“You too.” I smile. I think I could get used to dancing with him.
“Okay guys, we don’t have all day.” Skye cuts Easton off before he can kiss me again. “You can get changed, Rayne. Guys, it’s your turn.”
Easton lets go of me with a sigh, and it’s clear how much he hates doing it. I feel the same, and to be honest, part of me wouldlove to get out of here and do something completely different. But we have a job to do, and we’re not done yet. I walk over to Mae, who hands me my coat. As I slip into the long sleeves, I can feel the cold of the room again.
“Here,” Zoe says, pulling a hat over my head. “Now you can ruin your curls all you want.”
“Thanks.” Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself. “Have you seen my boots anywhere?”
“Yes, just a sec.” Jase disappears briefly and returns a moment later with my warm fur-lined winter boots. I take off the dance slippers I’ve been wearing for the last few hours and sigh with relief when I can’t feel the cold floor under my feet anymore.
“That was so great.” Zoe grabs my hand and Mae puts her arm around my shoulders. They both beam at me. “Really. It was so, so beautiful.”
“You two were so cute! And pretty hot, actually.” Mae laughs and pretends to fan herself with one hand. I promptly blush a little more. “Honestly, we could really feel the chemistry between you. I think I died a little when you kissed.”
“Oh God, please don’t exaggerate,” I beg her, but I also have to laugh when I see Jase staring at us blankly, obviously having no idea what Mae is talking about. I, on the other hand, know exactly what she means.
“I’m not exaggerating. It really was beautiful!”
Skye saves me from having to answer. “Quiet down in the cheap seats, we want to get on with it!”
All at once we go quiet, and she nods with satisfaction and signals to the band. We Are No Saints starts playing, Easton’s voice fills the empty hall, and everything is absolutely perfect.
Chapter 41
Easton
Better Days—One Republic
Stunned, we sit huddled together on the sofa, which is much too small for all of us, staring at Skye’s iPad. Rayne is on my lap, her fingers digging into my hand. Jase is crouched on the armrest with Zoe leaning back between his legs. The guys sit next to me on the sofa, and Mae and Skye are standing by the coffee table. Skye looks nervous; it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her this way. The living room is silent.
“Can someone please say something?” Skye laughs, but even that sounds anxious.
“This is just...” Jax starts, but breaks off because his voice fails him. Mine isn’t working either; I can’t get a sound out.
“Wow,” Colin says, finishing Jax’s sentence for him.
“Insane,” Beck adds.
We’re all still staring at the little screen, which has gone black now. Just a few seconds ago, we were watching ourselves on it. Us. In a music video.
It’s a music video that was semiprofessionally shot by a dance student in an empty warehouse, with a band that has never done anything like this before. Except you can’t tell any of that from the video. Not at all. Whatever Skye did, she exceeded every expectation.
“How did you do that?” Rayne turns a little on my lap to look at Skye, who actually blushes.
She shrugs awkwardly. “It’s not rocket science,” she says dismissively. “It’s all a matter of practice.”
“It’s incredible,” Zoe says, a little in awe.
“Really?”
“Really,” I say with a nod, finally finding my voice again, even if it still sounds a little strange. “It’s really, really good.”
She exhales, and only now, as her shoulders relax a little, can I see how tense she actually was. “Okay. Good. Thank you. Oh my God.” A relieved laugh escapes her. “I’m so glad you don’t hate it.”
“As if we ever could! How could anyone ever hate this? It’s amazing!” Jax stands up and reaches out his hand to her. Only at the last second does he seem to remember that whatever was going on between them no longer exists, and he pivots to running his fingers through his hair as he clears his throat. “Seriously. It’s totally mind blowing.”
She gives him a small smile. “Thanks.” Then she turns back to the rest of us. “I edited a few shorts for you guys to use on TikTok and Insta. The full video is probably better for YouTube. I’ll send you everything later, but I wanted to see if you liked it before I show you the rest.”
