They have an unspoken rule between them now.

No hooking up with each other.

It's not fair of either one of them so they just cut it out all together.

School kicked back in session, they haven't been able to see each other since but that's probably a good thing.

Jo's been in her bedroom, stressed to the max and classes just started.

Riley, on the other hand, has been thinking about dropping out.

He's bored. This isn't what he wants to be doing. He wants to be making music. He wants to be a musician not a music therapist or whatever. He can't see himself going to work in a 9-5 office building wearing polos and slacks and a stupid fuckin tie.

That isn't Riley Green.

He can't tell Jo that he wants to quit. That might disrupt the peace in the house and probably stress her out even more.

She might get the idea that she has to move out if he quits. She wouldn't have to. He'd still live there but just not go to school anymore.

He really wants to quit.

He wants to take a trip to Nashville to see if he's got what it takes.

Fuck college.

+++

"Riley, what the hell are you still doin' up?"

Riley looks up from the bright laptop screen in front of him. His eyes are bloodshot with dark bags under them. "What?"

"It's two in the mornin'." Jo whines, half asleep, making her way from the steps to the couch. "Why are you still up?"

"Been- been tryna write some paper." He says through a yawn. "It's a lot harder than it looks."

Jo slumps over on the couch next to him, her head on his shoulder. "You're writin' a paper?"

"Tryin' to."

"Need help?" Riley looks at her with a small confused look. "What?"

"Sure."

Jo crosses her legs and looks over what he's been working on. She silently reads over the paragraph chunks typed out and bites her lip. "If you put that there then this there, it'll be easier to make it flow."

"Huh."

"Your laptop is bouta die." She states, picking it up. "C'mon." Riley follows her to his bedroom, rubbing his face as he lays on his bed.

She plugs the computer in then lays next to him on her front. She's good at writing papers but hates doing it. Riley needs her help so she's more than willing to do so.

When Riley's soft snores make their way to Jo's ears, she sighs quietly. She opens Spotify and turns on some music on a low volume, chugging along on his thesis.

But, within ten minutes, she's asleep too.

+++

"Nashville?"

"Yeah. But just for a day or two."

"You's gon' leave me all by myself? All by my lonesome?"

"Joey, it'll be fine."

"Ri..." Riley locks eyes with Jo and she sighs quietly. "Fine." She nods. "I'm just- I'm just gonna miss you."

He blushes. "You're gonna miss me? Really?"

"Well, yeah..."

He giggles. "That's real cute." He cups her cheek. "I'll be back Sunday mornin', okay?"

"Okay." She nods, glancing between his eyes and lips. "Hey, take pictures for me. I've never been to Nashville before."

"You got it, baby." He winks. "I'll take you next time. Deal?"

"Hell yeah."

Riley smiles and pulls back. "I gotta get goin'. I got a thing at three."

"Drive safe. Call me when you get there, okay?" She says as she follows him out to the front door. "Okay?"

"I will, I promise." He says, tossing his bag in the passenger side footwell. "Come here."

Jo makes her way to him and wraps her arms around his middle tightly, inhaling deeply. She's really going to miss him and he's going to miss her.

"Drive safe." She repeats.

"I will." He promises again, locking eyes with her. "I gotta get goin'."

She nods, pulling away. Riley sighs quietly then forces himself to get into the cab of his truck. This is going to be hard for the both of them. They haven't spent a night apart since they moved in together.

Jo watches him drive off then gets back inside, shutting the door behind her. She looks around and sighs. This feels so weird, being alone in the house.

She visibly jumps when her phone dings.

Hey

Who is this

Sean Stemaly.

How's it going? You doing alright down there?

It's great, thanks.

You busy this weekend?

Why

I got a gig in Jacksonville Saturday night

Cool. Where at?

Some bar off campus I think

I'll think about it

It's at 7

Brother's Bar

I hope you come. I wanna talk to you.

Jo sighs heavily as she sets her phone on the counter. Sean definitely had a hand in this booking. He told her he doesn't want to come back to Jacksonville unless it was to bring her home.

