Maybe he’d found a new girlfriend already. Maybe she was older or not his usual slender brunette type, or maybe they had done even filthier things together, and he was embarrassed to talk about it. Yeah, nope. Noah didn’t want to hear about it, whatever it was, so he kept his mouth shut.
“So,” Nik started, a huge grin on his face as he walked into the garage again. “I was talking to Val’s dad yesterday, and he has a friend of a friend who owns a rock bar in Fredericia where they hold live performances every weekend.”
“Okay…” both teens said in unison, sitting up straight and listening attentively.
“The thing is, one of the two bands for the fifth of November dropped out, so Val’s dad told him about your band. He showed him a video—”
“What video?” Kaj cut him off.
“Well, I may or may not have sent him a couple videos of your rehearsal sessions…” Nikolaj grinned.
“Dad!” Kaj scolded.
“Sue me.” He shrugged unapologetically. “You’re good, so I had to show the other parents.”
“Theotherparents?” Noah asked.
“Yeah, your mom has also seen them, and so have Theo’s parents,” he said like it wasn’t a big thing. “You’re keeping silent about all this like it’s a state secret. It’s not fair to them.” He laughed.
“My god…” Kaj mumbled, dragging a palm down his face. “We’re not ready!”
“Yes, you are! That’s why this guy said that if you want in, he’ll save the spot for you. But he needs an answer by Monday, or he’ll start looking for another band.”
“But, Dad, the fifth is in three weeks! We are so not ready!”
“Again, you are. Plus, it’s not a huge place.” Nikolaj crouched down, perching himself on the armrest of the couch beside Kaj.“You’re always joking about giving a concert and so on. It could be a great chance to test the waters, if you wanted.”
Kaj clenched his jaw, brow furrowed. “What do you think, Noah?” he asked, turning to look at him.
“I-I don’t know?”
Just the thought of stepping on a stage and performing in front of a bunch of strangers made him sick.
A part of him wanted to do it. They’d daydreamed like idiots about having their band name put on a festival poster. He had actually talked to Trine about the possibility of pursuing a music career when he went to college because, right now, that was all he lived for. But he wasn’t ready to get out there, or maybe the fear of being judged was holding him back.
“I think it could be nice? But we need to talk with Theo and Val about it.”
“Yeah.” Kaj nodded.
Nik smiled as he stood up. “Happy to hear that. I’ll leave you to do your thing now.”
And just like that, Kaj’s dad offered them the wings they needed to fly as high as they wanted.
Five
“Are you ready, guys?”Nikolaj asked.
“Not really,” Theo said, looking sick.
They’d accepted the offer to perform live. Had spent the last three weeks practicing like crazy. And now they regretted it. All of it.
Nik chuckled, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You’re going to do amazing. You’re great. So, don’t be afraid. This is your chance to give it your all and actually get a reward for all your hard work.”
“What reward?” Val asked, fear reflected in his greyish-blue eyes while they got ready to step on stage.
Noah got it. He really did. They’d been playing together for months, but it was always in Kaj’s garage with no audience other than his dad or Jesper whenever they came in to grab something. This was different. There were strangers outside waiting to be entertained. Even though most wouldn’t care ifthey became the next big thing or not because they probably only wanted to get boozed, it was intimidating.
“You’ll see when you’re done.” Kaj’s dad smiled. “Now, go out there and show them what you’ve got!”
