“Why didn’t you tell me?” Keith snaps at Jasper who just rolls his eyes and shakes his head dismissively.
“Because you’re like this.” He points at him. “And really, it was up to Eden to tell you. Not me.”
Keith pivots back to Eden, jutting his chin in her direction while eyeing her accusingly. “You’re at Turn? I thought you were thinking Sony or some other label.”
She wolfs down the rest of the drink I just poured her and shifts in her seat, squaring her shoulders as if she’s readying to do battle.
And for the first time since hearing she’s been ghosting Keith; I finally understand why.
He doesn’t look proud or delighted. He looks pissed.
“I was. Kinda. I didn’t want them though. They only offered me unpaid internships. Lyric offered me a real job as an associate producer. She offered it last summer after I finished my internship with her. I didn’t say anything to you for this very reason, Keith.” She points an angry finger into his stern face. “Can you see why I couldn’t say yes to those other crap gigs? Why this was a real shot for me? Or are you just gonna be pissed I’m at your label?”
His jaw locks at her mocking tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She throws her hands up in the air. “It means your face says it all. You have no faith in me, and you never have. I earned this job myself. You didn’t help me get it.”
“How can you say that when you’re working for our producer at our label?”
“Because I’m good at my job!” she yells, not even caring if others around us are looking, which they’re starting to. She plants her hand into his chest, not shoving but holding him steady, letting him know she means business. “Maybe I got the initial internship four years ago because of you, but I kept it because of me. I got this job because I’m talented. Because I know what the fuck I’m doing.” She jams her fist into his chest as she levels her brother with a glare for the ages.
“Harry said she’s the real deal,” Jasper jumps in, defending Eden who smiles gratefully at him and smugly at Keith. Keith shifts, looking like he’s ready to get into it some more when Jasper asks, “Do you have any of them?”
“What?” both Eden and Keith snap.
“The songs you were working on with Cyber’s Law? Do you have any of them I can hear?”
Eden blinks at Jasper a few times, momentarily speechless. “Y-yes.” She clears her throat. “Yes. I have one of them on my phone.”
Jas holds out his hand expectantly, palm side up. “Give it here. If it’s shit, I’ll be the first one to tell you.”
She laughs nervously because even though Jasper would never tell her that, he will be honest, and she knows it. “Thanks,” she grumbles, but starts fishing through her small purse to retrieving her phone and her AirPods. She calls up the song and then hands them both to him. “You might have trouble hearing in here.”
He shakes his head as he places the buds in his ears, cupping his hands over them as he hits play. We all stare dumbfounded at Jasper, waiting for the verdict as he closes his eyes and listens intently. Three minutes later a pleased grin cracks his lips, and he hands the pods and phone to Gus. “Listen to this, brother,” Jas commands, tapping his finger on the screen of the phone. “You’ll like the hell out of it.”
Now it’s Gus’s turn and not even a full minute in, his eyes pop open to meet his twin’s, nodding in sync to whatever beat he’s hearing. “Yeah, man. Did you catch the sweet break after that G?”
Jasper grins, rubbing the back of his neck. “I knew you’d like that.”
“That was my idea,” Eden offers confidently, sitting up a little straighter as she recrosses her legs. “There needed to be a pause after so much build.”
“Totally agree.” Gus continues to listen and then when the song is over, removes the pods and hands them to me. Evidently, we’re punishing Keith and making him wait. “Killer tunes, Ede. Nicely done, girl.”
Eden tries to contain her triumphant gleam as she nods her appreciation at Gus.
“You really did some songs for Cyber’s Law?” Keith asks just as I place the pods in my ears and hit play. The sound of their voices and the beat of club music drowns out as Cyber’s Law blasts through my ears, Harry’s soft voice a constant juxtaposition to the hard sound of their music. I listen for that break Gus was talking about and when it comes, it’s… flawless. But this song is more than that. The flow of it, the synchronization of the instruments…
I stop listening before the track ends, having already heard enough.
“As much as I hate to admit it, they’re right. It’s legit.”
“Thanks so much,” Eden snarks at me. “I know those words must have really burned your ass to say. You okay? Should we call an ambulance?”
I flip her off and she bats her eyelashes, blowing me a kiss.
“Knock it off. I mean it. It’s legit.”
I hand off the phone and AirPods to Keith. He takes his turn listening, staring directly at Eden, his expression now depicting nothing but awe. “You did this.” Only it’s not a question. It’s a statement. “Hell, Ede.”
“I told you,” she boasts. “My job there has nothing to do with you. This is why I waited. I didn’t want to tell you where I was working until I could prove to you that I had earned it.”
Keith looks like he just swallowed a bug that crapped in his mouth. “I’m sorry I said all that. I was wrong, babe. Seriously wrong. You did good. I’m insanely proud of you.”
He gives her a hug, planting a kiss to the top of her head as they whisper things back and forth that no one else can hear, smiling and laughing like it’s all just so easy for them.
And for a moment, I can’t look away. I’m hypnotized. Entranced. Jealous…
I’ve always known how close Keith is with his sisters. He helped raise them while his parents worked long hours. Hell, I lived with them for the majority of my high school life.
But it’s something else entirely to witness it before me when I haven’t in years.
Yet another reminder of how different my family is than Keith’s or even Gus’s and Jasper’s. They grew up with loving parents. With siblings who love them.
And me? That’s nowhere close to what I had.
“Well, now that we know Eden is a kick-ass producer, this makes my little impromptu band meeting a hell of a lot easier,” Jasper announces, a sparkle to his wicked smile as he claps his hands together, rubbing them like an evil genius. “Eden, how do you feel about taking on the production of our next album?”
Her breath catches high in her chest, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes. Her hands fall to her lap and she grips her knees, utterly astonished and completely speechless.
Jasper grins. “Don’t get too excited yet. There’s a catch.”
Six
HENRY
“What’s the catch?” Eden asks, finally finding her voice and completely ignoring the ridiculousness of producing our next album. An album we haven’t even started yet.