by Bryce Oakley
“Yes,” Billie and Zoey answered in unison.
Meg stared at them both, watching the serious looks on their faces. She glanced at Pia for confirmation and Pia nodded.
“Elaborate? Please?” Meg pleaded.
“It’s going to be a process. You’ll need to communicate and work through the hiccups,” Billie said pragmatically.
“You’ll each have to put yourselves in the other’s position so you can really see where they’re coming from,” Zoey said.
“But I don’t want to do those things, you guys,” Meg whined. She knew she was being childish, but that seemed like so much work for a brand new relationship. Or whatever they were doing.
“You’re just going to have to make sure that you guys are on the same page. It seems like you’ve been able to work well together this time, so that’s a good sign, right?” Billie offered. “You guys were able to compromise about the interview stuff.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think we’re going to be working together again. I mean, at least not until our third album but that won’t be for ages.” Meg felt like she was asking for Billie’s permission to avoid communication.
“To give my unsolicited opinion, it’s always better to figure it out sooner, rather than later,” Pia said with a smile.
It was sound advice, especially coming from Pia. Meg remembered the interview in which Zoey had answered a question about Pia in a different way than the publicists had instructed and all hell had broken loose. It had caused the two of them to break up, but thankfully, they were able to work it out. Meg really liked Pia and Zoey together. They seemed to fit just right.
“Ugh,” Meg said, grabbing a throw pillow and burying her face in it. “Why must y’all assault me with reason and logic?”
Meg found herself with a few hours to kill and a desire to get out of the hotel, so she decided to walk around the 16th Street Mall for a while. She enjoyed people watching and that was as good of a place as any to take in the sights of her favorite oddity — the public.
She bought a small bowl of strawberry ice cream and found a table outside to watch the passers-by.
As she enjoyed the sugary goodness, she couldn’t keep her brain from drifting back to the conversation with Billie, Zoey, and Pia about communication in relationships. Pretty fucked up, Meg figured, that she only just decided to even consider a relationship and there she was, having to think about communication? Bogus.
“Oh, hey beautiful,” a man walking slowly past her in baggy jeans said.
Meg grimaced.
“You got a boyfriend?” He asked.
“Nope, but I’ve got a girlfriend,” she said with a pleased smile.
He squinted, appraising her. “Good for you,” he said. He walked on, clutching at the crotch of his jeans.
Gross.
But also, had she just lied about having a girlfriend without it feeling like a lie?
Meg had never felt like she was the relationship type. Just the fact that she was almost-sort-of-dating Collins felt like a pretty big deal for her, she preferred one-night-stands or quick flings — she did not deal with issues.
Collins was different though, Meg really liked being around her, she liked her sense of humor and the fact that she was so strong and in control. Meg licked the spoon, thinking of the night before. If anyone was worth dealing with icky feelings and issues, it was Collins.
Her mind kept returning to the advice that Pia had given her. Better to figure this out sooner rather than later, especially considering that Pia and Zoey may not have broken up at all had they followed that advice.
Meg did want to keep seeing Collins. She was excited for where it might go, so she knew she needed to address the situation head on, and soon.
Meg walked into the production office an hour later and found Collins sitting behind a desk, typing furiously on her laptop and barking orders into her phone at the same time. Hot, yes, but not exactly the best timing for a heart to heart.
Collins looked up and waved when she saw Meg and held up one finger to signal that she would be right with her. Meg sat down and proceeded to bite at her nails nervously. What was she doing? She had planned out a conversation in her head, but really, what if the conversation went differently than she had pictured?
“Right, so just do your job. That’s all I need,” Collins said firmly into the phone before lowering it from her ear and judging by the forceful tap of her thumb, hanging up. She typed for just a bit more on her laptop before smiling at Meg and standing up to greet her.
“Hey! This is a surprise, what are you up to?” Collins asked, leaning forward to give Meg a quick kiss on the lips.
Even a quick peck made Meg’s stomach leap and twirl.
“I just wanted to talk to you but it’s not important or anything. We can totally talk later,” Meg said hurriedly. She was losing her nerve.
“No, you’ve got good timing. What’s up?” Collins looked serious yet caring — it was a bit unnerving.
Ugh, it looked like Meg was going to have to go through with their talk.
“I was talking to Billie, Zoey, and Pia earlier and we were talking about what it’s like to date someone in the public eye or in the same industry as you or whatever and it got me really thinking,” Meg said, the words spilling out of her mouth with impressive speed. Why was she talking so fast? She took a deep breath before going on.
“This is just a completely different situation than what I’m used to and I wanted to tell you that I’m in this if you are and I’m excited and I’m pretty sure that what I need from you is complete honesty, if that makes sense?” Meg looked into Collins’ eyes, hoping she would see some agreement and shared sentiment there.
Collins’ brow was furrowed in confusion, but she nodded and motioned for Meg to go on.
