CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Flying out of the restrooms, Rayna nearly tripped over when Deacon called her name. She turned around, her strawberry blonde hair flying across her face as she spun. Her smile surprised him and Deacon caught his breath, returning the smile as he walked towards her. Although she seemed to be flustered, she looked incredible tonight.

"Hey." He greeted, realising that he'd been staring.

"Hey." Rayna mimicked, grinning as she crossed her arms. "What are you doin' back here?"

"What are you doin' back here? After all, this is your nomination party, you really should be out there with your people."

"Deacon Claybourne, are you bein' one of those people who likes waitin' outside of restrooms?" She smirked, ignoring his question as she referenced a conversation where their roles had been reversed over a month ago. "Were you waitin' for me?"

"Me?" He laughed, shaking his head. "I am definitely not one of those people."

"Mmmhmm." She replied, unconvinced as she cocked her head. "It's just a coincidence you were here when I walked out then."

"Yeah." He grinned.

Holding a hand to her head, Rayna closed her eyes as she exhaled. Relief sprung within as they stood in silence. She had prepared herself for a war of words when he'd called her name, especially after she had up and left the Bluebird so quickly last night. But when she'd turned around his smile had taken her by surprise, defusing her apprehension and drawing her in. He wasn't pushing for a fight and she didn't want to be pulling him into one, however there was something about his gaze that made her curious. Rayna relaxed, embracing the quiet between them.

"You havin' fun tonight?" Deacon asked, looking in the direction of the doors that led to the party. Rayna peeked at him, scrunching up her nose when she realised that he'd been talking to her.

"Not really…You know how much I hate people fussin'…I'd be fine with celebratin' with people I love, hot chocolate and some s'mores." Rayna commented, pulling at her sleeves as they moved to lean against a wall opposite the restrooms.

"I love me some s'mores."

"Who says you're invited?" She challenged. Deacon shook his head and she smiled playfully.

"You could just leave…I'm sure Juliette wouldn't mind takin' your place under that spotlight out there with another song."

"The last time I tried to leave early at somethin' like this…it didn't go down too well, remem-"

"-Before you start, I remember bein' the one who got a yellin' at from Bucky." Deacon interrupted, shaking his head as he pointed at her. "Somethin' about me supposedly puttin' ideas in your head and I did nothin' of the sort…You had your mind set on goin' back to the hotel and I sure as hell wasn't complaining-"

"-It was 14 years ago…How can you remember that?! You've clearly got it wrong because I was definitely not the one at fault." She insisted, throwing a hand up as she smiled.

"Do you really wanna go there?" Deacon challenged. "Coz I'm pretty sure I remember what happened when we got back to that hotel, you-"

"-Alright alright, you keep thinkin' I'm wrong while you go and run off to be Juliette's back up dancer or somethin'….Shouldn't you be tuning a guitar, runnin' a song or gettin' ready for her performance?" Rayna teased, changing the conversation. "She's been givin' me dirty looks all night…I wouldn't wan-"

"-I ain't no one's back up dancer." Deacon retorted, crossing his arms. "Unless y'all are singin' Single Ladies tonight…then I'll definitely whip out some of the moves Juliette's dancers have been teachin' me-"

"-Shut up." Rayna shrieked, punching his arm. "Makin' fun of me is just plain rude…Besides, you never know, maybe I'll get my Single Ladies on tonight for the whole Edgehill family…I was thinkin' Marshall would really love it if I-"

"-I was here for your sound check…you didn't sing that, you sang Stompin' Grounds."

"Liam's all for the idea."

"Of course he is." Deacon scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "He's lovin' this."

"Wow." Rayna smirked, secretly loving that he was trying to hide his jealousy.

"What?"

"You really hate it don't you?" Rayna teased, poking him. "…it hit's a nerve."

"What are you talkin' about-?"

"-Come on now…I know you and you sure ain't thrilled when I sing this song are you?"

"Maybe there are reason's why I hate it." Deacon answered carefully. He thought back to last night when she had swayed on the stage at the Bluebird, smiling and carefree as she sung, the way she had looked at Liam and the way he had held her gaze. Deacon had hated it all.

"Maybe…" Rayna smirked. "I wouldn't have sung it if you hadn't been so against it…It was kinda fun seein' you squirm in your seat you know."

"That's low." Deacon scoffed, raising his hands to his hips. "Real low."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She giggled, unintentionally leaning closer as she laughed.

"No you're not." He grinned, mirroring her posture as he steadied her, catching her wrist to pull her back.

