“You sure that you can even play?” Keely asked hesitantly.

Seth glanced up at her, giving a careless shrug as his good hand plucked the white roll of gauze from the top of the plain wooden bureau. “I can play fine,” he answered confidently. Yet when he began to wrap the sore muscles of his wrist and hand with the white tape, she didn’t miss the quick wince of pain that flashed across his face before he quickly masked it.

Unsure she watched uncertainly as he tried to bind his hand tightly with his other hand so the pain would lessen in his wrist and hand while he played the guitar. Sending a quick glance to his blank face, she looked back down, drumming her fingers over the knees of her crossed legs.

They’d spent the whole day together with Colton and Marco, preparing for the concert that was barely more than an hour away now. And not once, in all the time they’d spent with one another, had Seth complained about his hand and wrist that now had a rather nasty bruise spreading across it, his knuckles raw from the impact with the wall. No, he hadn’t whined at all, not when they’d been squeezing in practice between their sound check, meetings with the sound, light and stage crew, phone calls with the news stations that were covering their show, and not to mention fending off a rather frantic Maureen. However, out of the corner of her eye, Keely had seen him more than once wince when he thought no one was watching and begin flexing his right hand.

It had only been a few hours ago when they’d finally called it quits, hoping that the frantic people around them could figure a way to handle themselves until the show. Apparently the show was causing quite a bit of stress for everyone it involved, except her. They’d split up with the intention of each of them getting ready for the concert, though Keely had used the time to duck out and get the stainless steel guitar pick she’d bought for Seth engraved.

As promised she’d gone back to her motel room eventually though, beginning to get ready for the show. It was almost strange to do that outside of a dressing room. Really Keely found it rather pointless to really work on her hair too much before a show, because it would only get messed up beyond repair by the time the set was over, she moved around a lot. Yet she still did it, blow drying it out so it was on the straighter side since doing anything else would be fruitless with the snow falling. She’d long ago stopped bothering with makeup though, it just melted off as she sweated through the performance. It was rather gross, but true, they all sweated a lot while they played.

After getting ready Keely had driven through the now thickly falling snow to Linda’s home where the four of them had agreed to meet. All the way she’d been pondering how frozen they would be, playing a concert in the snow was ridiculous. Although if she had put on makeup it probably wouldn’t have sweated it off, but she quickly shrugged that one off, it had come to the point where makeup was too much work for her. And it was only when she was shoving the door of the Pelham blue mustang that she realized how early she was.

So that was how she ended up in the middle of Seth’s painfully impersonal bedroom. Sitting cross legged in the middle of the very comfortable bed, wearing her stylishly ripped skinny jeans, slip on sneakers were waiting for her downstairs, woolly socks along with her zipped up light grey hoodie beneath her brown leather jacket. She felt it was fitting for an outdoor concert in the middle of winter, but what did she know?

Watching as Seth scowled down at the lump he’d created in the gauze and began to unravel the wrappings only to start over again, Keely pursed her lips thoughtfully. “You know I could take over the guitar for just one night until your wrist is better, and you could sing?” she offered.

Yet he just snorted, “Like that’s going to happen. Rebel, it’ll be fine.”

Instantly her eyes narrowed on him, her fingers stilling in their movement. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I’m not good enough on the guitar to play the show?”

Looking up from his task Seth met her eyes, sending her a smirk that she steeled herself against, knowing her weakness. “You think I’d let you play on your album if you weren’t? I’d be your session guitarist if you weren’t.” When her gaze didn’t soften on him, he shook his head discouraged, focusing back on the task at hand, literally. “You’re incredible on the guitar, better than most people I’ve met, you could kick people like John and Tyler’s asses. But, still, it’s your voice that’s the best part, rebel, you could be fucking Eric Clapton and it would still be your voice.”

Wishing that she was unaffected by his words was useless, wasn’t it?

Because when he looked up again so his eyes caught hers, sombre as the golden sheen smouldered into her gaze, Keely felt her heart flip in her chest.

