It's been close to a year since Sean and Jo got back together.

She's been quickly moving up the ladder as one of the top producers in Nashville, right below Joey Moi who is arguably the greatest producer of all time.

She's working her ass off and bringing in the bucks like it's nobody's business.

Right now, Jo is working herself to the bone. Things have been stockpiled one on top of another between Michael, Morgan and Sean all putting out new music.

Not to mention how Riley keeps dropping single after single about Jo- that sounds so vain.

Jo had no idea she'd be the physical embodiment of a song like Carly Simon's You're So Vain but damn, she really is.

It's been a year since Sean and Jo got back together meaning there's probably another girl in Riley's life so they could be about her.

Not everything he puts out is about her.

She just finished a few songs that she's been working on for a couple days. She's been pulling twelve hour days to get these tracks out on time and she's a candle burned at both ends.

Jo rolls her neck, moaning when it cracks then she rubs her eyes. "Coffee for Miss Hanson."

"Thanks." She chuckles, taking a cup from Michael as he sits in the chair next to her. "You don't gotta stay."

"No, I know." He responds. "I just thought you'd want company while you're workin' overtime."

Jo smiles. "Thanks." She turns back to her panel and starts the track. "Michael, this song is just so heartfelt."

Give Heaven Some Hell is a track that Michael came up with, branched off another song he wrote. The first time she heard this song, it brought her to tears.

As she sits at her desk, the track pouring through the speakers, tears jerk in her throat again. She clears her throat weakly, brushing away a stray tear.

"You okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah. I'm just tired." Michael gives her a soft look that makes her feel safe and heard. "Just a bunch of shit on my plate."

She messes with the switches. "On the bright side, this is my last song for the week."

"That's good. You can finally enjoy a weekend."

"Shit, it's Friday isn't it."

Michael nods. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just- Sean doesn't like- I told Sean I'd be home in half an hour." She glances at him. "But that ain't gonna happen, fuck."

Tears swell in her eyes again.

"Hey, what's goin' on?"

"Nothin'." She shakes her head as she plays the song again. She clicks her tongue, her heart racing as she bounces her leg.

In an hour, she's finally finishing the song. "Okay, this is set for next week." She exhales shakily, standing.

Jo quickly, and clumsily, gathers her things. "I'll- I'll see you on Monday."

Michael feels something in the air, something... sinister. Maybe it's just because she's been working her ass off.

+++

By the time Monday rolls around, Michael is there at Jo's door to check on her but she never shows up for work.

He brushes it off.

She's probably taking a break from overworking herself and needed a long weekend.

But his worries grow when she doesn't show up for work until Wednesday. She's never missed a day of work, let alone two.

Michael pokes his head into the studio she's cooped up in. His eyes dilate at the darkness and focus on the shadow hunched over the board, a silhouette outlined by a barely lit laptop screen.

"Hey, you okay?" Michael asks in a quiet tone. Her somber mood practically soaks into his bones and he matches her energy.

"Yes." She mumbles, her voice is dry.

"How was your weekend?" Hes trying to be his usual friendly self with her but her vibes are bringing him down.

It's probably just how dark and dreary the room is.

"Fine." She keeps her head down.

He notices that she's wearing a ball cap and a hood pulled up over it. He doesn't want to press but with the way she's acting out of character has him worried.

He sits next to her. "Who's this?" He asks, referring to the song playing.

"Ernest Smith. Some kickass songwriter who's lookin' for new collaboration. Y'all should work with Morgan on some new singles."

"The hell happened to you?" He asks when he catches a glimpse of her swollen lip.

"Michael- no- stop!" She smacks his hand away when he tries to take her hood off. "Don't."

His stomach drops.

He's known Sean since he moved to Nashville and he never took him to be a 'wife beater'.

"Are you... Are you okay? Like safe?"

"I'm fine, Michael. Just drop it." She stands and leaves the room, keeping her head down.

+++

"Oh, I'm sorry." A soft voice says behind Jo.

"My total bad." She responds, glancing up at the guy she bumped into at the diner she's picking lunch up from.

Her cheeks warm up when she sees Riley looking back at her. "Jo, hey." His blue eyes run over her swollen lip and bruised eye. Anger immediately fills his chest.

"Riley." She whispers back, forgetting about the work Sean left on her skin. "Hey."

They stand in an intense moment of silence before his name is called for his pick up order.

