vatican City?”

  “What?” Again she wanted to laugh.

  She had always thought that what she and Jason had was mature and sensible, that they could maintain their relationship despite rarely seeing each other because they knew each other well. Who was she kidding?

  “I’ve only stepped foot in Vatican City once.” She was a tourist then, and visiting the Vatican City was the touristy thing to do.

  “But your mom is Catholic, right?”

  “No!” Her fingers splayed over her lips as she tried to conceal her laughter. “No one in my family is Catholic.”

  “You’re not Catholic?”

  She pursed her lips and nodded. “I’m sure I’d know if I was.”

  “But you’re so … so …”