Never Say Never by Kailin Gow

over to you and figured I'd
distract him while you got your composure back. Didn't want him to see you at
anything but your best.”
                Danny
was being a lot sweeter than he'd been earlier that morning. Did he care about
me after all? “Thanks,” I couldn't resist smiling. “I didn't think you'd do
that.”
                “Do
what?”
                “Worry
about me.”
                “Why
wouldn't I?” Danny fixed his blue eyes on mine. “I'm part of the band now, aren't
I? So I care about being part of this team; I care about everything that
affects the band, one way or the other.”
                I
bit back my disappointment. So this wasn't about me – or caring about me. Danny
cared about the band, which meant he cared about me as long as I could sing. He
probably wasn't interested in me at all. Maybe he was into blondes like Amber –
or else his heart belonged to the mysterious Peyton, whoever she was...
                “Oh,
well,” I said, trying to sound casual. “That's nice.”
                Danny
smiled softly. “Nice?” he said. “Or bland?”
                “What
do you mean?” He was standing so close that we were practically touching.
                “Neve,
I'm not blind, you know.”
                “What
are you talking about?” I could feel the heat rising to my face.        
                “Every
time we're in the same room together – this weird...thing we need to resolve,
you and I. To get past it. So we can work together.” The air between us
crackled with electricity; I couldn't bear the tension a moment longer. “Neve,
I haven't played in a band for a long time. And it feels good to belong to one
again. I don't want to jeopardize that. But when we talk – you remind me so
much of her, Neve...” he lightly touched my chin.
                “Of
who?” My mind was all over the place; all I could concentrate on was the
feeling of his fingers against my chin.
                “Peyton,”
he said.
                Peyton
again. “Who is she...?”
                “My...”
he swallowed hard. “My girlfriend.”
                “Oh.”
Disappointment flooded over me. “I should...I should go...” I felt furious,
repulsed. Not only was Danny taken, he was apparently the kind of guy who would
cheat on his girlfriend if the moment came up – the kind of guy who would touch
another girl's chin, looking at her all the while like he wanted to touch a lot
more than that...
                “Neve,
wait...” Danny protested. “I'm not explaining this right. It's just – it's hard
to talk about. But we need to talk about it. I don't want to scare you off,
Neve. Steve told me about what happened with Geoff, about your rules. You don't
want to date anyone in the band – and especially not Geoff. And if I'm making a
complete tit of myself and you haven't been feeling anything at all for me then
please just tell me now so I can stop talking...”
                “No,
don't stop,” I couldn't help saying.
                “I
don't want to be like Geoff. But I can't help feeling...maybe you want me to
be?”
                “It's
just a complicated time,” I said. “It's not just about Geoff. With RRR and
Slayton and everything...”
                “I
wouldn't worry about Slayton,” said Danny. “He's a great guy once you get to
know him.”
                “And
you do?” I was distracted by my shock. How had Danny Blue gotten to know the
face behind the hottest music label in town?
                Danny
turned crimson. “He used to represent me,” he said. “When I was in another
band.”
                “What
happened to it?”
                “Peyton,”
he said darkly. “Neve...”   
                “So
you