“Do you think we can make that agreement? To be honest and truthful with each other? It’s important to me that we are able to trust each other, especially since we’re in the same industry and working together right now,” Meg said. She looked at Collins for some reaction, but she was silent. “What are your thoughts about that?”
“I get what you’re saying. It’s much more complicated because we work together, but we won’t be working together for that long, so try not to stress,” Collins said lightly.
“So you’re saying yes, full honesty? Or are you saying no? I’m confused,” Meg said, cocking her head to the side.
“I’m saying I agree, we should be honest with each other, Meg. I like to think I’m a pretty honest person, so I think we’ll be alright.” Collins winked at Meg.
Meg was relieved and let out a long breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
“Good. Perfect. Yes, that’s what I needed to hear, thank you,” Meg smiled at Collins. “Pia was talking about how she and Zoey could have avoided issues if they had been more open with each other and it just got my head going, you know?”
“Wait, this is Pia’s suggestion?” Collins asked, her tone shifting significantly happier. She was smiling widely. “Then I’m 100% on board. That woman is so smart.”
Meg smacked Collins playfully on the arm.
“Wait,” Collins said, grabbing her by the arm before she could bolt from the room. “I’m in this, too.”
“So, we’re…” Meg started, trying to find the right word.
“Dating,” Collins said.
“Cool,” Meg said, holding her hand up for a high-five.
“You’re such a dork,” Collins said, laughing. She leaned in to give Meg a softer kiss, then playfully smacked Meg’s ass. “Now scram, I’m working here.”
Meg left the office with a smile on her face, confident that her big bad talk had gone pretty well, if she did say so herself.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Collins
“You have got to be kidding me,” Collins said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
“You love it, don’t you?” Jake asked, smiling widely. He held his jacket open and spu
n around, giving Collins a good look at his outfit.
Collins looked Jake up and down. His hair looked perfect, his jacket was the exact right fit, his pants and shoes flattering his body perfectly. But his shirt.
“Dude. ‘Meghan Koo Is My Boo’ — seriously?” Collins looked at the shirt that her brother had made for the occasion. It was black with huge sparkly blue letters.
“She’s going to love it, I just know it!” Jake was laughing and bouncing around.
“I can’t believe you’re wearing that. You’re such a fanboy,” Collins laughed.
“Let’s go grab you a drink, then you can say hey to the band before they go on,” Collins offered.
Collins knocked on the door of the band’s green room, and was surprised when Pia answered the door.
“Oh, hey Collins. Come on in. Nice to see you again,” Pia said with such friendliness that Collins began to wonder if Meg had told her about the praise that Collins had been heaping on her.
“Oh my gosh, Pia Marino. What?” Jake said in an attempted whisper that had the opposite effect as the words traveled directly to Pia’s ears.
“How nice to meet you, I’m Pia. You must be Collins’ brother, right?” Pia said as she reached out and shook Jake’s hand.
Jake stayed quiet with his eyes and mouth open wide.
“Good Lord, Pia, let them in!” Zoey called from inside the room.
Pia opened the door wide and gave Jake a right-this-way sort of gesture.
Collins could guess the moment Meg saw Jake and his shirt the moment she heard Meg’s shout of laughter. She laughed so hard that her eyes started to water and Zoey had to touch up her eyeliner.
“You said it was going to be amazing, but I’ll admit that I did not know the extent of your talent,” Meg said when she had composed herself at last.
Collins raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t realized that Jake and Meg had been talking. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Jake had wheedled his way into a friendship with Meg. He was hard not to like.
While Meg, Jake, and Pia chatted about the t-shirt making process and Jake showed off photos of some of his favorite creations — undoubtedly some of those photos would be of Collins and Ollivander in matching shirts — Collins sat down on the couch next to Domino.
“Hey,” Collins said in as friendly a manner as ever to Domino. She had never been either friendly or unfriendly, so she figured with all the drama between Domino and Meg, she should try to stay neutral with Domino, considering she was also Collins’ coworker.
“How’s it going?” Domino said by way of greeting.
The two of them sat in awkward silence for a bit, both fiddling with their phones before Domino finally broke the silence.
“Meg is… she’s the greatest. And if you hurt her, I’ll hurt you, got it?” Domino said, pressing her lips into a fine line.
Collins looked quickly to Domino’s face, seeing the seriousness and the pain there and decided maybe neutral wasn’t the way to go here.
“Noted. And I respect that,” Collins said, nodding. “So why don’t you two just make up? I’m sure you can both just apologize and move on, right?” She tried her best to make it sound like she wasn’t issuing an order, understanding that most of the things she said came across that way whether she wanted them to or not.
Domino looked across the room at Meg and sighed.
“I know we’ll make up eventually but if there’s one thing Mego is good at, it’s holding a grudge. But, fine. Let’s see how it goes,” Domino said before standing up and crossing the room to where Meg sat with Jake.
Collins watched as Domino and Meg moved away from the group to the far side of the room. She wanted to discreetly throw something at her brother, because he was obviously trying to listen to their conversation. She pulled out her phone, giving him a pointed look until he checked his own.
