“Yeah, let’s go,” Anna agrees, rising from her seat. “Wait here, I’ll just make sure Gemma is okay.”
I nod and wait for her to return, and when she does, it’s with a sly grin. “She’s going home with him. She’s turned on her location so I can check in,” she states, waggling her eyebrows. I manage a smile in return. The music fades as we step outside.
The evening air has cooled slightly as we wait at the kerb. I retrieve my phone from my handbag and open the Uber app.
“Do you want to come back to mine? You’re welcome to stay,” Anna offers, her tone sympathetic.
Before I can respond, a gruff voice interrupts.
“I’ll take her home,” James says, catching us both off guard. I turn to look at him, finding his eyes already trained on me.
“Hey, James,” I say softly.
“Hey, April,” he replies, his voice tinged with concern.
A car pulls up to the kerb.
We all stand in uncomfortable silence before Anna finally speaks up. “Okay. Well, this is me. Are you sure? April, you good?” she double-checks.
I look to James, “What about your stuff? Don’t you need your guitar?”
He shrugs, “Oliver can take it home for me.” His gaze is as penetrating as it is devastating.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
He grunts.
Surprised by his offer, I swing to look at Anna and stammer, “Y-yeah. You go ahead.”
“Okay, I’ll come by tomorrow,” Anna replies before leaning in to kiss my cheek, shooting James a wary glance, and then hopping into her Uber.
As the car pulls away, I turn to James.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say.
“I want to.”
“Why?”
“I saw what happened in there, and you looked …” He trails off, and I raise my eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. He runs a hand through his hair. “You looked upset.”
This isn’t the place to discuss this topic, so I swiftly change the subject. “I couldn’t find you after your set.”
Now it’s his turn to raise an eyebrow. “You keeping tabs on me, April?”
“No … I just?—”
“I’m kidding.”
“Oh.”
“I saw my brother.”
I nod, saying nothing. The mere mention of Lucas sends my heart plummeting and my stomach churns. I don’t utter a word as I resume booking the Uber on my phone. James interrupts by reaching out, his hand gently covering mine.
“Let me get the Uber.”
“Okay,” I reply quietly, stealing a glance at him while he’s occupied with his phone. I take in his presence, realising just how different he is from his brother.
