Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HENDRIX

Dancing around with Sophie was hilariously fun. She was bossy, correcting me and making us do the same parts over and over, but she was also heavy-handed with the praise and very encouraging. She balanced both aspects really well.

Dropping heavily onto the couch, I let out a breath. "You are going to rule the world one day, kid."

She giggled, tugging on my hands. "It's not time to stop yet! We only learned the first half!"

Damn, this kid was gonna run me ragged. I'd be dead on my feet when I joined Laz at the club tonight if I didn't catch a break. Luckily, Art was close by and when he saw how beat I was, he swept in to save me.

"Alright, break time. Sophie, let the poor musician breathe. Come join me in the kitchen and we'll make a snack."

"You're a saint," I breathed as he nudged Sophie out of the room. Art snorted.

"Me? You've been dancing with her for hours. I would've tapped out long before now."

"That was an option?" I queried.

Art snickered, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Yes. She's got nine-year-old energy. If I need to, I'll distract her with a new game or take her out to the park or something. If I don't, she won't stop." His smile softened. "You're really great with her."

I hummed, soaking in his praise. "It's nothing. Dealing with Felix is more exhausting than dealing with Sophie."

At least, it used to be. I wanted to buy Tyler a present for diverting Felix's attention. He used to cause trouble with all of us. Now he saves it for his mate.

"Why don't you take a rest? We'll make some snacks and come join you. Are… Are you staying for dinner?"

"If you'll have me. I can't stay too late, though. I promised Laz I'd go to the club tonight. He needs to feed, but he's been hooked on someone and needs a wingman."

He hummed, patting me on the shoulder. "Ruby, right?"

Blinking a few times, I spun around to look at him, but he was already heading for the kitchen to help Sophie. I debated waiting until he got back, but curiosity got the better of me and I followed him into the kitchen.

"How'd you know that?"

"I see the way he looks at her," he shrugged. "I'm also pretty sure she pretends she doesn't notice because she doesn't feel the same way. It must be hard for the both of them since they work together. You think a club will help?"

My gaze dropped to Sophie, who was pulling fruit out of the fridge. I couldn't tell Art what kind of club it was with Sophie around, but I didn't want to sneak around behind his back either. I tried to skirt it instead, being as vague as possible.

"He's been neglecting his… self care. And this club is meant for people like him to get… self care. I'm worried about him, so I said I'd go with to make sure he took care of himself."

Art knew what kind of paranormals the band had, so he knew what self care was referring to. His eyebrows drew tightly together, and I saw the worry cross his face.

"Is it just for people like him?"

I wasn't about to lie to him, so I shook my head. "No. Some people go to… help with the self care. Some go just to watch. I want to make sure he… gets some help."

Damn, this was difficult. I'd never had to censor myself before. And I didn't think I was doing a good job about it. Sophie was watching us now, a confused look on her face. Hopefully, she didn't catch my drift.

"What's self care?"

Dammit.

Art answered swiftly before I could put my foot farther into my mouth. "It's how it sounds, sweetheart. Taking care of yourself. Laz hasn't been doing a good job taking care of his needs, so Hendrix is going to take him somewhere that he can do that."

"What kind of needs?"

As smooth as silk, Art answered again without hesitation. "Whatever needs that he hasn't dealt with. There are the basics, like taking the time to shower, eat, and sleep. Or caring for your mind, just like I tell you that you need breaks from working so your mind can rest. Self care for the body, like getting the exercise your body requires. All of that is important to live a healthy and balanced life."

Damn. Art had the parenting thing down pat. He gave Sophie the answers she needed without making things awkward like I had. She nodded her head, completely appeased by his answer, and joined him at the counter to carefully slice fruit with him. When I looked at Art, he smiled softly at me.

"I'm glad Laz has a friend like you to help him. Is he going to be okay?"

I nodded. "Should be. It's been a while since he's done anything to take care of himself, but he realized he couldn't put it off anymore and asked me to wingman for him."

"And will you be taking part?" There was a hint of unease in the question, and I could tell he was worried about my response. I couldn't do a lot to comfort him with Sophie standing right there, so I placed my hand on his forearm instead of holding him like I wanted to.

