Jase pulled Matt into a hug and whispered something into his brother’s ear that made Matt nod vigorously. Then, in a move that shocked Luke, Jase hugged him, too. “Thanks for letting him have this. We all deserve this kind of happiness.”
Luke dropped his head onto Jase’s shoulder, which should be fucking weird, but wasn’t. “We do,” he admitted. “We fucking do.”
Ben hugged Matt. “A tour, an engagement, and a baby in the band. Can we slow things down a bit?”
Jase laughed. “No babies from me yet. Cerys has this life plan she wrote two years ago, and babies aren’t on it for another three.”
“I like the way we all grew up together, though,” Luke said. “A couple more babies might be a good idea so they can grow up together.”
Alex slapped Luke on the back. “Good luck with that. I’m not helping you out.” He turned to Jase. “And you and I both know you aren’t waiting three years.”
Jase took his hoodie off and draped it on the sofa. “I’d move in with her tomorrow. Marry her the day after. And knock her up at the weekend, if I had my way. But I get she wants a career.”
“What about Chaya?” Luke asked Ben. In for a penny, in for a pound. Might as well ask what the hell was going on between them.
“Doesn’t want them until she’s officially a surgeon.”
“And are you happy to wait that long?” Matt asked.
Ben shook his head. “I see what you’re trying to do. There’s nothing going on between me and Chaya. We’re friends. A foreign concept to you all, obviously.”
“She’ll stop waiting for you,” Alex said.
Ben looked at his brother. “What the . . . ?”
“I said what I said. I see the way she looks at you. And I see the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching. You two are going to let it slip through your fingers because you’re both scared.”
“Alex. You know what her dad said.”
“What did her dad say?” Luke asked.
Ben shook his head. “Nothing. Forget it. Chaya and me aren’t happening.”
Jase put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Then, at least admit you want it to happen and stop lying to us. And yourself, maybe. We suddenly seem to be half-decent as a band at stumbling our way through shit. Relationships. Self-development. Therapy. Kids. We can help.”
All of them looked at Jase.
“What?” Jase asked. “It’s true. Look at where we all were a year ago? I had issues with all of you, and you all had issues with me. Matt was fucking everything that moved because they weren’t Iz. Luke was on the cusp of addiction. Ben, you were getting fed up with this grind. And Alex . . . well, maybe you haven’t had your epiphany yet. But look at us now. This, tonight. We released an album that is crushing it on every single platform. We’re practicing a setlist tonight for a major tour. Matt’s about to propose, Cerys lives down the street from me, Luke’s got a baby on the way. We’ve finally got money coming in. Life is coming together. And Ben, if you really want Chaya, we’ll help you get her.”
Ben shook his head. “I appreciate the big pep talk, but it’s not happening. Plus, this is what I want right now.” He tipped his head toward the stage and then the group of girls he’d been talking to earlier. “You all might like having your balls stitched up, but I sure as hell don’t.” With that, he walked towards the stage.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Luke asked Alex.
“Some of it. Don’t agree with all of it. None of it’s mine to tell.”
“Fair enough.” Luke walked after Ben and followed him on the stage.
The roar of the crowd was deafening, but he’d take every scream and yell. They’d performed in pubs where punters would just keep drinking their pints, shouting over their songs. There were days when it had been soul destroying to realise that nobody was really listening to lyrics and melodies that had been slaved over for hours.
To see fans on their feet, chanting and cheering, unlocked something in Luke’s chest. A feeling of success stomped over feelings of failure.
He looked over at Alex who appeared to experience a similar thing, a look of awe on his face. Each gig, the crowd got bigger, they played better, the energy higher. And the by-product? The pay increased.
He began to play the steady intro to “Tell Me This”. A slow and steady thud of the kick drum, before adding the snares. Muscle memory took over. He’d never thought too hard about how his arms and feet all worked independent of each other while drumming. Or how he was able to control his voice to add melody.
He’d once thought it was what would make him a good pilot. The ability to focus on all those different things at once.
“Evening, London,” Jase yelled, and the crowd erupted again.
The lights changed over the stage, Ben and Matt layered in their guitars. Music soared around the arena. Alex joined in with a pop of synth and the rasp of the güiro. Two sounds that shouldn’t work but did.
Just like the five of them.
Willow yawned as she stepped down onto the train platform the following morning. She’d been up since six a.m. and it was now close to nine thirty after her train ride to London. With any luck, Luke would still be in bed in the hotel room number she’d managed to sneakily get from him the previous night, before he went to the gig.
She needed to hustle if she wanted to execute the plan she’d concocted. After a quick ride in a black Hackney cab that she’d videoed and took photographs of, much to the chagrin of the driver, she stood outside his hotel room.
Instead of knocking, she rang his phone, smiling as she heard it ring inside the room.
“Flower,” he rasped. “You okay?”
Half asleep, he was worried about her. “I miss you.”
“Yeah? I like that you do. I miss you too. My bed’s lonely without you in it.”
“If you’d let me in, I could fix that.”
“If only it was that easy,” he said, misunderstanding what she meant. “I’ll be home in two days.”
Willow hoisted her bag over her shoulder and knocked on the door. “Knock, knock. Room service.”
She heard the rustle of sheets and a curse. “Are you outside my door?”
The door flew open, and Luke, completely naked, cupped her cheeks and kissed her as he backed into his room, letting the door shut behind her.
“Surprise,” she murmured against his lips.
Luke slid her bag off her shoulder, took her phone out of her hand, placed it on a bench by the door, and kissed her again. “Best wake-up call ever. We’ll get to why you are here after I’ve made love to you.” He led her to the bed, which was dangerous because they had things to do, but there was nothing better than being wrapped up in his arms. “Sit.”
Willow did as he said as he dropped to his knees. “Hey, you,” he said softly, and kissed her bump. “Have you been good for your mum?”
She loved the way he said mum. Not mom. Mum. That’s what she would be. A mum.
“He’s been great, apart from hanging out too close to my bladder in the evening.”
“Good lad.” He rubbed her bump, then stood, before lowering them both to the bed. “Now, I just need to get you naked, so we match.”