I glance at Mercs. His expression is taut. Perhaps, he’s feeling it too.
“So…” he murmurs, and I find myself staring at his lips. When his tongue swipes across the bottom one, I force myself to look up, only to meet a glint in his eyes. He caught me.
“What’s it like being Effervescent, one of the world’s biggest rock stars?” he asks, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
I arch a brow. “Are you mocking me?”
He grins. “No. Actually, I’m kind of in awe. You’re so… tiny. And yet that voice? It’s shocking. And sexy, if I’m being honest.”
“You think I’m sexy?”
“I said your voice is sexy—”
“Oh, so I’m not sexy?”
He grits his teeth, trying to hide a smile. “Fuck. I’m in a lose-lose here, huh?”
“Well,” I tease. “If you admit I’m sexy, I might tell you something in return.”
The tension thickens, crackling with heat. My skin hums as our eyes lock.
Mercs leans slightly closer, breaths slower now. “Tell me what, exactly?”
I reach over and place a hand on his knee. A subtle jolt rushes up my arm at the contact.
“That I think you’re sexy as hell too.”
A slow smile creeps across his face, and his Adam’s apple bobs with a heavy swallow.
“You’re not the shy type, are you, Effa?”
I shrug. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“You looked great on stage tonight,” he says, his voice lower. “I found it hard to focus. You were made for the spotlight.”
I smile, settling deeper into the sofa but keeping my hand on his knee. “Performing comes naturally to me. I was born to entertain. The singing, though, took work, with years of vocal training. But I had an incredible coach. She made me who I am.”
He relaxes more into the sofa, his expression softening. “Who was she?”
“Charlotte Scott. We call her Lettie. She’s Alana’s mum. Once she became my coach, she and my dad got… close. Eventually, he left my mum for Lettie.” I pause. “My mum left Nimbin after that. Never came back. I was ten.”
He winces, while the memory tugs at my chest.
The image of that note on the kitchen counter is still vivid. I shake it off and continue, “Anyway, Dad and Lettie got married. Instant family… me, Dad, Lettie, and Alana.”
He gives me a half-smile but stays quiet.
“It was rough for a while. But Alana and I worked it out, thanks to Kristy.”
I see the recognition in his eyes—Kristy from the band.
“We stopped fighting, started jamming. Alana played keys, I sang, and Kristy taught herself drums. That’s howLuminouswas born.”
Mercs leans back. “I love that. Some bands are built in studios, others are born from something real. Those are the ones that last.” He pauses, brows rising. “So where do Andi and Casey come in?”
Smiling, I tilt my head, remembering. “The three of us were playing the pub scene, but we weren’t getting far. We were fifteen, and no one took us seriously. Then, during a gig in Byron Bay, an agent approached us. Said we had talent but needed more depth. A stronger bass line. A proper lead guitarist so I could focus on vocals.”
Mercs lets out a short laugh. “Ouch. Harsh.”