Collins: STOP
Jake: What? Dunno what you’re talking about.
Collins: Leave them alone!
Jake: Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in later on what they’re saying.
Collins glared at him with her best big-sisterly I’m-serious-stop-that face. She would have walked over to Jake to smack him around, but Billie chose that moment to sit down on the couch next to her.
“Jake, have you met Billie?” Collins asked loudly, forcing him to abandon his eavesdropping and join her and Billie on the couch.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Billie, I’m a huge fan!” Jake gushed.
“And I’m a fan of your shirt, where can I buy one?” Billie asked kindly.
Billie and Jake chatted amiably for a few minutes before Billie turned to Collins.
“I’m really excited for the show tonight. It’ll be a nice dress rehearsal for Saturday,” Billie said.
“That’s a great way of thinking of it, and I like that you’re still focused on Saturday. This show will be fun, but the Red Rocks show is for all the marbles,” Collins said.
“Yeah, there’s nothing like Red Rocks,” Billie said, her voice slipping into a dreamy quality.
“It’s the best. My favorite venue of all time,” Collins said, feeling proud of her hometown hero.
Billie looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding and falling silent beside Collins.
When it was finally time for Collins and Jake to take their seats and for the band to go on, Collins saw that Meg and Domino were still deep in conversation, but it didn’t seem to be going very well.
Domino always seemed to say the first thing that came to mind and that tactic must not have gone over well with Meg, since she looked upset.
Collins mentally kicked herself for encouraging Domino to try to make up with Meg. She gave them all a wave and a general “break a leg” to the room before dragging Jake out of the room and down to where they could watch.
Collins and Jake had great seats, but in such a small, intimate setting there weren’t any bad seats. Collins was excited to see the band from the audience, she was planning to make some notes about what shots they could get for Saturday’s show and more ideas for how to film them practicing.
She had worked with Garrett, the new Director of Photography to set up the cameras for this particular show, and was hoping she could have Garrett intercut the footage of this show with some of the footage of them practicing. She was still considering the angles when the band took the stage.
Meg looked beautiful. She was always gorgeous, but when she was sitting behind her instrument, she was a sight to behold and seeing her on stage, it was even more apparent. Collins leaned forward in her seat to see Meg, the confidence oozing out of her.
Collins could feel more than see that Jake was staring at her.
“You’ve got it bad,” he said with a knowing smile.
“Hush,” Collins replied grumpily, hiding a smile — she knew he was right.
The new setlist worked so well that Collins made a note to congratulate Billie on her suggestions. The songs flowed so well from one to the next that it resulted in a feeling of one song with so many different verses.
And true to her style, Collins scribbled a long list of notes to give the band for things they should change or perfect before Saturday.
She was so eager for the special to be perfect. The band might think she was nitpicking a bit, but it was important that anything that could be made better was brought up. She would suggest Billie move another six inches to her right after she took the mic off the stand during the third song. There was also a moment when Zoey seemed to be so into the music that she was dancing but the rest of the band wasn’t, so she wanted them to watch the tapes tomorrow so they could come up with the right moves for Zoey if she insisted on dancing.
The song Collins was most eager to hear was saved for last as their next single. It was “Just Another Howl at the Moon,” and Collins was looking forward to seeing the drum solo that she and Meg had worked on so hard.
Collins was mesmerized by Meg. She was so impressed with Meg’s ability to las
er focus.
She had seen it in her the first time they worked together, when Collins produced the Kaleidoscope album. She knew now that she had been insisting Meg do take after take because she wanted to see that focus again.
She had fancied herself a bit of a scientist, trying to replicate the data — each take a new experiment. Again and again, Meg would zone in on what she needed to do, and Collins found it inspiring. She was less inspired when Meg had finally hit her limit and told her to fuck right off. Or maybe it was that she was even more inspired?
Watching Meg play through the song for the millionth time on this stage in front of a crowd, it made Collins feel a deep sense of pride. Not just for herself, and there was plenty of that for having had a hand in such incredible work, but for Meg.
Meg was an artist. She was weaving the sounds, feelings, and colors together and Collins knew that naming the album Kaleidoscope was about so much more than the name of the first single.
Meg was a kaleidoscope herself. She was incredible. Ever-changing, ever-stunning.
It wasn’t until after the song ended that Collins realized that Meg was crying.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Meg
Meg played the song. She sang the chorus in her head. She did her part. She did her work. For the first time ever, she had been moved to tears. Not because of her performance, not because of the crowd, but because the words hit home in a way they never had before.
“If it’s nothing to you, then it’s nothing to me.” How could Meg have been so wrong about Collins?
“I thought you were in this, but you’re just in a fling.” Meg had poured her heart out to Collins, at least as much as she was able. She knew now that Collins had just been using her.
“We didn’t both catch feelings, ‘cause you are immune.” The sky was falling. The world was ending. Meg felt so, so incredibly stupid for believing it all.
