Page 32 of Cadence
“Do you have to always be so sneaky?” Eli shoots back. “You’ve been tweaking that same verse for days. Just finish it, dude.”
“It’s not ready.”
“You say that witheverysong.” Eli groans, and I don’t miss the slight stiffening of Maddox’s shoulders. “You know you don’t have to do it all yourself, right?”
“Considering you and Beau can’t string a lyric together, I have no choice,” Maddox mutters, keeping his head down.
“No, I mean, now we have an actual lyricist in the room.” Eli winks at me before shaking Maddox’s shoulders playfully.
He doesn’t answer, just scrawls on the page with a little too much pressure.
“Or not,” Eli mumbles.
“Yeah, if you’re stuck, ask Paige for help,” Beau agrees as he stands by Eli. “We’re not even recording it yet. No one cares if your rhyme scheme is two syllables off.”
Beau eyes him, then glances at me as Maddox’s fingers whiten around his pen.
“I’m good,” he says, tone clipped.
Well, that doesn’t sting.
Beau sighs and sets his guitar to the side, pushing to his feet. “Alright. Coffee run to get me through the rest of the day. Who’s in?”
“Rise and Grind?” Eli asks, perking up.
“Obviously, gotta love that staff discount.” Beau grabs his hoodie, thumbing behind him. “You guys want anything?”
Chewing on my lower lip, I nod slowly. “Sure, only if you promisenotto get me that hazelnut cold brew again. I couldn’t sleep. My hands were still shaking from it like twelve-hours later.”
Beau chuckles, grimacing. “Yeah, that’s basically rocket fuel in a cup. My bad.”
The guys laugh, and it sounds easy, my chest expanding with this quiet knowledge that while things might be rocky withMaddox, the three of us have gelled. We’ve become a unit, a team. We just need the final piece to slot in alongside us.
“Mad, what about you, dude?”
Glancing over at Maddox, I catch his eyes on our bandmates, at the way Eli brushes Beau’s arm as they jostle each other on the way to the door. He doesn’t speak, a muscle in his cheek pulsing.
“Maybe later.”
“C’mon,” Eli protests, then spins around and nearly crashes into Beau. “Take a break. Walk. Blink.” He sucks in a deliberate breath, sliding his hands up his chest as he fills his lungs. “Breathe in the fresh air.”
“I’ll do all those thingsafterI’m done.”
“But I need you to be my wingman for the cute barista,” he whines, laughing as Beau grabs his shoulders and ushers him out.
“Beau can help,” Maddox fires back.
“No, he won’t. He said he won’t hook me up with his coworkers.”
“Sounds like ayouproblem, then,” Maddox says with a smirk.
The door closes behind them, and just like that, the energy in the room shifts, like the air changes pressure. I’m not looking at him, but Ifeelhim all the same.
He’s still at the table, the light scratches of his pen replaced by a rhythmic tap as he knocks it against the wood. Swallowing, I fiddle with my necklace, the smallPpendant sliding back and forth, as I try not to look at him. Instead, humming softly to myself, I finish up my next post for @BehindTheSnare.
It isn’t conscious, just a melody I’d caught coming from his guitar earlier, a note that didn’t quite resonate at the time. I’m barely aware I’m doing it until his voice cuts through the sound. “What were you humming?”
Startled, I glance up, his eyes narrowed as he watches me.