"No I'm not."

Rayna fought his hold on her, reaching to push him backward but he caught both her hands, drawing her back to him. Both laughing, they began mumbling nonsense words in between petty name-calling, their hands remaining tangled in a teasing tug-of-war as they laughed about nothing in particular.

"I was wondering where the party had gotten to." Juliette called, quickly approaching them. "Should've known my band leader would be fraternisin' with the enemy …."

Startled, both Deacon and Rayna jumped apart, shoving hands in pockets and twirling hair as they tried to hide the surprise on their faces. Rayna had turned cherry red, looking at the floor as Juliette sized them up. Deacon shifted to face Juliette and smiled when Rayna chose to remain quiet.

"Really? She's hardly the enemy Juliette."

"There back here!" Juliette yelled, hands on hips as she stared at Bucky and Liam who promptly came around the corner. "Cannot believe I actually have to do your job for you."

"What are you two doing back here?" Bucky asked, ignoring Juliette's attitude.

"Yeah, what are you doing?" Liam grinned, crossing his arms as he stood behind Bucky.

"We were…" Rayna stammered, playing with her fingers as she smiled nervously. "Just…talkin'."

"I can see you've got your hands full." Bucky smirked, pulling out his cell phone as he kept his eyes glued on the pair. Juliette and Liam hid their laughing as they appreciated Bucky's less than subtle comment. "But you might consider re-joining the party…people are starting to wonder where you've gotten to."

"I doubt they were wonderin' about me." Deacon laughed.

"Actually, I was." Juliette chimed. "We've got a song to rehearse...I don't mind so much about people wonderin' where Rayna is...means more people are lookin' at me and that means more opportunity to win this thing."

"Ouch." Rayna scoffed, feigning hurt as she smiled.

"Sorry...too far I know." Juliette agreed.

"Sorry Buck, I didn't me-" Rayna tried.

"-I was just, we were…" Deacon spoke up, clearing his throat. "Rayna was askin'….She wanted to meet with Scarlett and Gunnar and I… offered to introduce her again…That's where we're headed now."

"Right, I wanted to do that…talk about a few things…like writin' and the tour." Rayna replied unconvincingly, looking at Deacon to follow his lead as he started to walk past Bucky and Liam.

"We weren't interrupting anything important were we?" Liam called, already knowing the answer to his own question.

Rayna blushed, cursing her outward expression as the three of them looked at her shrewdly. Unsteadily, she stumbled past them, grinning as she bolted after Deacon.

"Well that was pointless, they're gone again." Juliette muttered.

"I can see you've got your hands full? With what exactly?…" Deacon whispered, impersonating Bucky as he quickly walked away with Rayna.

"Stop." She laughed, crossing her arms as she followed him. "They're all watchin' us."

"Let them."

Rayna shook her head as she stole a quick look over her shoulder. She'd forgotten what it was like to just laugh with Deacon.

- NASHVILLE -

5:30am

"Mmmm." Rayna whinged, holding up a hand to silence Liam as he sat down in the seat next to her on the jet. "It's way too early for this."

"All I did was sit down." Liam argued, looking around the somewhat empty jet. Bucky sat three seats down, talking on his cell phone.

"It's not the sittin' down that I'm worried about…it's what's gonna come out of that mouth of yours."

"Pretty sure there have been a few times you've found my mouth to be-" Liam grinned, turning in his seat to face her.

"-It's 5am. 5am and you're flirtin' with me." Rayna shook her head. "This is exactly why you can't sit there."

Rayna and Liam didn't take much notice of Juliette, Emily, Glenn, Deacon and Stacey as they boarded the jet because they were too busy arguing about one of the new tracks on the record. Juliette was grumbling as she, Emily and Glenn took seats next to each other. Deacon ushered Stacey into a seat, smiling as she intertwined her fingers with his before they sat. Rayna went quiet, pangs of jealousy tearing at her insides as she tried to subtly avert her gaze from them. She swore when Stacey looked up, she was too late.

"Hey!" Rayna exclaimed, pursing her lips as she reassessed her over-enthusiasm. Liam laughed under his breath, stopping when Rayna's nails dug into his arm.

"Hi." Stacey nodded, taking little interest in Rayna's warm welcome as she got comfortable. Deacon looked at Stacey, taken aback by her sudden unfriendliness.

"Well this is gonna be fun." Rayna spoke lowly, smiling through her teeth as Liam removed his arm from Rayna's tightening grip.

