Page 73 of Knot Their Starlet

“Great session. Well, maybe. There’s a chance everything I wrote is shit, but man, I wrote so much. I literally couldn’t stop,” I say, running my hands through my hair as I start pacing back and forth in the room.

Well, I guess now I can piece together how my hair got so fucked up.

“I’m sure it’s amazing,” Eli hums, swinging his legs over the side of the couch and sitting up. “It always is.”

“Yeah, that’s a whole lot of bullshit,” I say, letting out a soft chuckle.

Leo yawns as he sits up, scrubbing a hand down his face.

“Sorry for keeping you guys out here all night,” I say, massaging the crick in the back of my neck. I have a bad tendency of my posture turning into that of a shrimp when I play the guitar for too long.

“It’s cool,” Leo says, his smile warm and soft.

“You guys are awesome,” I say, letting out a relieved sigh. “I won’t do it again.”

“Do it whenever you need to,” Eli says, unfolding his massive form from the couch as he stands. “You’re an artist. Artists always have their own crazy processes.”

“I wouldn’t even call this crazy. It’s just working hard,” Leo adds. “Plus, you haven’t done something like this in a while. It reminds me of when we were in high school.”

“Yeah, I’d fall asleep in class ‘cause I would barely sleep over the weekends,” I say, flopping down onto the couch Eli just vacated, his blood orange scent wrapping around me like a comforting blanket.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I know I’m screwed when my heart beats faster the moment I see who texted me.

Andi

Just wanted to share with someone that I got a therapist

Thought it’d be okay if I shared it with you

My fingers fly over the screen, buzzing with excitement.

Beck

you can share anything with me

I’m proud of you, btw

Therapy’s a big step

The text bubble pops up and disappears over and over. I wait with bated breath for her response.

Andi

Thank you

Have you thought about taking those omega classes the OCN offers?

Beck

I’d prefer if you could teach me

“Hey, Everett’s coming,” Eli says, casting a shadow in front of my face as he blocks the sunlight streaming in through the windows. “Just wanted to let you know.”

“Now? Wait, why?” That excitement from seeing Andi’s text is turning into anxiety fast.

“We mentioned you were headed to the studio last night. He texted this morning to ask if we were still here,” Eli says, his intense gaze seeing right through my flimsy attempts at hiding my anxiety. “Take a breath. It’s okay. I’m sure what you worked on last night is great, but he’s not going to drop you even if it’s the worst thing you’ve ever written.”

“Okay,” I nod, forcing myself to take a deep breath. “Okay. You’re right.”