“Just go. I can’t deal, you’re too much. My time with Recoil is over. You don’t need me anymore. You don’t even know—” she stops and blinks a few times. “You have no idea what I’m dealing with right now. Everything is changing. Everything. And you’re not helping with this…” She waves her hands around. “Is this jealousy?” I go to answer, but she puts her fingers up to stop me. “It’s only going to make things harder. We’re done!”
“Ria! No!”
“Go!”
“Ria!”
“I… said… go!”
Exhaling sharply as she turns away from me, my heart thunders in my chest, each beat pulsing with frustration and confusion. My jaw clenches, the tension searing through me as I spin on my heel and push the door open, letting it slam shut behind me with a force that echoes down the hall. I lean back against the door, my breath coming quick and uneven, grappling with the urge to burst back in and apologize—or maybe just to let it go, even though every nerve in me is telling me I can’t.
I make my way to my car, where Matt’s already waiting.
He half-smiles at me and takes a deep breath. “Guess you’re staying home tonight?”
I nod, and he dips his chin in silent agreement as we slide into the car and drive off.
So much for Whisper’s hopeful talk about seeing improvements in our lives. It seems like things have taken a hard turn in the opposite damn direction.
Chapter Twenty
NATE
Three Weeks Later
Today is the release of the video, and I can’t bring myself to be excited about it.
There’s a launch party at the office, and everyone’s going.
In these last three weeks, there hasn’t been anything scheduled, so I’ve been able to wallow and sulk in peace. Matt’s been great, staying home and keeping me occupied. I know he wants me to leave the house, but this party is the last thing I want to do.
“C’mon, man, how will it look if a member of the band isn’t there for its own launch? You have to come. Zaria won’t be there, I checked.”
“She won’t?”
He shakes his head, and I sigh.
“Okay, fine!” I throw on my leather jacket and walk to the car with Matt. After we get to the car, we notice an envelope under the windshield wiper and look at each other curiously.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask, and Matt shrugs.
“No idea,” he says, pulling it from under the wiper and opening it.
He pulls out a letter and what looks like an air freshener to hang from your rearview mirror, chuckling as he shows it to me. It’s of a little fat Buddha sitting next to a ficus.
Matt sniffs it and shakes his head with a smile. “Smells like sage.”
I burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding?”
He shakes his head, opening the letter, when little bits of herbs fall out all over the floor. “How the hell did he get into the garage?”
I shake my head. “That’s kinda creepy, right?”
He nods and clears his throat. “Hello, sexy boys,” Matt says, putting on an accent to sound like Whisper, which makes me laugh. “Today is big day. I proud of you two, and your video going to be huge. Nathaniel, keep your demons at bay and remember becool, calm, collectedalways, and something good will come to you if you do. Matthew, you be a good boy and relax your chakra. Today big day of meetings. Chances will come to you both. Take them. Be one with world and soar, my sexy boys. Listen to your heart. When it calling to you. Listen to your soul. There nothing more you can do…” Matt pauses and smirks. “Wait! Isn’t that last bit close to our song lyrics?” Matt asks, cracking up in a fit of laughter.
I chuckle, and it’s funny how even though Whisper isn’t here, he seems to know when to show up to make us feel a little better. “That Korean Fung Shui guru…” I shake my head. “Man, he cracks me up. Okay, let’s get going. I needed that. I feel like I can actually face this now.”
“Good, you can do this, Nate. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