"On second thoughts….I might move." Liam tried.

"Don't even think about it."

"Now you want me." Liam laughed, raising his voice slightly. "Not sure how I feel about this 'now you want me, then you don't' business…I'm not a toy."

"Oh please. You love it." Rayna smiled, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail as she ignored Deacon who was watching them closely, envy written all over his face.

- NASHVILLE -

6:36am

Rayna opened her eyes to look around the cabin. Everyone was sleeping, pillows and jackets pulled over their faces. She had tried to force herself to sleep but her thoughts had been running rings around her, making it impossible to do anything but stay awake. Her eyes stopped on Stacey and Deacon. Stacey was nestled into his side, sleeping peacefully as his head rested on hers. Rayna rolled her eyes, abruptly standing before heading for the kitchenette at the back of the jet. She slammed the switch on the kettle and pulled her ponytail out, angrily shovelling her hands through her hair till it sat around her face. Mumbling to herself, Rayna spun around, stopping mid turn when she looked up to see Deacon leaning against the doorframe.

"What?" Rayna questioned, blowing hair out of her face as she put a hand to her hip.

"Love the new look." Deacon smirked, pointing to her tousled hair. His eyes travelled down her body, noticing the oversized sweater, leggings and boots. Rayna glared at him before letting a smile creep onto her lips.

"It's 6am." She said dryly, waving her hand up and down her body. "This is as good as it's gonna get."

"Well then."

"Don't well then me."

"Whoa." Deacon raised his eyebrows, stepping into the kitchenette. "Kind of touchy don't you think? Especially when I wasn't makin' fun of you…I do love the look."

"What are you doin' up? I thought you were asleep." She tried, avoiding his indirect compliment.

"You were watchin' me?"

"No I wasn't." Rayna scoffed, giving him a look as she cocked her head.

"What are you doin'?" He asked.

"Just passin' time I guess." She shrugged, her fingers making circles on the countertop.

"Need someone to help you with that?"

Deacon leant against the counter, keeping his eyes on hers. Rayna blushed, biting her cheek as she felt herself shiver. The kettle came to a boil and they both ignored it, comfortably engaging in silent conversation. Rayna jumped when Deacon stepped forward and unexpectedly knelt in front of her, his fingers brushing her knees as he gently steered her backward so he could get two cups out of the cupboard. Rayna stood motionless, fixated on staying still out of fear that her knees would give way when he stood and leant over her to get the kettle. Deacon made two coffees, handing her one as he looked at her curiously.

"What are you thinkin' about?" He asked, still standing in her personal space.

"Nothin'." She lied, taking a step away from him as she held her cup close to her chest.

"Nothin'?"

"I already said that."

"Ok then…" He breathed, putting his cup down as he smiled. "You're sunshine and lollipops today aren't you?"

"Seriously Deacon, it's 6am." She replied, shaking her head as she looked out into the quiet cabin before sliding down to sit on the floor. "Bein' on a jet full of sleepin' people...it tends to limit the fun factors."

"I've got an idea." He whispered, disappearing from the kitchenette into the cabin. To Rayna's horror, he began quietly rifling through her travel bag on the seat next to Liam who lay dead to the world. He finally pulled out a notebook, holding it in the air proudly.

"Put it back!" She mouthed, shaking her head viciously as she shifted her position on the floor. "Deacon!"

Deacon grinned, running back to her. He grabbed his cup, sitting next to her as she whinged and made attempts to grab the notebook off him.

"Deacon, give it to me." She warned, crashing into him as she reached for the notebook.

"You seemed to have an awful hard time at the Bluebird rememberin' the songs you wrote with Liam…." Deacon mused, ignoring her cussing as he held the notebook out of her reach. "I wanna see if I can understand why they are so forgettable."

"Are you serious?! This is about Liam?" She hissed, glaring at him. "This is stupid…I'm not kiddin' Dea-"

"-Neither am I." He smiled, amused by how infuriated she was. "You seem pretty determined not to let me see what's in here…must be some hot stuff y'all got to writin'."

"You're real funny." She spat, clambering on top of him to get the notebook. The heat that came with the close contact overwhelmed Deacon, leaving him speechless as he watched her reach up and grasp the notebook with both hands. Rayna froze, suddenly aware of her current position; she was sitting on his lap and they were now chest to chest, breathing one another's air. Both refusing to let go of the notebook, they kept their eyes locked as they ignored the involuntary responses their bodies were having towards each other. They could taste the tension between them, their hearts racing and breathing quickening with every second they stayed this way. Rayna shook the mood, smiling quickly before she rolled off his lap and onto the floor beside him, notebook in hand.

