You and Me (Plus Everyone In Between Us)

Girl

"Guess who decided to grace us with her presence!" Andre exclaimed as I entered.

My eyes swirled into a roll before they trained themselves on Andre, curled up on a couch with a guitar. I turned back to see that the bodyguard who stalked behind me as I entered the building left.

I guess we were all alone now.

"I'm here!" I shrugged, slowly entering the studio.

There was a huge, glowing picture of all Dilemma members, looking slightly younger, posing in the middle of the field. Silver, golden, and even platinum records adorned the wall, and there was a large control panel overlooking a spacious recording booth.

"Come and sit Ez," Andre said, his voice tingling with anticipation.

My heart skipped seven beats at the sound of the nickname on Andre's lips. I would love for him to call me until my knees buckled like a seatbelt.

I put my purse on the floor and sat across from him awkwardly. His presence was thick all around me. I tried not to make eye contact.

So much for avoiding him, Ezra.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Vent," Andre said, before strumming a bit of his guitar. "Music is a great way to do that. Get it all out of your system before the show."

He strummed it simply in a basic form. "What are you playing?"

"Nothing," he said. "I don't really even know how to play the guitar. I just started learning a month ago."

"What about all those times you've played guitar on stage?" I wondered.

"Fake," Andre revealed. "Fairouz thought it would help my image if I wasn't just a singer."

I sat back in surprise. "Do I have to sign an NDA, or will I get killed on the way out?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but we do have assassins on site," Andre fake-sighed. "R.I.P. in advance."

"Dang it!" I sarcastically shouted.

Then it became quiet again. I clutched the ends of my sweater amid the slow strum of his guitar and swallowed a gulp. What was I even doing here? I didn't even like Andre that much.

He liked Ray. Not me. I'm pretty sure he just saw me as a friend.

"Why do you come to the studio so often?" I wondered. "I thought 'Overdrive' just came out. There's not a lot to do."

"I come here for me," he grinned. "Sometimes I write music."

"What are you working on?" I asked, moving to face him.

Andre reached in front of the coffee table where a notebook lay. He flipped it open, and I could see the squiggles of notes and eraser marks of song lyrics abandoned beneath the real writing. I couldn't tell the difference. He had horrible penmanship.

I leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse before he turned it over to face me. The song was called 'Girl'.

"Sing it for me," I asked, smiling at him. "Girl."

In the depths of my soul, I'm searching for release,

Lost in memories of the girl you used to be,

A journey of transformation, finding your own truth,

But there's a part of you I miss, a bittersweet reprise.

I'm mourning the girl I left behind,

The innocence and dreams that were once yours,