Page 16 of Cadence
“And secondly.” Beau continues, ignoring him as he closes his laptop. “You were just trying to figure out how to join our little band without embarrassing yourself.”
Eli scoffs. “Please. You two werebeggingme to join when you found out I could play bass.”
“So, you just stalked them from the sidewalk until they invited you in?” I tease, grinning.
“Exactly,” Eli says proudly, leaning farther back in his chair, the front two legs completely off the ground. “Worked like a charm.”
“We let him sit in one day just to stop him from staring longingly like a lost puppy. Next thing we knew, he was in the band, and now it’s twelve years later, and I’m sharing an apartment with him.”
“Really?” I chuckle.
“I’m the best damn roommate ever,” Eli says, wiggling in his seat before he crashes forward.
At first, I think he’s slipped, that the chair gave out and he lost his balance, but he’s staring intently at his phone, thumb hovering above the screen, muttering, “No way.”
He leans closer to it, turning up the volume, the familiar beat echoing softly from his phone. My breath catches as “All Along the Watchtower”by Jimi Hendrixfilters from the speaker.It could be a coincidence, but the way my stomach plummets, I already know he’s watching the video I uploaded late last night.
Everything stiffens as my gaze drops to my bag sitting beside me, at the electric blue sticks poking out of the pocket, the ones I snagged before leaving today, the exact same ones I used in the video.
Shit.
Picking my nails, I freeze, balling my hands into fists and stuffing them between my thighs, the chipped black polish something else Iknowis in that video.
“Dude, she’s posted again! Come here, you need to check this out,” Eli says, glancing over his shoulder back at Beau.
It’s like slow motion, a surreal sort of horror slowing down time, as Beau gets to his feet and crosses the room, his gaze fixated on Eli’s screen before he looks up at me.
“Has he shown you his obsession yet?” Beau asks with a smirk.
Shaking my head, panic surges through me as I grab my bag, trying to discreetly shove it under the table. But it’s too late, Beau’s eyes latch onto me, onto the sticks, his head tilting as he frowns.
“Wait…” he whispers, coming around and lifting my hand, his fingers brushing lightly over my nails before reaching down to tug the sticks free from my bag as I try to snatch them from his grip.
“Beau, wait—”
“Holy shit, it’s you.”
“What?” Eli asks, his gaze bouncing between Beau and me.
“I think I just figured out who’s behind your favorite account.” He chuckles. “Guess you can fangirl over her in person.”
Flourishing the bright blue sticks, it takes a second before I see the understanding slide onto Eli’s face, his jaw dropping comically.
He spins toward Beau, snatching them from him. “Dude! It’s you. The girl from BehindTheSnare.You’rethe drummer!” he says, voice stunned and way too loud. “The account I’m obsessed with, the one I said could save our asses. It’syou.” He lets out a half-huff, half-laugh, looking at me with wide-eyed awe. “I can’t believe it. I’ve been following you for months.”
I glance down, focusing on my legs. My heart knocks around like it’s trying to escape through my ribs, and I can feel his eyes still on me as heat continues to climb up my neck to my cheeks. It’s not a cute blush; it’s the kind that screams you’re panicking.
Not because I lied, not exactly, but because I didn’t intend for them to find out like this.
“It’s not…” I clear my throat, eyes flicking to the video still looping on the screen. “It’s not a big deal.”
Eli gawks at me. “Not a— Paige, you’re BehindTheSnare. That account’shuge.You’ve got, what? Nearlyhalf a millionfollowers.”
“Not quite,” I mumble. “Most of them are probably just bots anyway.”
“Bullshit,” he fires back instantly. “Honestly, I can’t believe it. That one where you played ‘La Villa Strangiato’ by Rush… I watched it like twenty times. It was amazing.”
“Okay, Eli,” Beau says, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Tone it down before she combusts.”