"Must have been some writin' trip..." Deacon mumbled, looking at the ceiling as he willed himself to concentrate on anything but the feeling of her body against his.

"You don't get to say things like that." She whispered, leaning her head back against the cupboard. "I can write with whoever I want…Scarlett and Gunnar are comin' out to join the tour soon so do some collaboratin' for the new record…Do you want me to tell them not to bother comin' coz you won't like it?"

"I never said that you couldn't write with whoever you want Ray."

"You don't have to."

"I just don't understand why I can't see what's in the notebook." Deacon shrugged, picking up his cup to take a sip. "Lia-"

"-Are you jealous of Liam?"

"Rayna." He shook his head, attempting to hide the bitterness in his tone.

"Why don't you just go back and sit with Stacey now ok?" Rayna suggested.

"What does Stacey have to do with this?"

"Deacon."

"You're the one who brought it up." Deacon pressed, crossing his arms as he looked at her staring off into the distance. "Are you jealous?"

"What kind of question is that?" She exclaimed.

"Same one you asked me."

"Alright." Rayna responded, looking at him cautiously. "Clearly we're gonna keep arguin' and I don't want to argue with you…Why don't you and I just agree to quit talkin' about each others personal lives…I think it'd be best, I think it'd be easier for both of us."

"Fine."

"Fine." She said decisively, putting her cup in the sink as she walked out of the kitchenette and into the toilet. Locking the door behind her she sat on the toilet seat and looked down at the notebook.

There had been a good reason why she hadn't wanted Deacon to open that notebook; amongst manuscript paper and clippings she had hidden letters from Deacon that she'd held onto from a lifetime ago. Reluctantly, her fingers hovered over the front cover before she flipped pages until she got to the back, loose papers messily filed away. She pulled out one and unfolded it, smiling fondly as she recognised the familiar scrawl. It was a letter he'd sent her after a big blow up that had resulted in them not speaking. She'd completely forgotten the significance of the words inked on this page until she began to read.

Ray, Ain't you satisfied with me? You're killin' me when you try and hide it. For once why don't you get down off those high heels of yours and admit it. I'm all you've got. I'm all you'll ever need. I'm all you'll ever have. I know that you may not think much of it now…but you need to know…Rayna, no one will ever love you, darlin' nobody will ever love you you like I do. I need you to know that, Deacon

Unsteadily, Rayna put the letter back in the notebook, slamming it shut as she thought about the song that had come from those words, the countless times they'd sung it together and the emotions that it evoked in the both of them every time they'd poured their hearts out to one another on stage. Rayna swore, putting her head in her hands. Staying out of one another's personal lives was going to be a lot harder than she'd told herself it'd be because as much as wanted to ignore it, they were already knee deep in any and every thing that was personal and important to each other.

"Stupid song."

- NASHVILLE -

Slamming his head against the cupboard as he sat on the floor, Deacon mumbled expletives as he thought about what had just happened. Spreading his legs out, he ran his hands along the floor, stopping when he felt something under his fingertips. Curious, he picked it up and unfolded it. He choked when he recognised the handwriting. Quickly scanning the letter, he looked up in the direction of the engaged toilet, hoping Rayna would appear. She didn't.

"You kept it?" Deacon smiled, his fingers warily tracing the words as he thought back to the day he'd gotten the letter in the mail. There had been a war of words and they'd settled with silence, both too stubborn to wave a white flag and declare defeat. It had killed them both, not speaking to one another. It had also driven everyone else around them crazy. Eventually, Bucky had convinced them to send each other a letter with the purpose of gently getting their points across in the hope that they would ultimately resolve the dispute. This letter had been the one she had sent him. In a matter of hours, they had made up for the lost time and ended up writing a song, using one another's heartfelt confessions as lyrics. Deacon couldn't believe that after all this time, Rayna had held onto this. He looked at the paper again and read it slowly.

Deacon, You can't be serious when you tell me that someone's waitin' for you, that someone else needs you...because that's just so damn stupid. Can't we just cut the bull and admit that it's not true? I know why you're lonely…it's time you knew it too. I'm over now, I'm through with fighting…please tell me you are too. I need you, I need this, I need us. Deacon I love you, Ray

"Deacon?" Stacey called sleepily, startling him out of his quiet reminiscing.

He shoved the paper into his pocket, wiping his sweaty palms against his jeans. "Comin'."