Chase raises his dark eyebrows, a shadow looming over his face. “We did the right thing, bro. Don’t ever feel guilty about walking away. You saved her in ways she didn’t know she needed to be saved.” He stops talking and twists the glinting ring on his thumb. “She will thank you for that one day.”
I drop my chin and nod, the breath filling my lungs shaky, angry,for her.“I fucking hope so.”
I had asked Rusty to find out what had happened to her and to tell me. Only he flat out refused, saying it wasn’t his story to tell.I was fucking pissed,still am.
Chase shoves up from where he’s seated, then moves toward me. He taps my chest, his palm lingering. “Tyler might not see reason initially, but when he does, he’s going to admire the shit out of you for what you did for her.” He looks at me intently and nods, his eyes hard before he drops his chin and beats his knuckles against my chest in finality before stepping away.
I clear my throat, then ask, “What do you think he’s going to do when he finds out that Cherry and I spent time together?” I grin, I can’t fucking help it. Biting into my bottom lip, the flashback of her on my bike, hands curled around my handlebars, the taste of her on my tongue, sends chills down my spine.
Chase turns around and his grin matches mine. “Fuck what he does.” He jerks his head toward the iron spiral stairs. “Let’s go fucking eat.”
There are two burgers waiting for us on the marble island bench. Chase and I snatch them up and head outside.
The sun beams down over me, heating the fabric of my gray hoodie. I fist the cotton at the base of my neck, ripping it over my head, then I shake out my curls as we amble toward the rest of the gang at the large gray sectional. Tyler’s mouth is full when he turns to look at us, blinking as he stares right into the sun.
“Did you guys go alright?” he asks around a mouthful of food. He’s leaning over his knees and wipes what looks like barbecue sauce from the corner of his mouth. I take a seat next to Cam and nudge her bare shoulder. She just chuckles, nudging me back a little harder than I had expected.
“Motherfucker,” she says, and I snigger quietly, bending over my knees and making good on unwrapping my burger.
Chase takes a seat next to me and does the same. “Yeah, dude. I just did a retake of that final scream and cut it in. Sounds fucking sick now.”
I turn toward Chase and watch him swallow roughly, like his throat hurts. I can hear the strain in his voice today, and I certainly haven’t missed the way he has been coughing up specks of blood. He needs to tone it back a bit, or he’s going to need a fucking casket for his vocal cords.
My stomach grumbles again when I see that they ordered me my favorite grilled chicken burger with all the extras that I love. Lettuce because, well, fuck,health, tomato, onion, cheese, sweet chili, and a creamy garlic sauce. I take a bite and fall back into the soft cushions, reclining my head to the heavens of food and groaning deep in my throat.
“Fuck me, that tastes so good,” I state to no one, really, maybe the birds above me.
Cam does the same, her head tilted back, mirroring mine. I turn mine to the side and she follows. “Pretty good, huh?” She winks, then we both sit up.
I drag her in for a one-armed warm hug. My eyes lock on Harmony’s deep greens across the table, and I jerk my chin up at her. “You ready for tonight?”
Harmony is huge, her name as big as ours. Her music is just as gritty and dark too. It’s soul wrenching and heartbreaking. But it’s what’s embedded in her throat that makes her tone so unique.
Her pipes are haunted.
Like Chase’s.
When Harmony and Chase come together at shows to perform their song “I’m Ready to Fight,” the crowd turns ballistic. We do it often, considering our little family is always together, and because she still doesn’t have a drummer. She has sent out calls, but stopped when Ty told her not to worry about it, that he would do it. He says he may as well because he’s always there.
I just think it’s because he loves playing with Cameryn.
Harmony coughs, then takes a sip of her soda. “Kind of.” She curls her hand around her throat and squeezes. “My throat is sore today.”
I tilt my eyes up at her and literally feel my fucking eyeballs smile, if that’s even possible. Grinning, I lick the juice from my lips. Cam and Chase have already started laughing beside me, as they know exactly what I’m thinking.
“Don’t you dare,” Harmony warns, though she’s smiling the same way I am when she points her finger at me.
Fuck, I love a solid warning, only spurs me on further.
My smile pushes deeper into my cheeks when I say, “Someone must have been fucking around with your tonsils last night.” I flick my eyes to Asher, and everyone does the same.
Asher hears exactly what I have to say and turns mid conversation with Ty to wink at me, a smug, dirty grin on his face.
I’m fucking jealous, I won’t lie.
I start to shake my head. “You lucky fuck.”
There’s a ping around the circle, and I fist my phone, pulling it out of my pocket, though I find the screen empty. Cam is still resting back on the couch beside me, the soles of her bare, tattooed feet on the cushion, her knees bent as she holds her phone in front of her face.