And since he still hadn’t tore his gaze away from hers, she could feel the electricity coursing through her body to the point she was surprised her hair didn’t start crackling from the static, Keely forced her eyes up to the ceiling. With her whole body screeching at her to just jump him finally, she heaved a great sigh and flopped back on the bed, keeping her legs crossed.

Yes, as much as she’d like to simply through herself at him to know for sure what would happen, she was sure she could hold back her desires until the day she died. Sure, that was a bit dramatic, yet she could do it even if it was painful. Of course she’d be wondering what it would have been like until her days as an old lady with a houseful of cats and a walker as she rambled on about the good old days when she’d been famous, but it would also mean her relationship with Seth would never change. Because she honestly loved their friendship, and depended on it – and him – more than she had ever wanted to rely on something.

So she could go on denying herself forever, she could never risk their friendship or their song writing or his producing over a maybe. Because he didn’t return her feelings... he couldn’t. After all, the only guy who had ever wanted her before had also slept with every girl in their high school.

Hearing a muffled curse, Keely lifted her head to peek up at him just in time to see Seth ripping the gauze off his wrist again, looking aggravated. Feeling a little laugh bubble up in the back of throat despite her previous thoughts, Keely shoved up on to her elbows casually for a better view as Seth began the entire process over again, although he wasn’t looking so patient anymore.

“You’re doing that wrong,” Keely informed him, unable to keep herself from using that smug tone. She was going to enjoy this moment, really savour it, because, honestly, how often did she know about something that he didn’t?

He looked up at her warily. “How would you know?”

Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself up fully so she was, once again, sitting. “I lived on a farm, Ryan, I had to wrap horses’ legs all the time, it’s the same premise.”

For a moment she had the great satisfaction of taking in his taken aback expression. Oh, yes, she was enjoying the fact that she knew something he didn’t. “Oh,” he answered simply, looking back down as he continued to clumsily bind wrist.

Sighing, Keely slid herself from the middle of the bed, her socked feet touching the carpet lightly.

“Here,” she told him quietly, moving closer, “I’ll do it.”

Ignoring – well, at least attempting to – the instant pick up of her heart rate as she stepped close enough that their bodies were almost brushing, Keely made sure she didn’t look up into his eyes. That would be her down falling. Taking the roll of gauze from his good hand, she took a hold of his sore wrist gently in her hand, her fingers feather light. But as she began to untie his attempt, the edge of her hand accidently grazed his stomach that was covered by the thin cotton of his shirt and she felt the muscles beneath her light touch tense.

Feeling her own body go taut in response, Keely bit down on her lip, hastening to continue on with her job as if nothing had ever happened. Just a few more moments and she could put a little distance in between them, and maybe then she’d finally be able to calm down her raging hormones. That had to be why she liked him so much, right? Hormones. That was it. She was a teenage girl who was completely single and always around a supremely handsome boy with dark hair, pillowed lips, bad boy grin, smouldering golden eyes, leather jacket and a guitar, not to mention the sculpted body. So yes, it was hormones, just physical attraction.

But even as the thoughts crossed her mind, Keely knew they were lies. She could be honest with herself about that, at least. Because if it was just physical attraction, she would have felt like this about him from the start. Yes, she’d always known he was devilishly good-looking, but she hadn’t cared the least bit until they began to spend together.

If it hadn’t been for Colton and Marco bailing out on her in the studio for that one day, she would have never spent time with him, let alone become friends. She’d never have gotten to hear him play in the same way that he had the first time or written a song with him. Sure, she’d have heard him play eventually and would have grudgingly respected him, but never liked him like this.

