Page 58 of Composed
She frowns. “Your label sucked.”
“That they did, Rix. That they did.” Saint spins his chair, tugging a baggie from his pocket. “But we’re free now. Like birds floating over the sea.”
Riley snorts at his analogy. “You sound like Nicholas Sparks.”
“I have no idea who that is,” Saint says.
Axel is the one who answers. “Dude wroteThe Notebook. You cried over it when Rix made us watch it.”
“I don’t cry.” Saint scoffs. “I—”
“Leak?” Hendrix hikes a brow.
“Exactly. I leak.” He grins. “Knew there was a reason I always liked you.”
She brightens in an instant, cheeks rounding, eyes glittering.
I don’t know what they spoke about in the sound booth. Maybe Saint will tell me later. Or he won’t. But whatever it was, it’s clear that they’ll find their way back to each other.
Their friendship will rebuild and they’ll move on.
I only wish she and I could do the same.
“Hey, I actually want to circle back to something Rinky Dink said,” Axel says as he rolls his chair over to Hendrix.
Carter groans, banging his head against the wall. “Fucking. Hell. Fire.”
“Love you too.” Axel blows Carter a kiss, before throwing an arm over Hendrix's shoulders. “Now, Rix. What’s this about scouring libraries for our records?”
She swallows, her throat jumping with the movement. “It was for my friend, Talia. She and her now fiancé are big fans. She was planning to propose then, and she wantedPretty Faceplaying. So, I was tasked with finding the B-side it was on.”
Axel pushes his lips out. “Damn, and I thought we might still be your favourite band.”
Riley’s mouth opens, only Hendrix taps a tattooed finger on the back of her hand twice and she snaps it shut.
If I wasn’t watching so damn closely, I’d have missed the entire exchange. I tilt my head, a finger pressed to my lips. I’ve no idea what Riley was gonna say but fuck if I’m not curious.
“Sorry to disappoint,” Hendrix says, popping a shoulder. “Plus, you were always second favourite, anyway.”
“Never could knock Gerard Way off the top spot, could I?” I laugh.
She looks at me with a blindingly beautiful grin. “Never. If it’s any consolation, you came super close.” She pinches her fingers together, peeking through the gap. “Like this close, honestly.”
My stomach tightens. Fire licks beneath my skin, searing through my veins. I shift on the couch, the moment snapping, when I zero in on the water dangling from my fingertips.
Weed stirs in the air.
Axel clears his throat, a cheeky grin flashing over his face. “Well, this is fun. Great chat, gang.”
Carter snorts. He shoves off the wall, grabs a chair, and drops into it. “Look, shit’s messy. But we’re not here to rehash the past.” He avoids looking at Hendrix as he turns to me. “We’re here to figure out the music. Fuck everything else. Business, right? Nothing more, nothing less. The rest is just noise.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” I nod, plastic crinkling beneath my fingertips as I turn to Hendrix. “You see everything you need to see?”
Lip stuck encased between her teeth, she tilts her head, gaze bouncing over the guys. “I’d say so.”
“Alright then.” I clear my throat. “Let’s go make music.”
Chapter nineteen
