Page 40 of Falling Faster
Hope twists through my chest. "You're really serious about this?"
"We never joke about business." Luke tosses the guitar pick to me. "We like your sound and your vibe. I think you'd be a good fit with our label. These guys agree." He jerks his thumb toward his bandmates. "Craig and Patrick, you've always been there for us. We'd do anything we could to help you guys. My talk with Devon last night got me thinking, and watching you play together today cemented the idea. I've already thought of a few bands you could open for. Get you touring. Get you in the studio. Get Falling Midnight's music to the masses."
Energy tingles under my skin. After Cody and Devon moved away from LA, I thought we'd never have a chance to share a stage again. Having the opportunity now is unreal. I move closer to my friends. "Doing this with you guys would be a dream come true for me. I want this."
Devon clutches my arm, the wistfulness in his features pulling at my heart. "So do I."
Cody pumps his arm in the air. "Hell, yeah. Let's do it."
Features etched in indecision, Patrick white-knuckles the guitar's strap, gripping it like a shield, his gaze lingering on Cody before landing on the framed photo of The Fury on stage in front of a massive arena filled with fans. "I… don't know."
"Come on, Paddy." Cody's expressive eyes are wide and pleading. Gripping his hands together over his heart, he leans into Patrick. "I always wondered what would've happened if my dad hadn't gotten sick, and I could've stayed in LA with you guys. Doing this would mean a lot to me. Please."
Looking at Cody, Patrick seems to search for something. Ihold my breath as their silent conversation continues for the longest minute of my life. Finally, Patrick’s hesitation gives way to a nod. "Okay. I'm in."
"Thank you!" Cody throws his arms around Patrick and plants a loud peck on his cheek. Then he spins away and hugs Luke, Zander, then Brendan and Landry. "Thank you so much for the opportunity."
Chuckling, Luke claps him on the back. "No problem. Together, we'll take Falling Midnight to the next level."
Zander extends his hand toward mine, enveloping me in a warm shake. "Welcome to the Furious Records family. We'll have a contract sent over. Take your time and have your people look over it, and then we can all sit down together."
"This is incredible. Thank you." I follow up the handshake with a hug. "This means a lot to me."
"Well, you mean a lot to us." He steps back and gets enveloped in a hug from Devon. Our friend may be small, but he's all wiry strength and manages to knock Zander back a step.
I know how careful they are with their label. Furious Records is everything to these men. There's no way they'd offer us a contract if they didn't believe we could give them something special. I shake hands with Luke. "We won't let you down."
"I know you won't." He claps me on the shoulder. "Satyr's Kiss has an East Coast tour coming up in the fall. You could open for them, go on after the local band, do a five song set."
Energy tingles through me. "That would be amazing."
"Good. I'm so freaking happy you're one of us now." Luke hugs me again. Then he pulls Patrick in for a longer one. They're laughing and murmuring, and I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. The four of us will need to have a serious talk about what happens with Cody and Devon'sjobs if we're touring and then for recording too. Patrick and I have the most flexibility there.
Devon turns away from Zander, and bangs into Luke. They hug, and then Devon comes to me, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, surprise still tinging his features. "I can't believe this is happening."
"It's surreal." I wrap my arm around his neck and tug him closer, using him as an anchor because I feel so fucking high, there has to be at least three feet of air between my feet and the floor. "It's good. Really good. Dev, I'm not stopping until we're at the top of the charts."
His smile is the one I remember he wore the day we all decided to move to LA together. He mirrors my move and the weight of his arm lands on my shoulders, grounding me. "I'm not blowing this shot. Nothing's gonna get in my way this time. I know we need to figure out the details, but I'll do whatever it takes."
Brendan slings his arm over Devon's shoulders, and I drop my arm. "Come on, bud. We have so much to talk about." They wander away, with Brendan giving him a rundown of the other bands under the Furious Records label.
Ty weaves past them, heading for me. His vibrant pinkSupervillains are Heroes Tooshirt almost glows under the lights. He throws his arms around me, enveloping me in his exuberance. "Congratulations! This is so cool. And you said you weren't a rockstar."
Cody bounds over and wraps his arms around us. The energy pouring off him is intense. "Falling Midnight is back, baby! Maybe Ty can tweak our band's logo?"
"We could use an update." As exciting as the prospect of working with my best friends is, I want to share this moment with Ty and Ty alone. But with Cody wrapped around us likea python, I can’t move. So, the best I can do is kiss the tip of Ty’s nose.
Ty squeezes me tighter. His gorgeous lips spread wide and his eyes sparkle with as much enthusiasm as when he talks about new story ideas for his comic. "I'd be happy to create something for you."
"Come on, everyone," Luke calls. "Time for food. Let's head up to the deck."
"I'm starving." After giving us one more squeeze, Cody spins away and makes a beeline for Luke.
Devon and Brendan are deep in discussion by the drum kit, and Cody has claimed both Zander and Luke's attention as the trio walk toward the stairs. I catch Patrick watching them go, his expression unreadable, before Landry claps him on the back and says something that makes him laugh.
Ty drops his arms from around my neck, but catches my hand and laces our fingers together. "You looked so happy playing with your band."
I run the pad of my thumb over his knuckle. "Playing with the guys feels better, more right, than anything else I've been a part of. There's something about them. It's… the way things are supposed to be."