So no, she couldn’t manage to fool herself into thinking that all she felt for him was physical attraction, even if that attraction was so strong it almost hurt sometimes. It was because he could play the piano and the guitar as if they were a part of him. He was passionate. He had strong morals. He could smirk and laugh. He was serious. He was the best producer she could have wished for. He could be so sweet to her even when he’d just intentionally annoyed her. He was protective of his family. He had a dimple in his left cheek when he really smiled. He had the soul of a poet after all he’d been through. His acoustic music could be heartbreakingly beautiful but he could turn around and write a punk rock song seamlessly. He liked to read. He had a record collection. He knew more about music than her. He scowled. He joked around. He understood music better than anyone she’d ever met. He understood her more than anyone she’d ever met. He was the strongest person she knew. His eyes softened when he looked at her. He was intelligent. He had a black leather jacket. He had his fuck it attitude that came from the punk rock, but he’d hugged her when she’d cried...

Keely couldn’t find an end to her list.

Thankful for the fact that her heart was creating a solid curtain between them so Seth couldn’t see her face, Keely forced her hands to keep steady as she bound his wrist on the perfect balance between tight and loose.

However when she was just finishing the job, the wrapping looking neat and precise, she felt herself freeze, her hands becoming immobile as Seth’s good hand reached out, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. Her breath instantly catching. Even though she knew it was a bad idea, Keely tipped her head back, meeting his eyes instantly. There was no hint of laughter, sadness, anger or teasing, his hazel eyes with the overpowering gold highlights were intent and unblinking as they worked over her face. It made her heart miss more than a few beats in her chest.

Gathering what little self control that she had left, Keely wrenched her eyes away and tucked in the very end of the white tape before taking a careful step back, dropping her hand away from her wrist as her heart thumped loudly against her chest. Distance was bad. No, she corrected herself sternly, distance is good. Distance is very good.

“How’s that?” she asked, noticing that her voice was slightly hoarse.

At her words, Seth blinked, but quickly regained himself and grinned at her, flexing his fingers. “Perfect, rebel,” he answered, his voice husky.

Gulping at the low voice that sent shivers racing up her spine, Keely looked frantically around the room for something to distract her. But it was nothing more than a bare guest room. Her eyes landed unintentionally on the bed, and she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks at the thoughts rushing through her head. Being alone with him in a room that had just a bed and a wardrobe did not seem like a good idea.

“I’m going to go grab water,” she announced at random.

Sending her a confused look, Seth responded, “What?”

Hoping that she wasn’t flushing like an idiot, Keely tried to nod convincingly, forcing out a dry cough that sounded rather pathetic to be honest. “Yeah, all the vocal exercises wore my voice out,” she lied, forcing her voice to sound raspy.

His brow furrowed slightly as he looked at her, and Keely couldn’t decide if he looked sceptical or confused. But all he said in response was, “Grab me a water bottle too, okay?”

Sending him an overly bright smile that really didn’t feel right on her face, at least for the moment, she headed thankfully for the door. Yes, half of her wanted to just grab him and press her lips to his, but the rest of her was terrified as well.

Frustrated with herself, Keely rubbed her hand over her forehead, heading down the hall away from Seth’s bedroom. She needed to stop this. She was becoming one of those girls who over thought everything to do with the guy they liked, had she really become that pathetic? She’d always been the one who had been so flippant about such things. But look where it had got her with Tony.

And if she was being honest, had she ever really liked a guy the way she did with Seth? Because ‘like’ felt too feeble of a word.

But she didn’t want to think about the other option, since it would only scare her further and she’d be running away so quickly she would have no idea where she was going. Yes, not thinking was the best option even if it hadn’t helped so far, she decided as she hastily fled down the stairs.

Fighting with her thoughts Keely moved down the hallway towards the kitchen, even if she didn’t need a water, she couldn’t go back up to Seth without them. Not now. Yet as she stepped into the doorway she pulled up to a halt, her hand holding onto the door jamb as if she might bolt in the other direction.

She was just stepping in it now, wasn’t she?

Linda was standing at the counter, cutting apples decisively with a rather large knife, her soft looking blonde hair pooling over her shoulder.

For a moment Keely continued to stand frozen in the doorway, her mind racing. As she saw it, she had two options. Risk an interaction with Linda or head back up to Seth’s room empty handed and have to answer his questions. Neither seemed very welcoming.

