Nick pulls out his phone.
“What are you doing?” I ask, hating the hope in my voice. Part of me wishes he would just agree and let me wallow in my pain; the stronger part hopes he’ll give me all the answers I need to survive this night.
“Do you remember the name of the group she was with?”
Discouraged and confused as to why it matters, I tell him I didn’t catch it, but I had heard them before in San Diego, maybe. It was an all-girl group with a hippie sound. He does some scrolling and I’m scooting to the edge of my seat.
“Does Wallflower sound familiar?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“Okay, they were just signed and have a debut album dropping next month. Get this, it was produced by Empire 39.”
“Okay, so she’s worked with a new band; what is your point?”
“No point yet. I want to hear the song. Here it says they co-wrote the album with Charlie James who wrote and sings the single ‘The Things I Never Said,’ which will be featured on the album.” He reads a bit more, but I’m stuck on the title. Soon her voice fills my room and I’m transported back in time. There is no way this song is about anyone but me. She mentions the masquerade for fuck’s sake, the way I helped her become a better person. I don’t agree with that but love every word sung by my talented siren.
When the song ends, Nick punches me in the shoulder.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“Come on, we’re getting back your girl. Let’s go.”
“You’re coming?”
“Yep. You have about a two-hour drive to come up with what you’re gonna say, so focus on that and I’ll get a car.”
He shoves me out the door and calls an Uber on the way downstairs. Two minutes later we’re on the road, heading to Charlotte, and I have no clue what I can possibly say to her after so long, but I know I have to say something, everything, anything to make her understand how sorry I am and how much I bloody miss her.