But she has no plans this weekend with Riley being away so, against her better judgement, she decides to go.

+++

Jo sighs heavily as she hops up on a chair, her feet dangling as she sits at a high top table. The bartender knows her so she didn't bother ID'ing her and served her her usual order of a screwdriver and a glass of water.

She watches Sean and another guy set up the stage in the corner of the bar and her heart starts pounding in her throat.

Sean's blue eyes land on Jo and naturally, he hops off the stage and makes his way to her table. "Hey, I wasn't sure you'd make it."

"Yeah, me neither." She takes a sip from her drink. "What do you want, Sean?"

"I just wanna apologize for everythin', Jo. Everythin'." She swallows harshly. "I'm so sorry for everythin'."

She rolls her lips into her mouth. "Thanks."

"Really, I feel real awful."

"Yeah, you should."

"I know and I do. Jo, will you give me another chance? I've changed. I've really changed and I wanna show you that I've changed, please."

So many red flags go off in her eyes but she follows her heart.

"Yo, Sean. Let's go!"

He steps away from her table and returns to the stage to finish setting up.

A few minutes before his set starts, Jo heads to the bar to order Sean a beer.

She watches the bartender hand him a plastic cup. She tells him something Jo can't hear but it was about her. Sean shoots her his infamous flirty smile as he takes a drink of his beer.

She blushes and rests her chin on the heel of her hand, watching him.

He takes a quick break, a few songs in to hit the restroom but he stops at the bar before to order Jo another drink; a shot of whiskey and an Alabama Slammer.

"This next one is one I haven't played live yet." He says, another beer in his hand. "I wrote it about my girlfriend, she's here tonight." He uses his cup to point at Jo who awkwardly waves. "This is As Far As I Know."

Jo orders another shot to help calm her nerves as Sean sings.

"...Can't think of nothin' that would be worse

Than the thought of me losing her

'Cause she's the best there is

As far as I know..."

Everything about this song screams bullshit but the look on his face says sorry.

Maybe Sean has actually changed.

She'll give him another shot.

Another shot.

Jo orders a third shot and she's buzzed. One more should do it. She knocks back a third and giggles at herself.

She has no idea what time it is when Sean is packing up his stuff.

Jo goes up to the stage with a fistful of fresh confidence and the promise of either sex or masturbation. She leans against the stage and looks up at Sean, giving him that look.

He says something to her but she isn't listening. Instead of paying attention, she grabs the front of his t-shirt and pulls him down for a sloppy kiss.

He's surprised at first, he has no reason to be. He was totally expecting this to happen tonight. Hell, he was expecting this to happen as soon as he got his gig booked the day after Jo had moved out of Kentuckiana.

She says nothing as she takes his hand and leads him outside.

They end up at her house.

Jo gets the door unlocked and as soon as they're inside, she's pressing Sean back against it, kissing him again.

He blindly sets his guitar case against the kitchen table to free his hands for her waist, hoisting her to sit on the tabletop.

She gets her hands under his shirt and pushes it off, her fingertips trailing over his fresh chest tattoo. She rests her forehead against his jaw, breathing heavily.

She looks up while she's guiding his hands to the hem of her black dress. He tugs it up and off her body.

Jo's clumsily leading him to her bedroom, a trail of clothes following them from the front door, through the kitchen, up the stairs and into her open bedroom.

+++

Riley yawns as he locks his truck, his bag slung over his shoulder. He goes to unlock the front door but he sees that it's cracked. He pushes it open and is met with a knocked over chair, clothes on the floor and a guitar case against the kitchen table.

He furrows his brows closing the door behind him. He picks up a shoe and the pool of a black dress and sighs.

Jo must've gotten lucky while he was gone.

Thank god it was when he was gone.

He follows the trail up the stairs and to her bedroom. His tired eyes land on a man sleeping on his front, facing away from the door, his Kentuckiana tattooed arm hanging over the edge of the bed and Jo asleep on her side, facing the wall.

Kentuckiana.

Why does that tattoo look so-

Sean.

She hooked up with Sean.