"No. I'm just going to support him. I've got no complaints about my self care right now," I winked subtly. That made Art blush, and he ducked his head, focusing instead on making the snacks.

I wasn't lying to him. Between hanging out with the band and spending time with him, I got everything I needed. Yeah, lately sleep has been elusive, but I was never going to complain about being inspired. Art and the joy he brought into my life covered everything else. Hopefully soon I'd finish the song we were working on and be able to tell him exactly what he meant to me.

After dinner with Art and Sophie, I headed home to meet Laz. He looked like he had a date with the gallows instead of a night of fun ahead of him, but at least he put effort into his outfit.

"You look good, man. Gimme a minute to change and we'll head out."

He nodded, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace. I jogged upstairs to change, not really paying attention to my outfit. I wasn't going to participate after all. I just wanted to be there for my friend.

I came downstairs right as Ruby and Duncan got home, and they looked at us curiously.

"You two going out?"

Laz looked like he wanted to swallow tacks before he'd admit where he was going, so I answered for him.

"Yep. Heading to Laz's cousin's club to check it out. Don't wait up."

Duncan whined about not being invited, but I ignored him, steering Laz towards the door. When he passed by Ruby, she offered him a smile, patting his shoulder.

"You look good. Have fun."

I saw the flicker of hope cross Laz's face, and I kind of wished I could tell Ruby not to be so nice to him, but I wasn't going to do that. I wanted them to be friends. We were in this for the long run, but I didn't want to encourage Laz's crush, either.

"You staying in tonight?" I queried.

Ruby shook her head. "Got another date. Last one went really well. Duncan and I grabbed some food first, but I'm heading out soon. Just gotta get ready."

There. That was a nicely drawn line. Laz looked dejected, but I got the feeling Art was right when he said Ruby was aware of his crush and purposefully ignoring it. She didn't want to make things awkward, but she was putting up all the signs to tell him she wasn't interested. It would hurt him now, but eventually he'd get over it.

Leading him outside, I headed for his car. Since I'd never been to the place before, I couldn't teleport us. Laz was too upset to drive, so I shoved him into the passenger seat and climbed behind the wheel. The drive was quiet and tense, and I knew he'd never do anything about getting his needs met if he was this dejected. I nudged his arm, reminding him I was there for him.

"I know it sucks, man, but this is for the best. Who knows? You might meet someone tonight who will crank your engine."

He grimaced, finally giving me his attention. "Who the hell taught you to say shit like that?"

I barked out a laugh, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll let you guess, but you won't have to try that hard."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't quote your dad. He's not the person anyone should be quoting."

True. My dad wasn't a bad guy, but maybe my mom should've thought twice about having a kid with that one. He wasn't exactly a good influence.

"Okay, well, how about Art then? He said in order to live healthy, you needed to practice self care. Which includes meeting your body's needs. You need this, Laz. You're starving yourself for a woman who isn't interested."

He sighed, nodding slowly. "I know. You told him you were coming?"

"Yeah. I didn't want him to think I was sneaking around on him."

"That's good," Laz agreed. "He's a good guy. I'm glad things are going well with you two."

I fought back a laugh. "Man, could you say that with a little less dejection in your voice? You're making me feel bad."

A smile flickered across his face, and when he shook his head, his tone was teasing. "Nah. I never thought I'd be single longer than you. It's depressing. Next thing I know, Duncan will be getting married and I'll still be going to places like this."

He gestured out the window as we pulled into the parking lot of the club. It was a nondescript building, with no real indication on the outside about what was going on inside. Unlike most clubs, this one didn't have a long line in front of it. If you weren't invited by a member and cleared by the management, you weren't allowed in. Not just anyone could walk into this place. It discouraged paranormal chasers and people just looking to gawk. This place was legit, and hopefully Laz would find someone who pulled his attention off of Ruby.

"None of that forever alone shit. We're gonna go inside, say hello to your cousin, and feel the place out. And you're going to be open-minded. If you get even the slightest urge to join someone, I want you to take it and run with it. Alright?"

I could see the hesitation on his face, but I wasn't going to let this go. He needed to get over Ruby. I didn't want our band breaking up because he couldn't let her go.