Kaj inched even closer, his hard pec pressing against Noah’s arm as he crowded him. His intoxicating scent engulfed Noah, dividing his mind into painful halves. “It’s a little late to be playing hard to get. Judging by the effect my presence still has on you, I could drag you to the bathroom andeasilyhave my way with you,” he rasped in his ear.
Noah leaned as far away from him as humanly possible and frowned, electricity running at full speed through every fiber of muscle in his body.What the fuck?“Other than my upchuck reflex, you don’t have any effect on me.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Kaj moved away, gathering the beer bottles between the fingers of one hand and the glass of Coca-Cola with the other.
“Yo, Larsen! What’s taking you so long? I’m thirsty as fuck.” A redheaded guy approached them with a huge smile plastered on his face.
“Was just watching the soundcheck.”
“We’re up next, so stop lazing around.” The redhead, who Noah later learned was the guitarist, took one of the beers and drank.
“Aye, sir,” Kaj said sardonically.
When they left, Noah felt like he could breathe again.
Kaj was a glitch in the universe. A fucking black hole. No matter how dangerous or how hard you tried to ignore him, nothing, not even light, could escape the pull of his gravity. He was magnetic, especially when he was sitting behind his drum kit.
Like that evening.
Kaj’s band, Poison Letters, only played for forty minutes, along with the other five bands. The stage, compared to those at big concerts, lacked a fair bit of space. If any of the groups had one more member, they wouldn’t fit up there. The backdrops behind them looked cheap and of poor quality. The illumination was quite simple, with fixed blue and purple lights, and there were no other special effects.
Noah had nothing against these low-budget gigs. He still attended several throughout the year. All these bands sounded incredible, and their original tracks were surprisingly good, but in the middle of it all, Kaj stood out.
“Shit,” Val said, mouth agape as he bobbed his head in time with the brutal drumming. “I didn’t think he could get any better.”
“He’s making me want to dust off my guitar,” Theo added.
“Do you even remember how to play?” Val laughed at him.
Noah couldn’t speak, too hypnotized to have free will.
Kaj was now wearing a white tank top with dropped armholes, hair even messier than before as he headbanged non-stop while beating the shit out of his drums. He was glowing under the spotlights, sweating like a pig, but up there, vibrating with the music and doing what he loved most, he was fucking glorious.
Later that night, when Zach joined the party to celebrate Val’s twenties, Kaj approached to wish him a happy birthday, falling into natural conversation with everyone in the group. Everyone but Noah. Unless you counted the backhanded compliments andoffensive comments that flowed his way for the never-ending hour he was there with them.
It wasn’t too obvious—you’d have to read between the lines and know about their story to notice—or at least Noah hoped so, because he wouldn’t have liked explaining anything to Zach. Though the Viking wasn’t stupid. He knew about the one boyfriend Noah had back in high school. He only had to put two and two together after hearing his name and learning Kaj and the guys had been friends since they were kids. But he didn’t mention anything or even change his expression.
Still, since he couldn’t stand being around Kaj anymore that night, Noah convinced Zach to leave earlier than they had planned.
He dedicated the following hours, until the first rays of sun grazed their skin, to kissing, licking, sucking, and worshiping every inch of the Viking’s body. He was the most stunning man he’d ever seen, with his strong, long legs, narrow hips, and bulky torso that could split Noah in half if he wanted to. And, serious or not, forever or transient, he was the best choice Noah had made in a long time.
Noah had turned in his portfolio and the video presentation in English three days before the deadline. Could he have done it sooner? Maybe, if he’d been a musical prodigy. But he wasn’t. So, it had taken him longer than desired to get the hang of the recording programs and learn some orchestration basics. Thankfully, he had some experienced and talented teachers who’d helped him with every detail.
Now that the most stressful part was done and he had to wait until the end of March for the results to be issued, Noah could truly savor this stage, delving deeper into the subjects he’dchosen before going to college. He had to be ready for when and if he got into the Royal College of Music. They were excellent in the disciplines they taught, and he wanted to live up to their expectations—they didn’t have an acceptance rate of only 10 percent for nothing.
Of course, he’d also sent his application to other universities and conservatories in France and Germany, just in case. He was waiting for the Royal Danish Academy to open the admission process on February 1st. But he really wished the British one would accept him.
Tonight, he wasn’t going to worry about any of that. Not when he had a furry baby on his lap asking for attention. Mom had recently adopted a dog, and Noah was enjoying his company.
“I’m thinking about getting him a friend,” she said. “That way he’ll always have someone to play with.”
“What?” Noah scrunched his nose when Rocket, the stray that looked like a raccoon, licked his face. “But he’s barely been here for a couple of weeks.”
“I know, but they had so many. And there’s this doggy daycare near the studio, so they wouldn’t be alone at home all day, either.”
“And you think you can handle two dogs at the same time?”
“I raised you.” She shrugged, grinning mischievously.
