“It’s no fun if you can’t make your friends listen to it too.”
River couldn’t argue with that. The best part about being in a band was being able to nerd out with people who understoodmusic on the same level he did and could have conversations about it.
That, at least, he wouldn’t lose.
Recording the song and the video took most of the morning, and then Briar ordered falafel from their favorite local joint for lunch. What was this, the third time this week River had eaten a midday meal? Grace would be so smug.
They were demolishing the last of the fries with garlic dip when Lara said, “So don’t take this the wrong way, because this whole project is awesome and I’m having a great time, but I gotta ask. Where did this stuff come from? It’s not like anything I’ve ever heard you do before. I mean it is, but it isn’t.”
It definitely didn’t have a ton in common with the Flat Tires’ usual stuff. But the reason for it made River’s face go hot before he could answer.
Briar hooted. “Oh, this has to be good.”
Lara reached for another fry, her eyes never leaving River’s face. “Fascinating.”
Ugh. He shot her the finger. But he might as well answer; it wasn’t like it wouldn’t be obvious soon. “You suck. It’s a couple things actually. But the big one? It was like six in the morning and I woke up to hear splashing and I went outside and my boyfriend was in the pool. And like, the pool light was on, right, so—”
Briar cackled. “Are you telling me you wrote a song called ‘All that Glitters’ and it’s about your boyfriend’s glistening wet muscles?”
“No!” River laughed. He wasn’t offended. “Okay, look, obviously my head can be turned by a pretty boy standing in good lighting, I’m not made of stone—”
Lara booed at his choice of words.
“—but actually the whole idea started with Jem anyway. We were on our first date and he was talking about this kid in his kindergarten class and he went on this rant about just letting people like things. You know? Life is tough enough without people shaming you for loving what you love or enjoying what you enjoy because it’s not cool. And I don’t know, it unlocked something for me. I thought about it so much.” He knew he was rambling—gushing, even—but he couldn’t stop himself.
“And then the pool thing happened later, presumably,” Briar finished.
“Excuse you, yes, I’m a gentleman.”
Leaning forward to steal the last garlic fry, Lara said, “Sorry, I’m still stuck on the part where your boyfriend is an actual kindergarten teacher.”
River maturely ignored her. “Anyway, then it just became about finding the beauty in things, even if it’s a drop of gasoline in a puddle that makes a rainbow.”
Briar picked up their plates to put in the dishwasher, but Lara went suddenly, uncharacteristically serious, her eyes and voice soft when she said, “Sounds like something a person in love would say.”
Was that what River was? Surely it was too soon to bein lovewith someone. He was still in the infatuation stage. But lovesongs—he couldn’t deny he’d been writing those. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s my turn to fill the world with silly love songs.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Briar said. “You ready to get back at it?”
That night Jem beat River home, and River walked inside to find him in the middle of making some kind of stir fry that had River’s stomach growling the second he got in the door. He was getting so spoiled.
“Hey, sunshine.” He wrapped an arm around Jem’s waist and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “Good day?”
Jem leaned back against him. “One bathroom incident, one projectile vomit, one wasp scare.”
River whistled and squeezed a little tighter. “Yikes. You want a drink?”
“God yes. Do we have cranberry juice?”
Huh. “Is your drink acosmo?”
“Don’t shame me. They’re delicious.”
“No shame.” River raised his hands. “I agree with you. Plus they’re a pretty color.” He smacked another kiss on Jem’s cheek. “Let me go find a cocktail shaker.” He paused, then pulled Jem in for another kiss. “Hey—what’s Tori doing this Friday?”
“So I gotyou a present,” Jem told Tori at lunch. “But um… you don’t have to use it if Ivy’s not up to it.”
“Ivy owes me for eating all your Huguenot cake.” She made grabby hands. “Gimme.”
