Risky Rockstar: A Hero Club Novel, стр. 26

“Yeah, I see that. Nice of you to get started without us.”

“Get what started without us?” Jeff barrels in the room with Josh fast on his heels.

I turn to the guys. “Arty roped Hayley into helping with the new gear.”

“Arty, we said we’d help.” Jeff heads over and looks in a box. It’s empty. “Looks like there’s nothing for us to do.”

“Oh, that was my fault. I got here early and basically bullied him into letting me help. I hope it’s okay? Sometimes it bugs me not to be doing something,” Hayley explains, and her teeth rake over her bottom lip.

“Not a problem.” And I mean it. Maybe what they say about the devil finding work for idle hands is true, but I definitely know an idle mind is the devil’s playground. “Trust me, I know what that’s like.”

Her mouth stretches into a relieved smile.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I offer.

“No, thanks.” Hayley walks over to the table next to the mic stand and picks up a bottle of lemon water. “Arty took care of me.”

Jeff and Josh do their thing where they mirror each other, something that they’ve done since I’ve known them. Their eyebrows shoot into their hairlines in surprise, and they look at each other, doing a terrible job of hiding their shock. Arty rummages in an empty box to hide the fact that he’s just been caught doing something out of the ordinary, and I decide now’s my time to return his favor. “Where’s Kel?”

“He had to drop Maddie off at the shop. She’s got a big order to do for Kate Houston’s baby shower, and Blair’s using her car.” Maddie’s indescribably good cupcakes were a hit at her best friend’s wedding, and now she caters to the rich and famous. Josh kicks at the carpet, a look like his best friend kicked his puppy on his face.

“You’re not still on about that are you?” Jeff shakes his head. “She was never going to let you fuck her. Ever.”

Josh points at Jeff. “You don’t fucking know that. She might have. But now it’s just gross. With the baby in her and all.”

Jeff pinches his nose as if this really pains him. “You don’t think the fact that she’s married is an issue?”

“Fuck no! Most of the tail I get is from married women.”

“Uh, guys, we’ve got a guest.”

Jeff looks over in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

Hayley waves her hand. “Please, don’t mind me. She’s gorgeous. If I swung that way, I’d be upset too.” She looks at Josh. “But, she is madly in love with her husband. She does have a sister though.”

“Shaweet.” Josh grins. “You know her?”

“I do. We met at a party last year.”

“Do you have her number?”

“I’m here. I’m here. Sorry I’m late—whoa, you got the new stuff up.” Keller rushes in, taking in the work Hayley and Arty did and talking a mile a minute, inadvertently saving Hayley from the Josh inquisition.

“Hayley helped.” This said in unison by Jeff and Josh.

“Well, thanks for your help, Hayley. Again, I apologize for being late.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“So should we get going?” I say, hoping we can get through the next couple of hours without Josh being too Josh. We’re used to Josh the way he is, so it’s only when we’re around other people that we realize he could use a bit of toning down every now and again.

Hayley nods vigorously. “Absolutely.”

I hand the flash drive over to Arty. “Since we don’t have a lot of time, we played around with a few ideas. I hope you don’t mind?”

Hayley shakes her head. “Not at all. I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with.”

♫♫♫

I haven’t felt this way since I can’t remember when. Pumped. Inspired. Weeks of frustration burned away. Worries that Hayley would wanna be pushing her sound, or even getting defensive, thinking we’d try to bulldoze our way through this session, feel more than ridiculous now. I sit in front of my keyboard opposite her. Arty said it would be better for our voices to bounce off each other’s, but I’m just glad I get to watch her in action. I saw her perform at the Grammys last year and she was incredible, but she was buried by lights and effects and dancers. Here, stripped of all that, I get the privilege of seeing her raw, natural, naked. “Persevere” (we decided to keep her title) is an upbeat anthem about someone reclaiming themselves after they’ve been lost. It’s cheeky and fun, but at the heart of it, the message is strong and beautiful.

Hayley’s so alive in the music, just being it, that she glows like she’s lit from within. She bounces in front of her mic and dances along to the instruments. This isn’t work to her—it’s everything to her, and it’s easy to see why her music does so well; you can feel how passionate she is. She’s grinning at me from across the room. The connection is so strong it vibrates, like a current between us, and as much as I keep telling myself it’s just the music and how she feels it so deeply—how it just flows from her like water from a spring when she’s totally engaged—the way my body’s reacting says something completely different.

When we finish this set, and I lean back from the keyboard. My heart’s pounding, and we’re both breathing hard. I remind myself it’s just from singing—by remind myself I mean I’m repeating it like a fucking mantra. But she’s flushed as she removes her headphones, the pink stain on her skin disappearing under her sweatshirt. Oh fuck me, I shouldn’t be thinking about how far that flush spreads or if I can get it to deepen. I shouldn’t be thinking that if the circumstances were different…very different…

“Earth to Kade.” Jeff snaps his fingers.

Fuuckkk. Everyone is looking at me looking at Hayley, including Hayley.

“Was that okay?” She’s biting on her lip nervously.

“Yeah… Yeah…great…more than