Evan’s morning meeting threw a wrench in Jane’s plan to avoid Rob like the plague from the comfort of her room until she decided what to say. She kept sipping a cold glass of water to keep her face from flushing every time he turned even slightly in her direction, and Evans praise during the meeting didn’t help. It did feel good, however, to hear that they had a chance of getting their work out there before MAE dominated the airwaves once again.

After hearing that Rob would be leaving for a Guitar Center, she caught her breath. It’d buy her at least a couple of hours to figure out how the hell she would explain herself. Her eyes met Sam’s and put a finger to her lips. A silent plea to not say anything to Austin. Much to her surprise, he agreed with a slight nod.

As Rob was leaving, Jane offered a meek “good luck!” as she hobbled down the hallway to her room, where she plopped down on the bed and groaned heavily. 

Part of her wanted to apologize to him, to say it was a stupid, stupid thing she did and that it didn’t mean anything. 

But that would be a lie.

And Rob deserved the truth, not this song and dance they’d be doing since arriving. Jane would tell him that she still had feelings for him, and that although she planned to stuff those feelings down for the duration of their reunion, she couldn’t help herself anymore.

The worst he could do was not feel the same. But that kiss, it felt like something. Jane could only hope she wasn’t wrong. 

Austin appeared in her doorway, eying her up and down. “How are you feeling?”

Jane pushed the hair out of her face and shrugged. “My face hurts, my ankle’s throbbing. I’m not excited to be in a video looking like this.”

Austin approached her and helped prop her foot up. “It’ll be memorable at least.” He examined the gash on her eyebrow, which had scabbed over and was starting to heal. “It makes you look tough.”

They both laughed, but then Jane sighed. “I’m gonna sleep for a bit, yeah?”

“Alright. I’ll wake you up when we start getting ready for the shoot. You need anything?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

[center]***[/center]

“Yo,” Sam called into Jane’s room. “The make up artist is here. Wanna fix your face?”

“I’ll be out in ten,” she responded from deep under the comforter, and once the door was shut, she got out of bed and hopped to her closet. She settled on a black tank top with a pair of black low rise, flared jeans, and she brushed her hair out until it fell in neat waves that cascaded down her back. Evan said to dress up nice, but he also knew what to expect from her.

Jane’s crutches brought her to the dining room, and she was greeted by a tall brunette in her early twenties named Brenna, obviously in a rush. The make up artist motioned towards a chair, which Jane sat in promptly, letting her get to work. To the right, a team was setting up two cameras, lighting, and the band’s equipment in the adjacent living room that overlooked the pool. With the right timing, the sun would be setting behind them as they played. 

In her peripheral vision, Rob appeared, and before she could second guess herself, she reached out a hand and grabbed his wrist as he was walking by. “Let’s talk after this,” she whispered before Brenna redirected her attention to her. Jane let go of Rob and closed her eyes, adrenaline rushing through her veins. No going back now.

“Well, I’m no magician,” Brenna sighed, stepping back and looking at Jane with a critical eye, “but that’s as good as we’re gonna get.” She handed a mirror to Jane. 

“That’s crazy,” she gawked, her handing reaching up to the gash on her eyebrow, now camouflaged with concealer. 

Brenna slapped it away. “Don’t touch. Now, for the eyes.”

[center]***[/center]

It took three takes, but the live, acoustic version of Everything was officially filmed and recorded. The band, minus Jane, helped load the vans with equipment, and when they were finishing up, Jane decided enough was enough. She couldn’t sit there mulling over what to say any longer.

“Wanna cigarette?” Jane nudged Rob’s arm while every one else seemed distracted. 

Once they’d both lit their cigarettes, Jane leaned her crutches against the wall and slid down into one of the patio chairs. “About last night, I’m-I’m sorry I jumped you like that…”

[i]Good start, keep going.[/i]

“The truth is… I’ve never quite…”

Another drag of her cigarette. She was buying time; even if just a second.

“I’ve never gotten over you, Rob.”

“Hey guys!” Austin’s voice boomed from the sliding glass door. He must have seen the anxiety written all over Jane’s face, because he paused and looked back and forth between the two of them. “We’re gonna take the crew out for some drinks…Jane I know it’s not your scene, but I think it’d be fun for all of us to get out of the house a bit.”

“Uh, sure,” Jane replied, caught off guard. She immediately regretted her answer. 

“Hell yeah. Rob, I already know you’re down. Let’s go!” 

Jane put her cigarette out and let Austin help her up, and as they headed for the door, Jane turned around and mouthed out an “I’m sorry.”

The anticipation of what Rob had to say was killing her, but she’d have to wait a little longer.