Page 25 of In This Together

Sofia was already standing dead-centre in front of the set, her hands forming a steeple over her nose and mouth as she breathed into them.

‘What’s the big deal?’ Hannah asked, seemingly giddy without knowing why, as they reached Sofia.

‘Did you bring Calvin?’ Sofia asked, less than her usual chilled self. Rosalie and Hannah separated to give Sofia sight of Calvin behind them.

‘Hey, Calvin,’ Sofia called to him. ‘This is the track you’re going to be playing to death next week.’

‘We’ll see about that,’ Calvin said in return.

And Rosalie told him, ‘You know we will.’

Rosalie would remind him of the helping hand she gave his younger sister when she started NYU and desperately wanted to make a complete U-turn on her gothic look to go preppy. His sister became head of the cheer squad and now had a sweet pad overlooking Central Park, where she lived with the starting quarterback for the Jets, all thanks to Rosalie’s wardrobe overhaul, a few foils and some major laser hair removal.

When Calvin dropped his head back, laughing good-humouredly, Rosalie’s wide, signature smile broke, showing her perfectly straight teeth beneath red-painted lips. She winked at Sofia, who finally seemed to relax.

Andrea and Sofia looked alike in many ways – they had similar features and the same green eyes. But Rosalie had always found Sofia’s looks more beautiful. She had softer angles, her frame was daintier and less imposing, and she had the sweetest creases at the sides of her mouth to match the small dimple in her chin.

In fact, Sofia’s personality was all-round sweeter and more relaxed, though she and Andrea could come to blows big style. It was rare but they had been at loggerheads a couple of times since Rosalie had known them.

The first time was when Sofia wanted to rush into marrying Jay – in honesty, Andrea was right about him. Jay had fooled everyone at first but soon his own insecurities were clear and it became obvious that he would put Sofia down to make himself feel better.

The second time was when Andrea ditched Sanfia Records to move to XM Music Group, though they disguised the truth of that argument behind something much less meaningful, so meaningless Rosalie couldn’t even remember what it was.

‘So, why did we run here?’ Hannah asked.

Just then, the arena lights went down and they were standing in near blackness, looking at a dark stage. Rosalie could just about make out figures moving around. A guy with a guitar she assumed and hoped was Seth approached the central microphone.

They stood in a row – Andrea, Rosalie, Hannah and Sofia. Rosalie watched Sofia take a deep breath – had she pulled this off? – then her attention was drawn to the stage as the sound of a piano began to play. The melody was pretty – slow but not melancholy, just how the guys had rehearsed in the studio.

The stage lights came up. As two lights streamed the audience, Rosalie noticed the arena was already half-full and growing, ready for the headline acts. On the stage, the man she had seen moving as a silhouette with a guitar was now standing under a central spotlight, his guitar strapped across his shoulder. Seth had discarded his jacket and wore simply his jeans and plain black T-shirt that allowed her to see that he was toned – muscly, in fact. He had facial hair but didn’t look as ragged as the others on the stage – Billy, playing piano, Frankie, playing lead guitar, and the secret weapon she persuaded to help out his younger brother was playing electric guitar. Her heart fluttered with excitement and satisfaction.

Hannah leaned toward Sofia and asked, ‘Is that Randy Jonson?’

Sofia’s gaze was fixed on the man at the front of the stage, who was staring back at her as he began to play his guitar. Sofia nodded and Rosalie wondered if the gesture was in response to Hannah’s question or to reassure her artist on stage. It was a move that reminded Rosalie that, as ever, she was just the helper on the periphery of someone else’s story.

As the melody picked up, an indication lyrics were imminent, Rosalie felt Sofia stiffen beside her and wondered whether Andrea might put an arm around her sister. True to form, she didn’t. Andrea was great at a lot of things, but she was completely emotionally inept.

Then all other thoughts left Rosalie’s mind as Seth started to sing.

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe I fell for you when we were too young.

But we both learned from a broken heart

and now we can move on.

I’ll never forget that first kiss.

You know I will always remember.

Baby I was crazy about you.

But you aren’t here no more.

His voice was velvet – old, familiar and smooth. It wrapped around her like a warm bath and made her want to sink down under luxury brand bubbles. Rosalie wasn’t as talented as Andrea and Sofia when it came to music, but she had been around it all her life, first with her dad, endlessly listening to vinyls at home. Then with the many musicians she had dated – a member of Randy Jonson’s Armstrung included (if you could call itdating). And latterly because of Andrea, Sofia and Hannah. So she felt qualified enough to know that the man on stage – his voice, the way his fingers effortlessly commanded his guitar, the lyrics, which were no doubt his own if he was working with Sofia, the whole look – had it all.

If her own opinion wasn’t enough, when she looked to her left and saw Andrea’s wide eyes and slightly open mouth, she had back-up. When she saw the glazed look in Sofia’s eyes and the way she shivered when Seth dropped into his lower register, she knew Sofia thought he was the real deal.

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