Risky Rockstar: A Hero Club Novel, стр. 25
In that moment I could kiss him. I need this. My writing has felt stale for a long time, but I’m excited about this, and I think this collaboration could give my creativity the kick it needs. “And if he okays it, you two”—he gestures between Keller and me—“can get your dicks wet in the process.”
I shake my head. “Josh, I’m getting nervous about your obsession with my dick.”
“Well, if you’re not going to go there, I will.”
“Uh, I think you’re forgetting an important point: Hayley is with Kevin,” I state.
“Since what, yesterday?” Jeff points out. “I doubt it’s serious.”
“You guys are worse than a bunch of girls. You should be ashamed of yourselves talking about Hayley like this. Hasn’t the poor girl been through enough?” Maddie crosses her arms and glares at Josh and Jeff.
Josh actually manages to look sheepish, and Jeff, who doesn’t normally jump on the locker room bandwagon, flushes a bright pink.
I take a sip of water, cooling my suddenly dry throat. It worries me how much I want this, but I tell myself it’s all about making music and has nothing to do with Hayley.
“So, are you going to do this or what?” Maddie asks.
I find myself holding my breath again.
“I’m in.” Keller raises his hand and gets rewarded by having Maddie’s mouth mashed against his.
Josh and Jeff look at each other and shrug. “It doesn’t seem like a very big risk to me,” Jeff says.
I release the breath I’ve been holding slowly so no one notices. “I honestly don’t see any risk at all.”
Chapter 9
Kade
Pulling into the lot behind our studio in Redondo Beach, which we all live within five to ten miles of, the first thing I see is the back door propped open with a cinder block, and I know Arty’s already inside. I turn off my bike and remove my helmet, balancing it on the handlebars with one hand while I rake my other hand through my hair.
I’m half an hour early for our session with Hayley to help Arty set up and to make sure everything is clean and tidy. We have a cleaning crew come in once a week, but let’s just say a bunch of guys in creativity mode doesn’t always make for a tidy or clean studio no matter how hard Jeff nags. This studio is almost as much home as home (once, it practically was home), and it always settles me to be here and, if I’m not wrong, the guys too. I’m nervous. An uneasy mix of anticipation and nerves has me feeling restless and even a little anxious. It’s hard to say how today’s going to turn out, and we could all use a win to get Benji off our backs. Another day of dealing with him shitting down our necks and there’s no telling what I’ll do. I’m sure the guys feel pretty much the same way.
We came to a mutual decision that it would be more efficient to use our studio to record the song. Aside from the fact that Hayley doesn’t have her own studio yet, her coming to us makes more sense logistically. It means one person traveling versus four. A fact she pointed out when she graciously offered to come up. Laughter coming from the main studio up ahead carries over to me. Arty and someone else—muffled, indistinct, but very feminine. I don’t know what’s up with that. Arty isn’t in the habit of bringing girls here; he gets kinda territorial—sound guys are pretty much all in the “don’t touch my shit” crowd. But now he’s in our studio laughing with girls?
“Do we have it now?” The unmistakable voice has me stopping dead in my tracks.
I nudge the door open. Arty is up on one ladder and Hayley on another, adjusting the acoustic baffles up by the ceiling. “Yeah, perfect, you’re hired.”
I try not to stare, but this is the first time I think I’ve ever seen Arty talk to anyone that isn’t me or the guys. It even took him a while to engage in a conversation with Maddie, which is a feat since she is like a mini party popper wherever she goes. There’s been quite a few uncomfortable occasions when we’ve been collaborating with another band and Arty just flat-out ignored everyone. He’s not a dick, he just doesn’t do people very well. The fact that he’s just cracked a joke with Hayley speaks volumes.
Arty notices me watching him and comes bounding down the 12-foot ladder like a fucking mountain goat, his mop of red hair falling over his brown eyes. “Hey, you’re here! Didn’t hear you come in.”
I twitch a thumb back over my shoulder. “That’s because you left the door open again.”
“Ah, shit. I did. I was hoofing in all these boxes”—he motions to the array of boxes scattered around the room—“and Hayley here offered to help.”
It hits me then that I’ve been so shocked by Arty that I’ve been a dick and haven’t even acknowledged Hayley’s presence.
“You’ve got to watch out for Arty. He’ll get cheap labor out of you.”
Hayley laughs and it’s the same laugh I heard coming in, but at close range, it sends shivers through my chest. She makes her way down the ladder, and Arty’s ears pinken. If I’m not mistaken, he looks a little besotted with her. Not that I can blame the guy—she’s wearing jeans, sneakers, and a baggy San Diego Zoo sweatshirt, no makeup, and her hair’s caught up in a messy bun. In short, she’s stunning, and for the second time I’m impressed that Hayley showed up ready for business unaffected and unpretentious.
“It was fun. I love working with my hands.”
I blame Maddie and her constant references to Keller’s hands for the completely inappropriate mental image I have of Hayley in that moment, and now it’s my turn for my ears to go red.
Maybe Arty can see I need a