Page 41 of Falling Faster
"Luke and the guys were right. There's something special when the four of you play together. The energy, the connectedness…" He shakes his head. "I can’t explain it, but it’s extraordinary."
We watch the others troop up the stairs. I release Ty’s hand to tuck the pack of gummy bears into his bag, in front of his sketchbook. "When Cody moved back to Buffalo, we tried finding a replacement for him, but no one was right. Probably, because no one was him. When Devon left, we didn't even try because we knew no one could measure up, so we put the band on hiatus. Once things settled down for Cody'sdad, I began sending the guys snippets of lyrics that came to me. We all worked on the music. The occasional recordings kept us connected, but I didn't think much more could happen. Now, we have a chance for so much more. And being backed by people I trust is huge."
Ty holds out his hand for me to take, then laces our fingers together again, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. "Cody's so excited. Devon too. Patrick's harder for me to read."
"Patrick's… Well, he's Patrick. If he didn't want to do it, he'd say so." I lead him up the stairs. The sliding glass doors to the deck are open and a salty sea breeze blows over us. The others are in the kitchen, so we have the stretch of wooden beams dotted with potted palm trees overlooking the ocean to ourselves. "He and Cody fight over stupid things enough now as it is. I can't imagine how it'll be if we're all sharing a tour bus on the road."
"Maybe things will be different this time. You're all older." Ty slips his arm through mine, as if he can read my mind and knows I want him closer.
I bump my shoulder into his, and grin. "You saw them in the hotel room. I doubt it."
Ty’s gaze shifts to my friends in question. "There's an energy between those two. I'm surprised the air itself doesn't ignite."
"That's always been there." I follow his gaze to where Patrick’s eyes keep flicking to Cody every time Cody laughs. "It comes out a lot more when they're around each other in person, than say, a video call. Over the last several years, the four of us have only been together for a handful of days at a time, so I don't know what will happen when we are around each other a lot more, or if it'll be the same as it was when we lived together ten years ago. I guess we'll find out."
He rests his chin on my shoulder, his grin intoxicating. "It's exciting though, isn't it? Another chance at your dream?"
"It really is."
"I can't believe I got to see The Fury offer you guys a contract. I'm so happy for you." He unwraps himself from me, and I miss the feel of his body molded to mine. But when he holds out his hand and says, "Hi. I'm Falling Midnight's biggest fan," my laughter barks out.
He's too sweet. "I'll take you up on your super fan status."
"Hats, shirts, whatever merch you have, I'll wear it proudly."
"It takes a super fan to know a super fan. Get me something with your hockey player superhero on it. No wait, give me the supervillain."
Ty’s eyes widen. "You'd really wear my villain?"
"Of course. Like your shirt says," I trace my finger over the script on his chest, "Supervillains are heroes too."
He links his arms around my neck, his tawny eyes shining, and the softest of smiles on his lips. "I really want to kiss you."
I glide my hands along his ribcage, up and down, back and forth, to get a feel for him, and bend my head to meet his waiting lips. They're soft and open on his quiet pant. Angling my head, I take the kiss deeper, delving into his warm, wet heat. He kisses like a dream, giving me all of himself, and I do the same.
Leaning into me, he looks out at the ocean. "I could get used to this view. It's soothing."
"You're welcome to visit me anytime. I don't have an ocean view, but it's not too far to find one." I tip his face to mine, wanting to give him everything. "What do you say about spending tomorrow at the beach? We have a lot of time before you have to be at the airport."
He buries his face in my chest. "I don't want to think about leaving."
"Neither do I." Wrapping my arms around him, I hold him close, breathing in his scent. Parting tomorrow isn't going to be any easier than saying goodbye to him last time. If anything, it'll be harder.
His book launch party is in three weeks. I’m already counting down the days until we can see each other again.
CHAPTER NINE
TY
Entering the art gallery that Noah chose as the venue for our comic book's launch party, I am more than ready for a cocktail. Our book's release day has been more stressful than I anticipated. From dealing with my roommate removing my wet clothes from the dryer mid-cycle because he deemed drying his clothes to be more important than mine, to customers yelling at me over issues with claims that are out of my control at work, to responding to the hundreds of comments on our social media posts for the book, it's been a very long day.
Behind me, Slater and Noah jostle each other, rushing inside to avoid the rain that's increased to a steady drizzle. Slater pulls the door shut behind us. "It would be cool if we could control the weather. Our next superhero or villain needs to be able to do that."
"Good idea." I wish I had superpowers of my own. Ones that could get me across the rainy city without the need to drive, or compel my roommate to not eat food labeled with my name, or teleport me to Craig anytime I want.
The soles of my red high tops squeak on the polishedfloor. My black tee and dark jeans aren't what I'd planned to wear tonight, thanks to the drama with the dryer, but Craig's leather jacket gives the outfit an edge. He lent it to me when I was in LA, in case I got cold during the flight home. It smells like him, and the scent calms me.
Colorful posters featuring the characters in our series dominate the walls of the art gallery. Panel after panel, like something I'd see at a comic book convention. But this isourwork,ourcharacters, and it's amazing. Mouth agape, at a loss for words, I turn to Slater. He looks as surprised as I feel.
