Hollywood Heartthrob

17

17
#Rendall

"GODDAMMIT, RYAN," Kendall mutters to herself as she looks at her neck in the mirror. There were hickeys—lots of them along her neck and chest that she hadn't noticed earlier.

She blends foundation onto her neck, cursing herself for already being late. After covering her neck and chest with makeup, Kendall exits her apartment and heads to her car. She still wasn't used to driving the Mercedes, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to it.

As she enters the trendy café, a man who looked as if he were in his early twenties spots Kendall and waves her over. He had wild curly brown hair that fell just above his shoulders. He quickly stands from his seat and pulls out Kendall's chair. She sits as she places her laptop on the table along with her journal, and he sits back in his seat.

"Hey," he smiles, a friendly energy radiating off him. "I'm Tristan."

"I'm—"

"Kendall," Tristan finishes. "A simple, yet beautiful name. It means 'the Kent river valley', which is a river in the west of England—a beautiful place, really."

"You travel?"

"Whenever I can. It helps me with inspiration, which brings me to the next topic of conversation: what inspires you, Kendall?"

Slightly surprised, Kendall leans back in her seat. She wasn't sure about what inspired her. She always knew she want to sing, but she didn't know where the idea had came from. Singing was just something she knew she was passionate about, and it didn't really need an explanation.

"I actually don't know," Kendall admits.

Tristan smiles a bright, gleaming smile at Kendall. "Of course, you do. You just haven't unearthed it yet." He leans forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers. "Who is Kendall Morgan? What are you about?"

Kendall didn't know what these questions had to do with songwriting, but she answers anyway. "Well, singing—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Tristan interrupts. "Singing doesn't define you. When I look at you, I see a hard-working young woman who values the opinions of others, but maybe a little too much. Since you got here you've presented yourself to me as someone who's well-put together, but I can tell that there's so much more to you than a sophisticated individual."

She didn't know why, but Kendall could feel herself getting annoyed. Who was this guy and who was he to think he had Kendall all figured out? What he said was true, but that was beside the point.

Opening her laptop, Kendall responds. "I came here to write a song, not to be told who I am."

The corner of Tristan's mouth turns up. "Okay. It just helps me to understand who I'm working with."

Shaking her head, Kendall puts her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed because I've been working for this for so long, and I don't want to mess up."

"It's all right. With songwriting I've found that it's easier to let loose."

Kendall nods. "Ask me another question."

Tristan thinks for a moment. "What do you value most?"

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