"Hey, would you wanna, I dunno, get a drink sometime?" He asks, looking down at the carry-out bag in his hand.

Jo gingerly licks her busted lips and nods. "Sure. I'm- I'm free tonight. I'll- I'll meet you somewhere."

"Crossroads at seven?"

"Sure. I'll see- sure, I'll see you there." She says quickly then she's out the door.

He exhales heavily, watching her walk down the street with her lunch tight in his hand.

It's his fault, what Sean did to her.

If he hadn't fucked everything up that one day, they'd still be together and she wouldn't be Sean's goddamn punching bag.

+++

Jo boldly ignores her boyfriend's calls and texts as she gets dressed. He's got some photoshoot in downtown Nashville so she's solo-dolo tonight.

She puts on a pair of blue jeans, a tank top and an old flannel that she stole from Lip with her boots then she's heading out the door to the Uber she ordered for the night.

It's a quiet ride to Broadway. Her driver makes small talk as they take the outerbelt of Nashville. Jo thanks her for the ride and slips out of the car.

She finds a table toward the back of the narrow building after ordering a drink from the cute bartender.

Jo checks her phone.

6:55

Riley should be here soon.

Jo watches a guy set up his small array of gear. He does sound check by himself then he's getting situated on his barstool.

"Hey." Jo looks up and smiles slightly at Riley. He sits next to her and sighs quietly. "You been waitin' long?"

"Nah, I just got here." She responds, running her thumb around the circumference of her plastic cup. "So, uh, how ya been?"

"Been good." He responds. "You?"

"Been good."

The guy starts playing a song that drowns out their dull conversation.

"Heard you been a busy beaver over at Big Loud."

"Yessir, been pullin' sixty hour weeks." She says awkwardly.

She doesn't want to let him back in. They've been apart for almost two years so it's kind of hard to just jump back into it.

Jo keeps her head down as Riley talks. She can't bring herself to meet his eye line.

Riley's concerned. She's never been this weak- this hollow before.

He wants her back in his life- friends or whatever- but how is that going to happen if she can't bring herself to talk to even look at him.

Is she still upset with him?

Or is it something more along the lines of whoever she's seeing now beating the shit out of her?

After their quiet date, Riley gives her his number. "If you wanna hang out again or- or just wanna talk, don't be a stranger." He says softly. "Okay?"

Jo has tears in her throat as she nods. "Thank you."

"Where did you park? I know it ain't safe for a little lady to walk 'round here by yourself."

"I didn't drive."

"How're you gettin home? Uber?"

"Yeah." She pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Shit. I forgot they stop runnin' after nine." She sighs.

"I can give you a ride home."

"Oh- no- I can't- I can't ask you to-"

"It's not a big deal. C'mon, I parked up there." He goes to take her hand but stops himself.

When they squeeze through a crowd at a crosswalk, Jo grabs his hand so they don't get separated. Riley smiles to himself, keeping his fingers tightly laced with hers.

Riley opens the passenger side door for Jo then shuts it when she's in the cab.

They're on the way back to her house, the radio playing softly between them. Riley keeps glancing over at Jo from time to time, his heart feeling heavier and heavier each time he sees the marks on her face.

He pulls up to the house and sees her tense up. "What? What's up?" He asks, parking.

She licks her lips and shakes her head. "Sean's home." She quietly picks up her purse. "Thanks for the ride." Riley sighs heavily as he watches her head inside of the house.

He misses her a helluva lot more than he thought.

+++

"Hey Jo- hey, why are you- what's- why're you cryin'?" Michael asks when he sees his friend sitting on the black leather couch of her studio with her head in her hands.

"It's nothin'." She responds, waving him off. She chokes up when he sits next to her and wraps his tattooed arm around her shoulders like Dwight did with Pam in the Office.

She turns and wraps her arms around his neck, borderline sobbing into his neck. He says nothing as he rubs her back in a friendly, comforting way.

"Sean asked me to marry him." She cries out, gripping the fabric of his shirt in tight fists.

"I thought that was a good thing." He responds, still rubbing her back.

"I can't- I- I don't wanna marry him." She whimpers. "He- I'm not-"

"Hey." Michael pulls back, his hands wrapping around her upper arms as he looks her in the eyes. "Take a deep breath, okay?"

She grabs his arms and nods, doing as she's told. "I'm sorry." She whispers, locking eyes with him as he grounds her from an incoming panic attack.

"Start again."