Or maybe she could just run away...

A better and better option.

“I know you’re there, Keely,” sighed Linda without looking up, causing Keely to jolt in surprise.

Awkwardly she stood there for a moment, watching as the woman continued to slice the apples, her shoulders rigid.

Remembering the last words she’d said to the woman the day before, she flushed but couldn’t find it in herself to feel guilty. It hadn’t been her place, but she’d been with Seth, seen what it had done to him to see that and she couldn’t do nothing. She and Seth hadn’t spoken about what had happened after she left, so Keely couldn’t even say where she stood with the woman at the moment.

That was something that she didn’t like, being unsure of her footing. Because one stray word could send her tumbling over the edge, landing somewhere she didn’t want to be or somewhere she didn’t know.

It was nerve racking.

“Um... hello?” suggested Keely uncomfortably, letting go of the wall to step forward into the kitchen.

“What do you need?” Linda asked, still not looking up. It was actually beginning to make her nervous, that rhythmic slicing was all too comfortable for the older woman. What could Keely say? The knife was making her a bit anxious, even if murder seemed more than a bit outrageous for Linda’s dislike of her, but you never know.

Side stepping her carefully so that she came nowhere near the knife, she made her way to the stainless steel fridge that had not one fingerprint on it, pulling the door. “I was sent to get water,” Keely responded, her voice slightly stiff as she grabbed the water bottles from the fridge.

“So you two are done up there?” The question was delivered in a harsh tone as Keely shut the fridge door.

But only then did a thought occur to her, and Keely turned about to the woman, looking at her considering.

What did mothers do when they thought something was harming their child? Automatically they went into protective mode, animals killed what they thought might be dangerous. But people? They were more likely to scare the dangerous being away. And though Keely couldn’t pretend to know anything about the time when Seth had been growing up, Linda still was a mother through and through.

Blanching Keely gaped open mouthed at the woman, things beginning to fall into place in her mind. How could she be so stupid about this? It wasn’t like it was some other worldly possibility, she just hadn’t considered it.

Because why wouldn’t Linda be thinking that? She and Seth had never said anything about it, not even thinking about the rumours that gossip magazines had been spreading far and wide, it would definitely reach his mother. All she saw was Seth driving her everywhere as they spent all their time together.

“You know I’m not dating and or sleeping with your son, right?” Keely blurted.

Feeling the weight of the thought, her cheeks flushed hotly. It had to be the most embarrassing moment of her life. Nothing was that embarrassing. The thought of his mother thinking that they were sleeping together, all the time spent on the bus and in hotel rooms across the country.

At the words that had jumped from her mouth, the knife in Linda’s hands skittered and dropped from her grasp. Finally the woman looked up, turning about to look at Keely with a shocked expression, her blue eyes not so icy.

Oh, yes, most embarrassing moment of her life, definitely. Keely could only wish the ground would open up and swallow her.

And they continued to stare at each other with wide eyes.

As it happened Keely felt a vague thought cross her mind. It was the first time she’d noticed any similarity between mother and son. When she’d first moved to New York, Seth had treated her in the almost exact fashion that his mother was treating her now that they were in Green Bay, odd.

“Hey, rebel, you got the water? Marco and Colton are going to be here in a minute, we got to go...” announced Seth, trailing off as he came into view, framed in the doorway.

Finally Keely managed to pull her eyes away from Linda, looking to Seth. He was sending them a baffled expression, apparently sensing the thick tension in the air where they were standing motionless in the kitchen.

He too had stopped moving, but she thought it was most likely from his confusion opposed to the embarrassment she was feeling or whatever was going through Linda’s mind. Apparently he’d finally finished getting ready for the concert, which, for him, meant shrugging his black leather jacket over his white shirt. Seth was holding his old beat up Stratocaster by the neck, his hair sticking up messily in the front with a plain grey toque stuffed in the front pocket of his jeans.

“What’s going on?” he asked eventually, his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.