Page 55 of Fame & Rhythm

Relief washes through me that it’s her, and not Dad. I lean forward, elbows on the table, dropping my head into my hands.

“I don’t even know.” I groan. “He’s my best friend. So why the hell do I want to cuddle him like that?”

Ella nudges me with her shoulder. “Because you like him?”

I lift my head and shake it immediately. “No way. He’s basically family. I’ve grown up with him. I know everything about him. I can’t like him.”

Before she can argue, Chad strolls in, spinning his drumsticks. Rob wants everyone back in there,” he says. “And Uncle Colt looks like he’s about two seconds away from losing it.” He disappears again just as quickly as he came.

“To be continued,” Ella murmurs.

I nod, pushing up from my chair. “Yeah… definitely.”

We head back toward the music room, and thankfully, I feel calmer now. Still rattled, but at least I’m not about to explode. When we walk in, everyone is gathered around the sofa, waiting.

Dad’s glare hits me instantly.

I roll my eyes.

Seriously? I needed a minute. Surely that’s better than a full-blown meltdown in front of Rob.

“Oh, good, you’re back,” Rob says easily. “Come sit down. I want to talk to all of you together.”

Ella grabs my hand, and we squeeze onto the floor beside Mum.

I don’t look at Aston.

I can’t.

“All right,” Rob continues. “Let’s talk about Staked.”

My stomach tightens.

“I only needed to hear two songs to make my decision.”

I swallow hard.

Here it comes.

“Annie,” he says, looking straight at me. “Your guitar solo clearly caught the rest of the band off guard. It was obvious by the way they reacted that you extended it longer than expected.”

My chest tightens instantly, and I glance at Ella, who squeezes my hand harder, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

Yeah. I’ve screwed this.

“But,” Rob continues, and my head snaps back to him. “What you did was electric.” I blink. “The standard of that solo? That’s up there with some of the best rock guitarists out there. Your father’s taught you well.” Relief crashes into me so hard I almost feel dizzy. “However,” he adds, holding up a finger. “You need to communicate with your band before changing things up like that. It could’ve completely thrown the others off and stopped them from knowing where to come back in. Luckily, you all know each other so well that you managed to recover seamlessly, and that’s one of the things that makes Staked special.”

I nod quickly. “Yes, sir.”

“That said…” He glances around at all of us. “The way you work together is what makes this band special. You read each other. You move as one.”

His gaze flicks between Aston and me. “Especially you two. The connection you have on stage… it’s rare. You feed off each other in a way you can’t teach.”

My heart stutters.

I still don’t look at Aston.

“You need to lean into that,” Rob continues. “Because that chemistry? That’s what people connect to.” He pauses, glancing briefly at Dad, who gives him a small nod. And then… “Well,” Rob says, clapping his hands together lightly. “I’ve made my decision.”