We respond with similar greetings, but my eyes land on someone in particular.
Leif.
He looks like his usual self, as if he didn’t have a great night or morning. As if nothing is different, even though I feel like I’ve been awakened.
Suddenly, I can’t remember how to act around him. Would I normally say hello to him specifically? Would I ignore him? Why don’t I know how to act?
“What’s up, Aliko?” he finally says, giving me a smile that tells me it’s okay to talk to him.
“Hey,” I say, my shoulders sagging. I let out a quiet breath.
Why is this affecting me so much?
“We’re just heading out to eat,” one of the guys says. I don’t catch who, because now I can’t pull my gaze away from Leif.
“Just got back from doing that,” Lucien says.
“There’s a place two blocks down that way—” Kael points in the direction of the restaurant. “Food was good.”
“Yeah? Cool. Thanks for the tip,” someone says.
“We’ll see you guys later at set up,” another guy says.
I still can’t stop staring at Leif, even though he’s not looking at me anymore. He’s talking softly to the guy next to him. Cody. They talk a lot. I can’t hear what he’s saying, and he isn’t smiling, so it doesn’t feel flirty. But I still don’t like the way my stomach twists at the thought of him doing what we did with someone else.
Chapter Eight
Leif
I shift the snare a little to the left because it feels off. When I sit back and look at it, it doesn’t look right, but I can’t figure out why. I could do this with my eyes closed, and now suddenly, I’m questioning myself.
It’s not because I’m distracted. Though I keep thinking about Aliko and what we did last night, that isn’t what’s got my head a mess. It’s wanting to make this more perfect for him. To show him that even though we hooked up, I can still do my job. Hell, I’ll do it better than I did before.
The last thing I want is for him to think I’m taking advantage or trying to get a leg up. Aliko doesn’t seem like the type to think that, but you never know… because I don’t know him all that well, and he’s still learning a lot of things. Probably that peoplecan be shitty. I doubt he’s had many bad experiences with people to worry about stuff like that, so I need to look out for him. Make sure he understands that there are still good people who won’t take advantage of him just because he’s famous.
I stand up, stretching my arms up over my head, then dig into my pocket to grab a few Swedish Fish that I pop into my mouth. I’ve loved them since I was a kid. They’re a good pick me up between meals.
I look out over the stage, the other guys working diligently to get everything set up and checked. Since we’re the only show this whole weekend, not everything had to come down. But we still need to run through everything to make sure it’s working.
“You good?” Cody calls out, meeting my gaze from across the stage. I give him a thumbs up and he goes back to running wires.
I take a deep breath and look down at the drums, hoping to see what’s wrong with them. They all feel a little off. Instead of using my eyes, I sit and grab my drumsticks to play. That’s when I realize what the problem is. Everything on the right is a little too close together, so I shift them all out, then play again.
“Yes,” I say to myself, getting to my feet again.
When I turn, I almost bump into someone.
“Shit, sorry,” Aliko says. “I should have stood farther away.”
I chuckle as I look up at him, taking a step back. “Hey.”
He smirks. “Sorry,” he says again.
“No need. You’re just making sure I’m doing my job,” I say politely.
The air between us gets a little thick. Aliko frowns before his gaze goes to the drum kit.
“Looks like you did,” he says.
