five

A knock at my door startles me from the manuscript I'm pouring over. Looking up and blinking until my vision becomes clear, eyes tired from devouring the tiny words on the page, I'm greeted with one of Adam's signature smiles.

"Must be good," He points to the pages in my hands, adjusting a backpack on his shoulder. "It's already five,"

"Is it?" I drop the packet to my desk and stretch my arms above my head, stifling a yawn. Checking the clock hanging on my wall, I notice that he's right. I've worked straight through the afternoon, with not even one coffee break. "It's a thriller, you would probably like it,"

Adam leans against the doorframe. "Lucky, I've been going over a romance all day - you could've at least given me the chance to swap,"

Grabbing my things from my desk, I chuckle at his response. We do swap sometimes - I'll take one of his cheesy romances, if he takes, say a mystery or a crime novel. But not today - this piece was just too interesting to pass up. I stick the pages inside my bag in case I want to continue working later on once I'm at home.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I come around the desk and lock up my office once Adam leans out of the way. Walking by his side out of the building, I promise to switch next time I get another good one.

In the parking lot, Adam walks me to my car,

placing a hand on my hood. "Hey, some of us are going for drinks, you in?"

His eyes are hopeful, making turning the offer down that much harder. "I actually have a friend visiting from out of state," I explain. Not exactly the truth, but not exactly a lie, either. "Next time, though."

Adam nods before finding his car keys in his pocket. "I'm holding you to that, Emma." He flashes one of his full-face smiles before hopping into his car and driving off.

Watching after his car, I feel a twinge of disappointment that I'm not integrating myself into the community fabric of the company, even if that means spending an evening with Lizzie and Tori. But as I settle into my own car, the thought fades away, replaced by excited anticipation at seeing Beau again. I told him I wanted to go slow, and with the exception of my one moment of total lack of self control, I've done a good job at keeping us that way.

I made him wait a week before agreeing to see him again, and I've made sure to keep our communication very seldom in between our visits. I don't want to get too attached... I've already seen how that story ends.

Still, pulling into the small parking lot behind the discrete recording studio brings the nostalgia back in waves. I dial Beau's number to let him know I'm on my way up, but he doesn't pick up, so I enter the building anyways, nervous jitters propelling me forward.

Humming to myself, a tune that sounds obnoxiously similar to Beau's single, I hop in the elevator and wait to arrive at the top floor - the one Beau likes to rent out just for himself. Smiling to myself at the memory of watching him work on his lyrics so long ago, I raise my hand and knock gently on the studio door.

As it swings open, I can't help the smile that grows on my face. That is, until I'm greeted by a tiny young woman with tan skin and cropped black hair. Her pixie like face is accentuated by heavy liner and a septum piercing.

Well, you're not Beau.

Her deep maroon lips pull into a polite smile. "Can I help you?" The room behind her is dim and quiet through the crack in the doorway.

"Um," I take a step back and double check the studio number on the wall, before looking behind me to confirm the correct floor. "I was looking for-"

"Emma!" Beau appears behind the woman, towering over her petite frame.

"Beau?" My voice is full of question, but his expression gives away nothing.

"Emma? Wait, the Emma?" The woman's eyes get wide and suddenly, her smile gets bigger and more genuine, revealing a small tooth gap, as she takes in my appearance.

"Um, that's me," I mutter, looking between Beau and the woman, and eyeing the very little space between their bodies. The girl hasn't moved from her spot in the doorway, a barrier between Beau and me.

Beaming up at Beau, the woman speaks again. "Wow, well props to you - I guess you're to thank for Beau's solo career taking off." Her gaze seems more than friendly and I force myself to remember that I don't have actual reason to care.

Beau scoffs and rolls his eyes, a habit I'm familiar with, but don't particularly appreciate right now. As she laughs at his reaction, I notice how comfortable he seems to be around her, and can't help but feel like I'm intruding on something.

Still blushing at mention of the song, I cock my head to the side, struggling to put the pieces together. "I'm sorry, you are...?"

"Oh!" She laughs, bringing a tattooed hand to her forehead. "Right. I'm Rey," She extends her other unillustrated hand and I take it, plastering a courteous grin on my face as I do.

