I shook my head. “I should get back to Molly, she’s probably lonely at home.”
“I guarantee you she’s spending these last few weeks before college catching up with her high school friends.”
I arched a brow at him. “And you’re an expert on this how exactly? You didn’t even go to college.”
He laughed, a playful sound that never failed to disarm me. “Just a hunch. Why don’t you text her? If she’s really at home, invite her to join us.”
My stomach growled, and a part of me dreaded trying to put together a dinner with whatever groceries we had at home. I’d been so busy last week that I’d bailed on my usual grocery-store trip on Sunday. Instead, I’d used the time to relax and do nothing.
“Okay, let me check with her,” I conceded and pulled out my phone. Cole flashed a triumphant grin.
“Hey, you waiting for me for dinner?”
Moments later, her response arrived. “I’m at Carly’s with a few other girls. I already ate. Sorry :(”
Cole, apparently not a fan of personal space, leaned over my shoulder to see what she’d written.
“Told you,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. A shiver ran down my spine at his closeness, and my thoughts immediately returned to Ezra’s story. I nearly groaned with frustration. I had managed to forget about it for the duration of the recording session, but now the images were flooding back.
I stepped away from him, feeling flushed. “Okay, you were right.”
Cole winked, and minutes later, he began placing an order for Thai food over the phone.
Since we’d driven to the studio separately, I got Abel to text his address to me and hopped into my car. On the drive over, I got a call from Mason.
“Yo, Ade! Liam told me about your gig with Bleeding Moonlight. What the hell, dude? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I know, I suck. It’s honestly been a whirlwind, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” I admitted.
“I’ll bet.” Mason let out a boyish laugh. “Although I’m pissed as hell you didn’t say anything to me, I’m really happy for you. What’s it like working with metal legends?”
I paused for a moment, looking for the right answer. “It’s intense, but really rewarding. Every day, I’m worried I’m not going to be good enough, but so far, they’ve been willing to help me with parts I’ve found challenging.”
“So you’re getting along with them? I’d expect some wild personalities.”
“Some of them are a handful, for sure,” I responded, thinking of Abel and his frequent moods. The more time I spent around him, the more I wanted to peel back the prickly layer and see what was inside. “But I really can’t complain. It’s a short gig, but I’m getting paid more than fairly.”
“Good, ’cause you’re fucking worth it. It’s about time you owned it,” Mason said, and I scowled at the phone.
“You know, it seems like everyone is on this mission to inflate my confidence, even when I never asked for any help.” I was getting tired of being told that my opinion of myself was wrong. I knew who I was better than anyone else, thank you very much.
“Well, maybe you should listen to everyone for once,” Mason fired back. “Hey, Liam told me we’re meeting up this weekend. I just want to tell you that if you want to keep playing, I’m game. Northeastern is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from here, but I’m not going to let a bit of distance ruin things for everyone. I can come back for practice on the weekends and make it down here for shows. I was thinking I could even look for venues around the college and beg the managers to let us play.”
Hope flared in the darkened corners of my soul. If the band could survive Mason’s move, maybe I’d be fine once I finished this recording. Things would go back to the way they were, I’d find a better job, and I’d still be able to indulge myself on the weekends.
Of course, this all still depended on Liam and Elly, and whether they would be willing to get on the same page.
“Have you talked about this with the others?” I asked.
“I floated the idea to Liam, and he said I’m an idiot. That I’ll be way too busy with classes and friends to come back here. But, I’m not convinced. All I’m saying is if you wanted to make a case for sticking together, I’ll back you up.”
I nodded to myself. Despite my personal desires, I could hear the truth in Liam’s words. Although I never went to college, I knew that going away for school had a way of changing people. When my best friend, Naomi, left three years ago, we’d clutched onto each other with teary eyes as we said goodbye. We promised to stay in touch, but weekly phone calls had soon turned monthly. Then quarterly. In the past year, we’d sent the occasional text and had a brief talk on her birthday, but our friendship was a shell of what it once was. I didn’t hold it against her, and if she came back to River Valley next summer instead of working an internship, I’d be glad to see her, but I knew from experience that college brought new friends as much as it helped you forget old ones.
“Okay. Let me think on it,” I said. “I’d love to keep going, but I don’t want to pressure anyone into doing something that would feel more like an obligation than fun. I’ll text you the day before we meet with them so that we can come up with a game plan.”
“Perf. Have fun with the boys this week!” Mason clicked off before I could respond.
I was having fun with them. Maybe a bit too much fun considering how hard my imagination and vibrator had been working.
