Page 11 of The Perfect Melody

Obnoxious beeping rouses me from a dreamless sleep, and I fumble to turn off the alarm, struggling to remember what city I’m in. Then it comes back to me. I’m in London. Better still, I’m at Liam and Bailey’s place. Eager to catch up with them, I toss back the covers, throw a hoodie on over my pyjamas, and head down the hall to their open-plan living space.

Bailey perches on a sleek barstool at the dark granite kitchen counter, and Liam’s retrieving glasses from an overhead cupboard when I approach.

“Hey, is that better?” Liam asks when he spots me.

“Much, thank you. A shower and a nap were exactly what I needed,” I reply.

Bailey smiles. “Come sit and we’ll order in. We were thinking Indian food, if that’s good with you?”

“God, yes, it’s been ages since I had a decent curry.”

Forty minutes later, the scent of different spices hangs in the air as we work together laying out the steaming containers on the kitchen counter.

“Cassie, you’re our guest—you grab what you want first,” Bailey instructs, handing me a plate. Liam hugs her from behind and kisses the top of her head, making her smile up at him.

“Thanks.” Doing my best to ignore the pang of longing in my chest over watching them together, I focus on helping myself to some chicken tikka masala, pilau rice, and aloo gobi. They’re so happy, so comfortable with each other. Their easy affection is beautiful, but it’s also a reminder of something I desperately want but know I can’t have.

Liam knew Bailey before he became a household name. There’s never been any doubt that she loves him for who he is. I don’t have anyone like that in my life. The only person who’s been with me since before I was famous is my mother, and I can’t trust her to have my best interests at heart. Finding someone who loves me for me and not what I can do for them is impossible.

I’ve been burned one too many times by guys I thought I could trust who turned out to have ulterior motives. One guy used me to get exposure for his band and ditched me the second they got a record deal. Another sold photos of me to the press. Fortunately, none of the images were risqué, but they were taken inside my home without my knowledge. Supposed fans went wild for the window into my life, not caring that I never consented to letting the details of my private safe space becomepublic knowledge. Miranda was royally pissed too—not because of the violation of my privacy but because the photos of me lounging around my house in leggings and baggy t-shirts didn’t fit with my brand.

After all that, I need a break from having my heart broken. It’s been three years since I last went on a real date. Now I let my team set up my dates for events, or I attend alone. It’s better this way, but it doesn’t make it any less lonely. What Liam and Bailey have is special, and I’m glad my best friend has someone like her in his corner.

“OK, obviously you can totally say no, but I thought you might want to change your look if you’re planning to go incognito. I bought you a box of hair dye,” Bailey says, stepping out of the circle of Liam’s arms to scoop food onto her own plate. “Liam mentioned that you’re not a natural blonde, and it got me thinking that your hair is part of Melody’s signature look, right?”

I grimace. “Yeah, Miranda and the label thought blonde worked better for the whole princess schtick. I’m not sure anyone outside of us, them, Ant, and my hairdresser realises it’s not my natural hair colour.”

“That’s the impression I got too, so—please don’t think I’m creepy—but I did a deep dive and found a video of you singing at your school’s talent show when you were like fourteen or fifteen. You still had brown hair at that point, so I used the video to help me pick a shade for you. From what I can tell, the dye I got should be close to your natural brunette.”

Liam looks at her with a confused frown. “Why didn’t you just ask her for an old photo, Bails?”

She elbows him lightly. “Well, I would have, but I only thought of it this morning and figured she’d have already left her normal phone at home. Oooh that reminds me, we should both get your new number so we can stay in touch while you’re in Pine Grove.”

“Sure, I left my phone in the guest room, but Liam has my new number.” My old phone is locked in my safe back in Nashville. The only people who have the number for my new one are Ant, Liam, and now Bailey.

Liam fishes his phone out of the pocket of his black sweatpants. “There, I just forwarded it to you.”

“Thanks.” Bailey rises onto the balls of her feet to kiss his cheek before turning her attention back to me. “Anyway, back to the hair dye. It’s in the bathroom cabinet of the guest room if you want it.”

“I do, thank you, but um… I’ve never dyed my hair myself before. What if I mess it up?”

“It’s pretty simple, but I can do it for you if you’d like?”

Hesitating, I bite my lip. If I can’t even dye my own hair, how can I expect to survive alone for at least a month? Then again, I don’t want to end up looking like a complete disaster either… “Could you maybe supervise, make sure I’ve not missed any sections?”

Bailey smiles warmly. “Sure, we can do it in the morning.”

Relieved I won’t be left with one random blonde stripe on the back of my head, I tuck into my plate of food. “Oh my God, that’s good.”

“Right? It’s our favourite.” Liam grins.

Quickly, I swallow my mouthful and reply, “I can see why.”

We spend the next hour catching up while eating at the counter, then migrate over to the lounge area to watch a movie.

“What are you in the mood for?” Liam asks us, picking up the remote. He and Bailey are cuddled up at one end of the enormous grey couch while I’m snuggled under a blanket at the opposite end.

“Not horror—I want to actually get some sleep tonight.”