Page 33 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

“You have nothing to say?” Desi said, pouting.

“About…?” Then he recalled her words and arched a brow. “Oh, the girlfriend? Did you want me to?”

His gaze darted between the mirth dancing in Lyric’s ocean eyes and the furrowed brows belonging to Desi.

“I’m the last one you should expect a reaction from. Hello,” he said, motioning to the floral designs on his suspenders and the light pink button-up he wore. “I thought it was obvious. I mean, what else can we do?” he inquired. He pointed a finger from his outfit to Desi’s, which consisted of a white button-up, tight black pants, and boots. Her short curly bob was styled to perfection, which only added the perfect contrast of femininity to her otherwise androgynous style.

Desi snorted and he played affronted. “Please. Don’t act like that white button-up is comfortable to play drums in. You wanted us to know. I mean, I played the rose pink Fender today.”

“Femininity doesn’t equal gay, just like masculinity doesn’t equal straight,” Lyric pointed out and sipped her water.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” he agreed, and tapped his water glass to hers.

“What are we toasting?” Emerson asked as he approached the table.

“Sexuality,” he answered with a monotone voice.

Emerson didn’t blink, which scored him a point. How this suddenly turned into a secret test for the alpha, Nohen didn’t know. He was already on the shit list for insulting Lyric.

“Whose sexuality? Are we taking bets?” he queried.

Lyric arched a brow at that. “Who would you bet on?”

“Don’t get him start—” Odd began, but Emerson interrupted him.

“I’d bet you got me wrong,” Emerson admitted with a smirk, pulling a chair out, spinning it around in one smooth move, and sitting down backwards.

Nohen narrowed his gaze.

Odd—Adra—took a more civilized seat beside Desi and shook his head, a small smile curling his lips.

“No way,” Desi said, slapping both hands on the table and leaning forward right as Nohen’s gaze began jumping from one alpha to the other.

He silently echoed her words. No way…

Nohen glanced to Lyric, gauging her reaction. There was a smile trying its damnedest to curl her lips, but she was fighting it as she stared at the menu.

Wide-eyed, Nohen grabbed his glass of water and watched the stare down between Desi and Emerson.

“Knots are so fun, why would I just play with my own?” Emerson asked as a tease, but it came out like a challenge.

Nohen snorted his water and instantly coughed as it went down the wrong pipe.

“Oh my—god, are you trying to kill me?” he rasped out a moment later as they all cackled. Who was this alpha at their table? He was someone completely different from the rough around the edges bassist they’d been practicing with all week. “Rude.”

“That’s what he said,” Desi blurted in the middle of giggling.

“Or she,” Odd retorted.

“They,” Lyric corrected, and wiped her hand under her eye. Her smile was wide and bright as she glanced around the table, a few chuckles still bubbling past her lips.

They were mostly composed by the time a waitress stopped by to take their order, fighting her own smile, and Nohen wondered how much of their banter she’d overheard.

“So, wait.” Nohen glanced at the two alphas and pointed back and forth. “You’re together?”

In sync, they shook their heads, but it was Emerson who answered. “No, we’re just convenient.”

“Oh, it hurts,” Odd teased, slapping a hand over his heart like he’d been shot.