"Rey," I repeat, turning to Beau for confirmation, feeling the sinking sensation of already knowing the answer I'm looking for before I even ask.

He nods his head, pushing long, dark hair out of his face. "Yeah, she's the opening act I told you about. Remember?"

I nod, "Oh, that's right. Rey," Rey, who is, apparently, a woman, and not a man. A woman who will be going on tour with Beau across the US, while I stay here. I force my expression to stay neutral.

"It's nice to meet you," I tell her, trying to get a grip on my emotions.

She squeezes my hand excitedly. "Likewise,"

Standing awkwardly at the door, I shift my weight on my feet, and fall quiet.

Rey looks from me to Beau, before her eyes pop open wide again. "Oh, sorry! You must want to come in," She steps to the side to let me pass but something about the way she invited me in like I was a guest in their space irritates me.

"Actually, Rey," Beau pats the pockets of his leather jacket before disappearing into the studio. When he appears a second later, his keys jingle in his hands. "I'm gonna head out, I'll call tomorrow about that meeting with Rocco,"

As he steps through the door and takes my hand, I notice Rey's enthusiasm falter slightly, although she hides it well. I wonder how long she's had a thing for Beau.

"Sounds good," She leans against the frame and waves as we walk away.

"See you around," I wave over my shoulder. Even if it's petty, knowing that I'm the one walking away with him gives me some satisfaction.

Not quite as much as when he leans into my side in the elevator, pressing his nose to my hair and planting a kiss on the top of my head.

"I've missed you," He mumbles, wrapping his long arm around my neck.

I wish it had always been this way with us.

"So you're working with Rocco again?" I take a step back to look at his face and ignore how my body seems to protest the separation. My last interaction with the manager was when Beau was told he was fired from MisFits and I'm surprised Beau would even consider working with the man who let Fiona run the show.

Beau shrugs, "I've known him since I first came to LA. He's good at his job and now that I have my drinking in check, and without Fiona up my ass, it works."

Stepping into the evening air, I peer up at him curiously, wondering how open this new Beau is willing to be. "When you say you have your drinking in check..." I trail off as his voice tells the entire world that I'm nothing to him but a "cool girl" over and over in my mind.

Beau opens the passenger door of my car and gestures for me to get in. Pausing before I do, I look him in the eyes and wait for his reply.

Reluctantly, Beau mutters, "I went to rehab." He looks away from me before adding, "I'm two years sober,"

His cheeks redden slightly and I know how hard it must be for him to admit.

"I'm happy for you," I tell him truthfully. No matter how much Beau hurt me, I always knew it was because he was hurting, too. All I ever wanted was for him to feel better.

Shaking his head, his lips pull into a half smile. "Yeah, yeah. Get in the car, Emma,"

I can't help but smirk at the command. There he is.

I do as I'm told, knowing that he believes me. When he takes the driver's seat, I place a hand on his thigh, ignoring the spark the contact sends to my heart. "I should warn you - this was the first adult purchase I made. If you so much as scratch my baby,"

Rolling his eyes and starting the engine, Beau scoffs loudly. "Oh, please. This old thing?" As he stares at my hand intently, the Cheshire Cat grin spreads across his face. "You gonna move that or are you gonna jump me before dinner... again?"

Instantly, I jerk my hand back to my chest, my cheeks flushing bright red. "Asshole," I mutter under my breath just loud enough for him to hear.

Unfazed, Beau hits the gas and winks at me. "Just how you like me,"

My heart races, terrified that there might be some truth to his words. Sure, things are good now, but what happens when he goes on tour again? We've been in this situation before and look at how much it took for me to walk away then.

I turn the radio on to distract myself from my thoughts, and soon, Beau is singing along to almost every song. Watching him from the passenger seat, my heart feels content. Because while the man is the same, he seems healthier, happier, even. I had been wrong before - no matter how much I tried, I would never have been able to fix him. It was something he had to do himself. Now, with his darkness behind him, maybe this time really will be different.

His deep voice melting my insides, I reach over and grab his hand in mine, praying that this time, I'm right.