AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What about one of the newbies? Leo?”
“Still can’t be in the same room with him without wanting to punch him.”
That was an eventful day. My favorite part was when Evie punched Max, though. The girl has moxy. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, especially her older brother.
Listing off the remaining responsible brothers, I watch as Max shakes his head every time. They’ve all shot him down. Either they refuse to be alone with Cleo, or they’ve already left town for the holidays.
And I can’t use that as an excuse. He knows it. I don’t celebrate the holidays with my family. I barely visit. Not that I don’t want to; I love my family. I just can’t afford to go home for a few weeks and miss any gigs. Getting there is an entirely different issue.
Plus, I’ve already volunteered to stay at the house and keep an eye on it while everyone else is gone.
Instead of answering Max right away, I signal the bartender over and order us two beers. I don’t say a word as I down mine. He twists his glass on the bar top while staring at me the entire time, his aggravation radiating off him in waves.
I feel his gaze searing into me as I make my way on stage for sound check. Smirking at him, I tap my fingertips on the microphone to make sure it’s on.
“Check, check.” My voice can barely be heard over the muffles of the growing crowd, so I repeat myself after adjusting the volume. “Check, check.”
Once I’m satisfied, I nod to Nash and Ace who both go through their routines. I notice a few small groups watching us, so before I jump off the stage, I put on a little show for the onlookers. And Max.
Really, I’m just stalling because I can.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Colt, and we’re Fade Into Nothing. We’ll be starting our set in a little less than an hour. We hope you all stick around.”
The two girls who were flirting with Ace and Nash earlier are cheering from the far side of the room, bouncing up and down. There’s a group of guys at the table next to them eyeing them with interest, not that I can blame them.
Guaranteed they’re going to flash us their boobs later. The chestier one isn’t wearing a bra. Both of them have on low-cut shirts. And the way they’re looking at Nash and Ace, I have a feeling they’ve each already staked their claim.
Groupies.
That’s what I call them. They’re not here for the music. They couldn’t give a shit less what we’re singing about. All they’re looking for is someone to latch onto that will pay them attention.
I hate groupies.
Avoid them like the plague.
As I make my way back over to where Max is waiting, I can see he’s clearly irritated with the fact I have yet to accept his terms. Once I’m seated next to him, he nudges my shoulder, forcing me meet his stare.
“How long are you going to make me wait? Because if you won’t do it, I have to find someone who will. I can’t be alone with her in a room. I’ll end up in jail or—”
“Fine.” I’d already decided I’d take on the project but watching Max squirm was too tempting to resist. Plus, if I’m going to do this for him, he’s in my debt, and I know just how I want to collect. “I want a favor in return, though. New Year’s Eve.”
“What about it?” he asks, eying me skeptically.
“We had a gig that was canceled, a big one. It was supposed to pay really well. We need a new one. The guys are hard up for cash.”
“That explains this place.” Max motions around the room as he speaks, finally turning to fully face me as a gaggle of scantily dressed girls brush past us. “What can I do to help?”
“I’m thinking exclusive concert. At the house. New Year’s Eve. Cover charge. We invite enough people to cover what we lost.”
“That could be arranged. Do I have any say on the guest list?”
There’s the Max I know and tolerate. He can’t just agree; he has to have complete control over the situation. And in this instance, that’s the guest list. He either wants to make sure someone is on it or someone is left off. I’m guessing it’s the later of the two.
“You can have some input, sure.”
“All I care about is a Cleo free evening. The last thing I want to do is end one year and start the next with her breathing down my neck.”
Whatever the hell happened between them freshman year, he needs to get over it. Or she does. No one gives a shit anymore. When it first started, I’m not going to lie, we were all invested in the situation. Max wouldn’t say what happened, but it was obvious that something had. We tried to get him to talk about it for months to no avail.
