“Can we practice, boys?”Stix asked from the stage, where their equipment lived between gigs.
“Let’s do it,” Julian said as he walked away from Denny, certain their conversation was finished only for now since he’d been stupid enough to use those particular words.
Julian went into the cramped bathroom and changed out of his suit into faded jeans, a Foghat T-shirt and a flannel, because it was always freezing in there, especially in January.He pulled on fingerless knit gloves and shoved his feet into a pair of black Vans that were almost as old as the jeans.A Dodger’s ball cap worn backward was the finishing touch to keep hair that needed to be cut out of his face.
Before he joined the others, he took a second to get his head together.It was ridiculous to feel so unsettled after seeing someone exactly three times.Not to mention he was fighting with Denny, one of his oldest friends.They’d hardly ever had a cross word between them until now.
When he thought of Isla and the hurt expression on her sweet face, he wanted to howl at knowing he’d done that to her when she was already hurting.
“Are you coming, Julian?”Troy said from outside the bathroom door.“We got shit to do.”
“Yeah,” he said, exhaling a deep breath that did nothing to calm the storm raging inside him.“I’m coming.”
ChapterFourteen
Practice was a mess.Julian missed half his cues and kept losing the beat, two things that rarely occurred for any of them, let alone multiple times during one practice or gig.
“What the actual fuck, Julian?”Stix said after they’d stopped for the fifth time because of him.
“I’m sorry.Let’s go again.”
“This is feeling kind of pointless tonight, man,” Troy said.“Your mind is obviously elsewhere.”
Since Julian couldn’t deny that, he didn’t try.
“You want to talk about it so we can get back on track?”Vixen asked.
“No, thanks.I’m okay.It was just a crazy day in the divorce wars.”
“I don’t know how you deal with that shit every day,” Stix said.“Listening to people fight over the family china would make me insane.”
“That’s the least of what they fight over,” Julian said with a small grin, relieved that they were homed in on work stress and hadn’t picked up on the far bigger concern that was screwing up his concentration.How,in the world, could he have actual feelings for someone he’d metthree fucking times?
“Jules…” Troy’s exasperation was apparent.“You’re not even listening.Let’s call it.This practice is a bust.We gotta get our shit together before the Whisky, so let’s practice one more time.Who can do Monday?”
While the others checked their calendars, Julian tried to recall what he was doing Monday night.
Vixen said she had to work Monday, so they moved on to Tuesday.
They were at Wednesday when he snapped out of his own thoughts and pulled his phone from his back pocket to check the calendar.“I can do Wednesday.”He created a new event on the spot so he wouldn’t forget.
“Wednesday it is,” Troy said.Turning to Julian, he added, “And whatever’s going on with you, man,figure it outbefore then.This gig at the Whisky is the biggest thing to ever happen to any of us.We can’t blow it.”
“I will.I’m sorry about tonight.”
“Shit happens,” Stix said.“But let’s get it right for next weekend.”
The others were gone by the time Denny and Julian walked out together fifteen minutes later.
“I’ve known you a long time, Jules.You’ve never screwed up a practice like that or reneged on a commitment to a friend.Something’s up.It might be easier to tell me what it is, so I don’t have to be pissed with you.”
“It’ll piss you off either way.”
Denny stopped and turned to face Julian.“Tell me.”
Julian hoped that what he was about to say wouldn’t end a friendship he treasured.“I like her.”
“Who?”Denny asked, brows knit in confusion.
