Chapter 15

As I closed the door to my little apartment, I looked around. It was tiny and mostly bare, but for now, it was home.

I carried the laptop bag to the sofa and plopped it down before heading to the kitchen to prepare a meal. Now that it was just me, I cooked a few times a week in larger batches and froze multiple portions. Then, I could pull out whatever I felt like eating for a while until I needed to cook again.

It worked well enough, but today was a day I needed to cook properly.

After getting all the vegetables out and setting the meat to defrost in the microwave, I started to chop. However, the regular clink of the knife on the glass chopping board soon irritated me. And the place was too quiet.

Pausing for a moment, I grabbed my laptop and brought it to the kitchen counter.

Within seconds, some of my favorite tunes were blasting into the room. The speakers weren't great, but the sound took away the oppressive silence and helped mask the irritating noises I was making.

I was just finishing the chopping and trying to choose another song when a notification popped up in the bottom corner of my laptop. It was for the email address I put in the back of my dark romance books. Over the last week, I'd seen a slight increase in emails, but I had a few subjects filtered out elsewhere to make sure I didn't miss them.

This subject immediately caught my interest.

After wiping my fingers, I clicked to my email.

Subject: I wrote a song about your book

From: jackthepinballwizard

I blinked, not sure who could have sent it at first until my mind put two and two together. Was this Jack Starling?

Without delay, I clicked to open it and read the contents.

Hey there, Juno. (Or should I use your pen name while emailing this address?)

Kai told me to check out your book after the interview and stuck a copy in front of me the day after. I read it and could barely put it down. Woke up the next day with some music in my head, and we arranged a song. Still needs some lyrics, but Kai suggested you should be involved since it was inspired by your story.

We've recorded a rough version and thought you might want to have a listen.

Jack

I didn't move as I read the email three times and then finally looked at the attached file. Did one of the biggest rock stars in my lifetime just write me a song based on a book I wrote about him? Was this really happening?

Not sure what else to do, I opened the audio file and pressed play. I was met by an almost haunting tune, the old-school style rock combined with what might have been strings.

While I listened, I tried to imagine the book I'd written. The way the story progressed and how someone like Jack might have felt reading it, knowing it was about him. It was hard to do, but I continued making dinner, the music on repeat for a while.

More than a few times, I remembered a scene in the book and blushed at the thought of Jack reading it, knowing I'd imagined him. It was almost as bad as the idea of my mother reading the sex scenes I'd written.

Eventually, I went back to the computer and considered the implied request. Was I being asked to help write lyrics, or just give them more info so they could?

With no way to know for sure, I hit the reply button and stared at a blank box for a few minutes.

Hi Jack,

Juno is fine unless you want to call me something else.

Thank you for your email. I'm so glad my story inspired you and you didn't think it was too strange or weird to read it. Did you have anything in mind lyrics-wise? I have no experience at all writing lyrics, but you've made me curious about the process for sure.

Let me know what you need me to provide, and I'll see what I can do.

Juno

As soon as I'd sent the email, I wished I could delete it. What had I been thinking? "Unless you want to call me something else." What else was he going to call me?

Trying not to think about my utter lack of coolness, I finished preparing my stew and started it cooking. Within seconds, I was sitting on the sofa with my laptop and a drink to do some work.

Before I could get into plotting my next book, another email popped up.

Cupcake,

Fantastic. It was a great book, so no more blushing. I'm sure you were already.

Honestly, I have tons of questions, but they're not all useful for the song. Kai wants to write something that encompasses the raw emotion of it all and the interesting power and control dynamic. They're two very passionate characters.

You mentioned somewhere that you have an emotional outline for your romance books. Could we have a copy for this story?

What did you think of the music?

Jack

I frowned, ready to hit myself. I'd forgotten to say that I thought the music was cool. So smooth of me. Definitely wasn't impressed by the cupcake bit, though.

Hi, Cookie,

The song was amazing. I totally loved it. I got a passionate power dynamic vibe from it. Made me think of quite a few different scenes from the book. I've attached the outline. If you need me to explain anything, let me know.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have about the story, especially if it will help. Also, would I get to see the lyrics before you start recording any vocals?

And cupcake? Seriously? You could have picked anything, and you chose cupcake?

Juno

I bit my lip as I sent the email, not sure if I'd come across quite as planned. The downside of being a writer was that I overthought every word I used. And I still didn't know this man very well. I also still couldn't completely believe I was talking to Jack Starling. And he was asking me to help him with something work-related.

Calm, I told myself. Take some deep breaths and think about it like he probably is. The band wants to write a song about a fictional romance that inspired them. That's it.

I'm not being chatted up or flirted with. Jack was clearly just an intense person. Someone who could approach anyone and strike up a conversation. Normally, I was confident enough to do the same.

I sighed. My confidence had been knocked down, and I already missed it. But I couldn't let fear stop me. I needed to be braver. Maybe working with Jack would help me regain some of that? With this in mind, I tried to focus on my own book again, beginning to flesh out a female character while I waited for my stew to cook.

I'd just finished eating it when the bing of another email took me back to my laptop. I flicked it open, noticing my stomach flutter with anticipation.

Kitten (an improvement?),

I thought cupcake was appropriate. You're both sweet and dainty, but there's something hiding on the inside under all those layers of sugary icing. Something that can both surprise and delight or repel the wrong connoisseur.

Thank you for the outline. That's going to really help. And of course you can see the lyrics. Kai is also eager to include you in creating them. We're still darting around various places for the next few days, but I'm sure we'll get back to you about a good time to talk in another way.

Don't call me cookie, and I won't call you cake?

Jack

I laughed aloud at the last line, the quote from a great book. Smiling to myself, I considered my reply. This was clearly becoming a bit of a game. And I loved word games.