Page 33 of Fame & Rhythm

Caleb rubs the back of his neck and watches her go, his shoulders tight, his expression unreadable. For the first time, he actually looks a little shaken.

I bite the inside of my cheek. “You okay, cuz?”

He turns back to me. “Yeah. I just… wasn’t expecting to see Indi today, that’s all.”

I slide off the bed and walk over to him. “Who is she?”

He exhales and looks out into the hallway. “No one. She’s no one.”

I don’t believe that for a second. Indi the pixie is definitely not no one, not with the look that just crossed his face.

“You know you can talk to me… if you want to.”

He glances at me, then shakes his head. “There’s nothing to say. C’mon, let’s get you home. It’s an hour-and-a-half drive, and it’s getting close to one in the morning.”

My stomach knots.

I exhale slowly and follow him out of the hospital room, heading straight toward the screaming match that’s probably waiting for me.

And I am really not looking forward to it.

Chapter Seven

Annie

Caleb pulls up in his black Lexus LFA, the engine purring as it comes to a stop. It’s such an awesome car, and normally I love riding in it, but tonight the novelty barely registers. For a split second, though, I almost forget about the storm waiting for me inside.

Almost.

“Are you coming in with me?” I ask, needing the backup more than I want to admit.

“Yeah, Annie. Of course,” Caleb replies. “You’re going to need me. We’re family. And someone’s gotta calm Colt down after you go to bed. Even if Dee can handle him, she might need support.”

I nod slowly.

This is going to be brutal.

It’s two-thirty in the morning, and everyone is exhausted. I want to sneak inside, crawl into bed, and pretend none of this happened until tomorrow, but there’s no chance of that.

“Will you explain to Dad what happened?” I ask quietly.

Caleb glances at me. “I don’t know, Annie. Shouldn’t it come from you? You’re the only one who really knows why you did it.”

I frown, unbuckling my seatbelt. “Dad can’t know why. He’ll kill him.”

Caleb’s head snaps toward me. “Kill him? Did someone do something to you?”

“No… no, nothing like that,” I rush to clarify. “It’s just… Aston tried to kiss me.”

For a second, Caleb stares at me, and then he smirks. “Kid finally grew a pair,” he mutters.

“This isn’t funny,” I snap. “It could ruin everything.”

He shakes his head, still half smiling. “So you didn’t kiss him back?”

I scrunch my face. “What? God, no. I don’t want that.” The sharpness in my voice makes my head throb, and I wince, pressing my fingers to my temple.

Caleb chuckles as he unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the door. “Yeah… maybe leave that part out. That won’t end well for anyone.”