Page 101 of Cadence
My gaze slides over her, noticing the stiffness in her shoulders, the way she holds her barely touched drink with both hands. Eli’s clocked it too; I can see when he looks at her, eyebrows pinched, eyes flicking back to me now and then.
“You still mad at me?” Beau asks.
I blink, forcing my attention to him. “What?”
“I asked if we were good and you ignored me.”
“Obviously, we’re good.” It comes out flatter than I mean.
“You sure?” He nods to my drink. “You’ve been sitting on that for the past hour.”
I shrug, lifting the lukewarm beer to my lips, trying not to grimace as the stale taste floods my mouth. Beau fiddles with his phone before tucking it away.
“You know she’s not down there trying to punish you, right?”
My eyes lock on the objectively handsome guy still hitting on her, and I can’t stand the way he’s leering like he actually stands a chance. I don’t respond, trying to untangle whether this ache in my chest is guilt, jealousy or both.
Then why’d you leave her a fucking note instead of talking to her?
Eli leans in, says something to Paige, hand on the small of her back. She nods, barely, and he starts toward us, slipping past the bouncer and into the VIP section.
“She’s trying,” he says as he drops down next to me. “You can tell, y’know? Like, she’s trying to pretend everything’s fine, but you can just tell it’s…not.”
Fuck.
It was never supposed to be like this.
I slump deeper into the couch, twisting the bottle in my hands. Beau drains his beer, leans across me, and slaps Eli’s knee.
“Come on. Let’s grab the next round.”
Eli nods. “Let’s give her a break from that guy, too, yeah?”
They disappear, and I let my head fall back, eyes shut, my mood only getting worse. The music from the club thunders in my ears, churning the agitation and annoyance in my veins with each passing minute.
I need to leave, my social battery depleting the longer I let myself stew, when the cushions shift beside me, and I crack one eye open, sitting up when I realize it’s Reign.
“You good, Knox?” he asks, tipping his glass toward me. The dark and expensive liquid sloshes up the sides, the large square ice cube clinking gently.
I nod, tight-lipped. “Yeah. All good.”
“Right,” he drawls, unconvinced. “That look on your face doesn’t have anything to do with the cute little redhead being chatted up by the sexy lumberjack-looking dude next to her?”
I scowl, my lip curling up as I’m immediately drawn back to Paige. Reign laughs and sips his drink. “Relax, dude. Paige isn’t exactly…my type.”
“Tour’s going well,” I say, changing the subject, sounding rude and dull even to myself.
“Good’s an understatement. The tour has fucking rocked.” He smiles. “I love busy, but weeks like this? Never take that downtime for granted.” He nudges me with his elbow. “Seriously, Knox, one more show until our two-week break, so use it wisely, ’cause the second half of this leg? It’s gonna kill.”
I huff a laugh, draining the last warm sip of my beer. “Can’t argue there.”
“Honestly, no shade to anyone else, but your band’s been one of the best I’ve toured with.” Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his expression sobers slightly.
My pulse kicks up a notch. Is this it? Is he about to ask us to stay on and do Europe? But before he can say anything, Eli crashes back into the VIP area, pale, breathless, eyes wide.
“Maddox,” he pants. “Shit, we need you.”
I’m up in a heartbeat, Reign doing the same. “What happened?”
