“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Viv asks, eyeing Julian. He snaps his gaze up from tuning his guitar.
“Sure, what’s up?” he says while resuming his task.
I recognize the irritation on Viv’s face. She’s definitely not used to being dismissed, and Julian is lucky her boyfriend isn’t here. I’d like to see what a professional hockey player does to some punkass rocker who disrespects his girlfriend.
She blows out a breath and presses a fist on her hip. “Privately,” she says with more force, her eyes returning a healthy amount of fire. Heck yeah. That’s my girl.
I’m proud of her as Julian finally looks up and gives her his full attention. He glances at the other bandmembers before sighing and yanking his guitar over his head. After shoving it onto the stand, he starts toward the door. Viv follows and motions to me.
“Hadley, you mind coming with us?” We exchange a look that tells me, despite her strong façade, she needs backup and moral support. On it.
I push my laptop into its case and jump up from my chair.
“Is that really necessary?” Julian quips, nodding in my direction, and I stare at him in disbelief. The nerve. I can tell he knows who I am, that he hates me too, but is he really going to jeopardize the careers of all these people over a petty feud? At least I’d planned to keep my opinions to myself. But so help me if he so much as looks at Viv wrong in the next two seconds.
“Yes. Hadley and I are a package deal,” Viv returns, stalking past Julian to take the lead. I catch his eye-roll as he follows her out and across the hall toward a vacant artist lounge.
“Do you not want to be here? Are you regretting this?” Viv asks, the second we’re inside.
Julian actually looks startled for a second before he manages to cover it up. “What do you mean?”
“It’s just… You seem… different. At our first meeting with Sam you were so invested in this band, but today…” She shrugs. “It’s like we’re inconveniencing you. If we can’t even get through one rehearsal together, this isn’t going to work. So what’s going on?”
Wait, was that a flash of panic on his face? Crap. I swallow the unexpected cramp caused by his hurt look. The stupid lump has no business in my stomach. It’s those eyes. The same force that makes them blister with arrogance, releases a desperate pull just as strong. I blink and tear my gaze away before I completely lose my mind.
“No, of course I want this. It was my idea to form this band,” he says, leaning forward. I hate that I kind of believe him. “Look, I’m sorry about today. It’s… yes, I’ve been distracted, but I swear it has nothing to do with the band or my commitment to it. Believe me, I want this. Need it, just…”
I feel myself slipping under his spell, so I know Viv is. She’s a kind soul, cursed with a naivete that always wants to see the best in people.
That’s why it’s my job to be the devil to her angel.
“Yeah? You think you need this? Do you have any idea what she gave up to be here?” I quip before I can stop myself. Viv snaps a warning look at me, but I’m sorry. Someone has to say it. “If this is how you think bandmates treat each other, then it’s no wonder you had to steal your success from someone else.”
Viv gasps. “Hadley!”
Julian flinches as if struck, the strange hurt seeping through a crack in his hard features again. But he covers it up, cementing his face into the irritated mask I’m more accustomed to.
His eyes narrow on me as he finally addresses my existence for the first time since we showed up in this nightmare together. “You don’t know a damn thing about me or what happened with Eastern Crush. But if you think you do and are going to punish me for it, then maybe you’re right. Maybe this isn’t going to work.” He turns and storms off, slamming his palm into the doorframe on his way out.
Julian and doorframes.
Julian, devastating dark eyes, and doorframes. There’s the setup for any rock horror movie.
“What was that?” Viv seethes once we’re alone.
I sigh and force myself to face her. “I’m sorry, I just…” Hate him so much! “I can’t stand the way he disrespects you.”
“Disrespects me? That’s what you saw?” She crosses her arms, and somehow I’m now the bad guy. “That’s not why I called him in here, Had. Clearly something’s wrong with him today, and I wanted to help him.”
“Okay. I see that now.” I don’t. “I’m sorry. I just really thought…”
She shakes her head, squinting at me. “It’s not like you to misread a person or situation so badly. What’s up with you and him? Is this really still about the Eastern Crush thing? Sam said he had nothing to do with what happened to Mason. Julian’s also the one who helped his case and stood in Mason’s corner when shit hit the fan. Heck, Mason himself is the reason we’re even standing here right now. If Mason forgave the guy and wanted to help him, shouldn’t we? Julian is our family now. We have to accept that to make this work.”
I shudder at the thought of Julian Campbell as anything related to me. “Right, yeah. Again, I’m sorry.”
Viv sighs and squeezes my arm. “I know you’re just looking out for me, Had, but I need this to work, okay? You’re right, I gave up everything to be here. It has to work. I don’t have a Plan B. You know this.”
Yeah, but I didn’t know our entire future rested on the jerk in 33G.
Problem is, there’s no universe where I can tolerate a schism with Viv, so if this is what she wants... “You’re totally right. Again, I’m sorry. I’ll go find him and apologize, okay?”
She nods, visibly relaxing at my concession. “Thanks. And I’ll go smooth things over with the rest of the band.”
At least one of us feels better when she leaves me alone in the artist lounge.
I peek through the glass of Studio Three just to make sure Julian didn’t go back after he stormed out a minute ago, but all I see is Viv chatting with the remaining bandmembers as discussed.
Great, so I guess I have to do this.
Maybe it’ll be good for Julian and me to confront each other. We’re obviously set on a crash course toward an end that isn’t an option. Viv wants this, and I need to want what Viv wants. If that means lying to this guy and pretending I can tolerate him during our public interactions, fine. I managed to convince Viv’s ex-fiancé I didn’t want to stab him in the eye. I can do this.
I roam the halls for a good two minutes before I finally hear heated voices coming from one of the artist lounges on the other side of the building. One sounds male, in the right age range for Julian, but the other doesn’t make sense, so I rule out the possibility. The second voice is too young, a child. Then again, leave it to Julian Campbell to pick a fight with some random kid at a studio.
“I can’t lose this opportunity!” the guy says. “Please, Naomi, I’m begging you. This is as much for you as for me. Can’t you see that?”
“Oh, this is for me? Is that why you’re hiding me in a fucking closet?!”
I freeze, shocked at the little voice uttering those huge words. Also, maybe a tad dramatic.