Angel continued to stare at the hardwood floor. He kept telling himself over and over that Tommy only needed time and would change his mind. Until that time came, they had to wait. He needed to convince Jimmy and Damien to hang on a little longer, because there was no way Angel could perform without Tommy. “The Rockstars’ Ball is coming up,” he said, after a long pause. “Maybe Tommy will change his mind once he’s on stage in front of the fans again.”
“We’re not playing the Ball,” Jimmy pointed out. “We’re just picking up an award. Assuming we win.”
“I know. But Bulletproof will be there. Maybe seeing Brandon will give Tommy inspiration about performing again.”Talk about grasping at straws.But it was the only thing Angel had left.
Damien narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips to the side. “That’s it. The Ball. That’s all the time he’s got.”
Jimmy sighed and scratched at one of his long sideburns. “I guess we can give him that much. But if he doesn’t change his mind after we pick up the award for Collaboration of the Year, we tell Falcon we’re ready to release a statement that Immortal Angel will be seeking a new guitar player and moving forward without Tommy.”
The crowd in front of the gate wasn’t as heavy when Angel returned home, given the late hour, so the Town Car and SUVs filled with security sailed through without much commotion. He tried to hide the dread in his heart by plastering a smile on his face before he entered the house. He found Jessi in the kitchen, but she saw right through the façade.
“That bad?” she asked. She looked almost as distraught as Angel felt.
He nodded and forced himself to say the words. “If he doesn’t change his mind after the Rockstars’ Ball, we’re going to find a fill-in guitarist.”Because Tommy could, and would, never be replaced.
Jessi flinched and her face distorted as if in physical pain, and her shoulders sort of crumbled inwards. “You’re OK with that?”
He hesitated because he was at odds with himself and the internal war between his heart and his head. Sometime during the ride home, he accepted the outcome as the only solution and hoped Tommy would want to return to the stage once he heard Immortal Angel was seeking a fill-in guitar player, but his heart would never be on board. “No. But I guess I have to be.”
“Angel . . .”
“Please don’t give me a hard time. I’m not taking this well. At all.”
“I know.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest in an effort to sooth him, and he was grateful that this wonderful woman was one of his partners in life. He needed her nurturing hand, honesty, and fortitude during times of crisis. She was his rock, and he never needed her more.
She sighed. “None of us are handling this well.”
Except Tommy. The yard was lit up like high noon with outdoor lighting, a purple glow coming off the inground pool, and a blazing bonfire. Through the sliders, Angel could see Tommy relaxing next to the firepit in one of the cushioned loungers. “Has he been out there all night?”
Jessi turned toward the direction of the yard so she could see Tommy. “Pretty much.”
The two of them passed through the sliders, huddling closer in the chilly night air, and joined Tommy outside.
“I didn’t hear you come home, A,” Tommy said, a happy smile on his face.
“I just got home.” Angel noticed the frosty mug in Tommy’s hand. “Is that beer?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why I never drink it. You two drink wine sometimes, but I never have anything except water.” He took a sip from the mug, which left a white foamy mustache on the scruffy facial hair above his lip. A beer mustache on a blond mustache.
It made Angel smile.
Tommy licked the foam off his lip while he stared at the amber ale. “It’s really delicious. Do you want me to get you one?”
“No.”
“What about you, hon?” he asked Jessi. “Do you want a beer? We used to drink beer all the time in college. Remember?”
Jessi smiled with affection as she reminisced. “I remember. But I’ll pass.”
“Sit. It’s warm by the fire.” Tommy motioned to the chairs around him. “Let’s watch the moon.”
“The moon?” Angel questioned.
“Yeah. It’s really bright.” Tommy put down his beer, laced his fingers behind his head, and stared up at the night sky. “I never noticed how many stars are up there before. The longer you look at it, the more apparent they are.” He held his phone up to the sky. “I found this cool App. It outlines the constellations. Look.”
Angel leaned closer to view the screen. There were lines connecting the stars in formations with notations next to them. Intrigued, he took the phone and moved it across the sky. Ursa Major, the big bear. Caprincornus, the sea goat. Aguila, the eagle. “This is amazing. Jessi, did you see this?” He shared the screen with her, not letting go so he could continue to gaze at it.
Jessi looked at the phone and then up at the sky with her naked eyes. “I can’t believe all this is up there.”
