Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ARTHUR

While Ruby continued to gush, talking up her new girlfriend to the band, my eyes darted to Laz. He had been lounging on the couch next to Duncan, plucking at the cords of his guitar lazily, but the minute Ruby showed up, he went rigid. His teasing smile was gone and the heartbroken look that overtook his features was almost painful to look at. Poor Laz. I knew he was into Ruby. Even a blind man could figure that out. Hearing that she was dating, and she wanted her new girlfriend in the band, must be like getting a knife to the heart.

Hendrix was stiff too. He knew the pain Laz was in. He was polite enough not to draw attention to it, but I could feel the unease coming off him. I had to wonder if it would sway his judgment on letting Aliyah join their band.

"Hen, can we borrow your amp? I swear it blew my mind when she played for me at her place. She's got more skill than all the other applicants combined."

Ruby was either unaware or purposefully ignoring the tension in the air. She looked at Hendrix expectantly and grinned when he dipped his chin once to acknowledge her. Ruby dragged Aliyah to where their instruments all sat by the big window, forcing her onto a stool while she set things up. Aliyah, though, must've been able to sense the tension because she looked uncomfortable.

"Ruby, I don't think–"

"It's fine," Laz interrupted. "We were just surprised. Ruby doesn't bring dates home. Go ahead, let's hear it."

My eyebrows flew up at his interjection, but I kept my mouth shut about it. So did Duncan and Hendrix. They both snuck glances at Laz while plastering smiles on their faces and encouraging Aliyah. And Ruby was right, she was a great player. She played a song of theirs while Ruby told us she'd only listened to it once, and her fingers danced along the strings like some kind of art form. I almost wished she wasn't that good, because the longer she played, the more pained Laz looked.

The band clapped as she finished and when I glanced over my shoulder, I could see the interest on Hendrix's and Duncan's faces. There was no telling if they'd find another player that good. Would they shove her aside to spare Laz's feelings?

"Well? Didn't I tell you?" Ruby gushed, beaming at Aliyah before turning to the band. "She's not cocky, you know I don't date people like that, and she's loyal. Stuck with her last band until the day they broke up. She couldn't be more perfect. Right?"

The room went quiet. The response of the band was less than what Ruby had hoped. The awkward tension was still there, and no one wanted to speak up first. Ruby's eyes narrowed.

"Band meeting. Hallway. Now."

No one argued with that. Hendrix kissed the top of my head before heading into the hall. They'd talk this out amongst themselves and decide together.

"Why do I feel like I stepped into a minefield?" Aliyah asked. She was still staring in the direction the band went, looking severely uncomfortable. To spare her a little, I tossed out a little white lie.

"They don't like to deliberate in front of potential applicants. It's not about you." That last part was only half true. It was about her, but not because of her skill. Only because of who she was dating. "You're really good. How long have you been playing?"

She still looked uneasy, but she accepted my diversion tactic, slowly putting away her guitar as she spoke. "Since I was a teenager. My mom told me to pick an instrument or a sport because I was getting on her nerves. I chose guitar. Never quit. What about you? Do you play any instruments?"

"Does two years of piano in elementary school count?"

She snickered, biting her lip as she shook her head. I liked Aliyah when I first met her. She was kind and playful, and she never made me feel awkward or uncomfortable for being a mid thirties man following a band around. If I'd known sooner that she could play, I might've suggested her to the band. If it wasn't for the whole Ruby issue, they probably would've accepted her right away. She'd fit with this group easily.

Moving to sit beside me, she leaned her elbow on the back of the couch and propped her head on her hand. "Give it to me straight. There was some serious tension when we showed up. Kinda feel like it had something to do with me. What's going on?"

Pressing my lips together, I debated how much to tell her. I didn't want to tell Laz's secrets, but if they did invite her to join, I wanted her to be comfortable with them. Their reception had been less than welcoming.

"Well… I don't know much. I'm not actually part of the band. I'm dating Hendrix. That's why I'm here. But I do know Ruby has a strict rule against dating band members. It's a little surprising that she'd offer her girlfriend to join and basically go against that rule."

"Huh. I didn't know that. I mean, I could see that being awkward if things don't go right with a couple. But we're still really early into our relationship. I don't see it being a problem. It's not like we're making promises of forever or anything."

True. I said the same thing about Hendrix when we first started seeing each other. Now, though, I couldn't imagine a future without him. I hadn't told him yet, but I was falling for him. There was no telling what would happen to Ruby and Aliyah's relationship in the future. If they fell in love and then had a bad break up, it could be trouble for the band.

The band trooped back in before I could reply and Hendrix took the lead, offering his hand to Aliyah. "When can you start?"

She sucked in a breath, taking his hand and shooting a wide eyed look at Ruby. "Wait. Really?"

Hendrix chuckled. "We took it to a vote. It was unanimous. Welcome to the band."

Discreetly, I looked over my shoulder at Laz. He stood at the back of the group, his face blank. I wanted to know what was going through his head, but it didn't really feel like my place. Hendrix said the vote was unanimous, which meant Laz agreed to let Aliyah join too. Maybe he was finally letting Ruby go. Hopefully anyway.

"This is great timing," Hendrix added, lacing his fingers behind his head with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Art here has some good news for us."

All eyes swung my way, and my attention was successfully diverted. I raised an eyebrow at Hendrix, having thought he'd want to be the one to tell them, but he just winked at me and waited.

"What news?" Ruby demanded.

Pushing to my feet so I could see everyone better, I cleared my throat. "I, uh… I don't know if Hendrix told you, but I've been making some calls and sending out emails to find a good studio for you guys to record some of your songs. I think you'd get a lot of interest from labels if you have something to show them aside from shaky videos on people's phones. This weekend I got an email from a great studio. They had an opening in their normally full schedule and are willing to let you record a few songs. Their set up is really nice and–"

Before I could blink, the band swamped me. I let out a surprised squeak, which was embarrassing, but no one mentioned it. They were too busy thanking me and hugging me. I didn't really feel like I did something all that amazing, it was just a few phone calls and emails. I just wanted them to succeed with the best options available.

They finally let up when Hendrix nudged them aside, pulling me against his chest. He looked proud, grinning at me, and he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips before looking back at the band.

"New guitarist, studio time. Let's add one more, shall we? All in favor of Art as our new manager?"

Everyone's hands shot up and my mouth fell open. "Wait, I didn't–"

"Stop. You're going to tell everyone you didn't do much, which we all know is a lie. You've been supporting us since the day you showed up. You watch our backs, get us what we need, and you do it all without asking for anything in return," Hendrix argued.

"We need you, Art," Laz agreed, finally speaking up. "All your suggestions have done great things for us. Our social media is exploding, the crowd at the club now cheers for us, and once we do our recordings, we've got a real chance at getting a record deal. None of that would've happened without you."

They all agreed with bobs of their heads. Aliyah stood next to Ruby and gave me a thumbs up, a smile on her face. And Hendrix was pressed up against my back, conviction steady on his face. I'd never felt so wanted in my life. Not just for money or stability, like Val wanted. Not because it was my job to take care of them like Sophie. The band didn't have to keep me around. They wanted me anyway.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and my voice shook when I spoke. "I don't know what to say."

"Say yes," Hendrix urged, tipping my chin to look at him.

Blinking back a few tears, I lifted my shoulders helplessly.

"Yes."