“It’s jaw-dropping and miserable, isn’t it?”
“I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Sage nodded. “I remember the first time well. First off, that boy has no business being that good. Having access to a concert-level violinist is not something I saw myself having when I was younger, but I don’t think anyone expects the way Reno forces himself into their lives.”
“I know that feeling.”
Sage gave him a fond smile, then continued, “Second—wait. Has he talked to you about his dad?”
“Yeah.” Luka frowned, remembering the stories Reno told him yesterday while they sat in the grass together. “He was fifteen, right?”
“Yes. So, second, Reno’s dad really wanted him to go to school for the violin. His mom too, of course. She still bothers him all the time to join the symphony but he won’t, even thoughhis old bandmate, Sato Daisuke did. After his dad died, it got too personal to play in front of people, said his heart hurt too much and while it was good to feel that way while playing the violin, to remember his dad in that way—he didn’t want anyone else to see him like that.”
“You sure you should be telling me this?”
“He’ll forgive me. He’s crazy about you.” Sage waved him off. “Did they play Sibelius for you?”
“I don’t know. They mostly played his own stuff.”
Sage’s eyes widened. “He what?”
“Um…” Luka wondered if he’d misstepped. “He played his own compositions. Mostly transposed Voltage stuff, but some other things I didn’t recognize, other than sounding like something he’d write.”
“I think I need to sit down.” Sage gripped the bar and leaned back, hanging her head down between her arms. She whipped back up and said, “Do you have any idea howromanticthat is?”
“Yeah.” Luka could feel himself blushing and his heart trembling in his chest. “I understand even more now.”
Sage closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I give it six months and he’ll propose to you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Love, no one but Zana knows that man better than me, and that’s only because I don’t fuck him.” Sage took in a long breath before mumbling, “I should ask, though.”
“Ask what?”
Sage let out a laugh. “If I can fuck him. Now that Reno’s got you, Zana’s fair game, right?”
“Jesus Christ," Luka swore, and Sage burst out laughing.
“What! It’s fair. At least Zana knows I’m not a crazy stalker and I’m a ton of fun. Not sure if he fools around with girls though, or if that's reserved just for men.” She trailed off beforeher eyes shot up and out the window. Her smile dropped. “Hold on.”
She pulled out her phone and found a contact before dialing.
“Cane. Hey, we got some catty-corner to the shop.” She was quiet for a moment before making an affirmative noise. “Yup, no problem.” She hung up and set her phone on the counter with a sigh. “You got paparazzi on your tail.”
Luka looked out the window just in time to see the sun reflect off a lens.
“Part of it, babe. I got lucky; I was in with Reno before he got famous, so by the time he was in this position, I was boring news. I can’t imagine what it would be like right now if I were trying to get to know him, let alone date. Oh gosh, I’m sorry. That was callous of me to say.”
“No.” Luka was still watching the man as he flipped through photos on the camera’s viewfinder, seemingly oblivious to how obvious he was. “It’s my choice to deal with it to be with him.”
“That’s a relief to hear," Sage said, and Luka watched as two men in black suits got out of a car and crowded the photographer, ushering him away with very little scuffle. “I’d stay offline for a while, regardless.”
“I do. Did something happen, though?”
She clicked on her phone and went through a few things before pulling up a photo and sliding it so Luka could see. On the screen was a slightly blurry photo of Luka and Reno outside of the pub on their date the other night. The image appeared to have been taken with a long lens, and the quality wasn’t the highest because of the dark lighting. But if anyone knew Luka or was familiar with his face, they would be able to tell it was him with Reno’s hand pressed against his cheek.
“The post is already deleted. This is just a screenshot I took. I keep tabs on this shit for Reno and report it to Kandi. She cuts me into the band’s Christmas bonus for it— which wasunexpected, but very sweet. I’m unofficially employed to watch out for him online, and the Christmas bonus is more than half my rent for a year. I’d do it for free, but I’m glad I don’t have to because it’s honestly real nasty work having to see what people online are saying about my best friend.”
