Free Beauty from Surrender by Georgia Cates

the left."
    "Thank you."
    He shuts the door behind me. I stand in the corridor for a moment and take a deep breath. My heart slams against my chest, trying to escape to find its mate. It's drawing me to her because my heart requires her to feel complete again.
    I make my way down the hall. I pass a couple of blokes along the way but they see the guitar case in my hand and say nothing. I stop at the door and hesitate because I'm scared shitless.
    The door is cracked and I see Laurelyn sitting on a couch—with the eye-fucker beside her. His hand is on her leg and he's rubbing it slowly—just the way I did so many times. Fuck! He's touching her but even worse, she's letting him. And it's breaking my heart. I'm sure I feel it shattering into a million pieces as I stand here witnessing the one thing I was so afraid of.
    I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping I'm seeing this wrong or that my mind is playing tricks on me. When I open my eyes again, he's leaning over. To kiss her.
    I turn away. Sickened. Devastated. Heartbroken.
    "Hey. What are you doing back here? Who are you?" I hear someone call out and I turn to see the band's drummer.
    I swallow the tortured sounds threatening to escape from my throat. This is my fault. I fucked up and now I'm paying for it.
    I hold up the guitar case for him to see. "This belongs to Miss McLachlan. Could you please give it to her? And the rose too."
    "A Martin. Cool." He takes both from me and asks, "Do I need to tell her anything?"
    Yes. Tell her how much I love her and that I'm so sorry for letting her go. "Just tell her I enjoyed the show and that I said she was fan-fucking-tastic."
    He holds up the case and the rose. "Who should I say these are from?"
    "She'll know who."
    ***
     

 
     
    Charlie gives me that look most of the time we're performing, and I'm pretty sure I don't need anyone to translate its meaning. It reminds me of what I once saw in Jack Henry's eyes—a forewarning of things to come.
    I still recall the way he could make me tremble when I saw that look from him. I desired all the things my sexy Aussie man had in store for me. And I still do. Desperately.
    I'm not being fair to Charlie. He doesn't deserve what I've put him through the last couple of months. He's a sweet guy and is so good to me. He's been incredibly kind and understanding about Jack Henry. He even said that he's willing to wait for me, but tonight's there's something different in his eyes. It's a fire and it's new. I consider it a warning that he may be changing his mind about patiently waiting for me to get over a man I'll never see again. Or never stop loving.
    We wrap up the show and the band heads backstage to the lounge. I'm exhausted as I fall onto the couch. I just want to go back to the hotel, shower, and crawl into bed so I can sleep for a year—or until this ache in my heart has left me. But I can't. Charlie wants to talk and there's no way I'm letting that conversation happen in either of our hotel rooms.
    He sits next to me on the couch and I find myself alone with him. He reaches for my hand and cups it inside his while his thumb strokes the top of mine. "I want to talk about what's going on between us."
    He's right. We have to talk about whatever this is. I need to tell him we aren't going to happen, so it's only right for him to know before he has a chance to say too much. "Okay, but I need to go first."
    Charlie's hand releases mine and he moves it to my knee. He begins rubbing it the way Jack Henry would when we'd sit on the couch and talk. I catch myself closing my eyes so I can pretend it's my caveman's hand I feel—not Charlie's. "I already know what you're going to say and that's why I'm going first. I need to tell you how I feel before you have the opportunity to shoot me down."
    That confirms it. He's about to make his move.
    "I know you aren't over him. I'm not stupid. But I really believe I can make you forget him if you'll only let me try." He moves his hand higher up my thigh and