When I woke up in the morning, I was on Ezra’s enormous bed with the guys all curled around me. I sat up and studied their beautiful sleeping faces. They looked completely at peace.
23
COLE
When we walkedinto the studio on Friday and I saw Abel’s face, I knew immediately something was very wrong. The dark circles under his eyes and his broken expression were incomprehensible in my rosy-colored world after our night with Adeline.
When she’d taken off her bra by Ezra’s pool and made it clear she was going to claim all of us, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I was so fucking proud of her for finally taking what she wanted and not letting self-doubt sabotage her happiness.
At breakfast, she’d leveled all of us with a serious gaze and said, “I think I’ve made a decision about your offer. Let’s wait until we’re all together to talk about it.”
She was going to join the band. I was fucking sure of it. Last night, we’d proved to her that this thing between us could work. It was only a matter of time before Abel got his head out of his ass and admitted to himself that he was all in as well. I’ve known the idiot for a long time, and I’d never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at Adeline.
So as I tried to puzzle out what the hell was going on with him, I was also starting to feel nervous. I wasn’t prepared to handle this, and as I caught Silas’s and Ezra’s concerned expressions, I could tell they felt the same.
Adeline waltzed into the control room last, a pep in her step that seemed to scream she’d just had a very good night. Pride and satisfaction swelled in my chest. Then, Abel’s gaze immediately found her and darkened in a way that made me shiver.
“Let’s get started,” he barked, causing Kyle, who was sitting a few feet from him, to startle in his seat. “We have about eight sections we need to rerecord before we’re kicked out of here.”
Adeline jerked as if she’d been slapped. The happiness melted right off her face and was replaced with deep worry. She opened her mouth to say something to Abel.
“You’re all fucking late,” he yelled. “I don’t want to hear a word until we’re finished.”
On a normal day, I’d tell him to stuff it and stop being an asshole, but I was too stunned to do so now. How could a perfect day take such a sharp turn so quickly?
Ezra grabbed my elbow and pulled me aside. “What the fuck happened?”
“I have no idea. I messaged him when we were about to leave last night, but he didn’t respond. We need to talk to him before he freaks Adeline out. I think she was ready to say yes this morning.”
Ezra let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s give it an hour and see if he calms down. I don’t want to escalate it with a confrontation just yet.”
I nodded in agreement. I could deal with Abel being a dick to us, but if he said some bullshit to Adeline, we’d shut that shit down quick.
“Silas, you’re first,” the dictator said, not looking at any of us. “We need to work on the melody for ‘Hoarse.’”
As Silas played, Adeline came up to us, her brows pulled tight. “I feel terrible for not going after him last night. Should I talk to him one-on-one?”
I looked over her shoulder, trying to see if Abel was watching us talk. No. He had the headphones on and was glaring at Silas through the glass.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I reassured her. Ezra lifted his hand to rub her arm. “Did anything happen before you left him? Anything that might have set him off?”
She pursed her lips, her beautiful eyes swimming with guilt. “We kinda had a moment. He was protecting me from the crowd, and he wrapped his arms around me. We didn’t kiss, but it got a little heated. I thought he was enjoying it, though.”
I felt a little smug at the news that Abel was indeed caving to his real feelings for her, but at the same time, if this is how he reacted…
No. It made no sense. Abel could be a loose cannon, but even he wouldn’t freak out after a bit of overdue flirting. “I doubt that’s what triggered him. Maybe something happened after you left.”
“Should we just ask?”
“Are you still drunk?” Abel’s tight voice made our heads snap up. He was talking to Silas through the microphone. “You sound like a high school band player. Let’s go again, and this time, try not to suck so bad.”
Silas glowered at him from the studio. They could see his mouth moving, but the glass blocked his undoubtedly creative swearing.
Ezra winced but shook his head. “Let’s give him a bit more time.”
We didn’t even make it to lunch before all hell broke loose.
Abel seemed to calm down after finishing with Silas, so we decided to not intervene. I still felt uneasy, but I guess I was riding the residual optimism last night and this morning had implanted in me.
