Page 44 of Knot My Band: Part One
I’ve never been a happy guy. Yes, I’ve been tougher on Oli, but I’m usually grumpy. Something stops me from telling her that.
“Happiness is overrated,” I mumble, but her words are a pebble in my shoe, irritating and impossible to ignore.
She cares about me. My attitude has bothered her because she cares about me, not how it affects her.
Oli moves closer. Her proximity sends a wave of warmth across my skin, and I resist the urge to move back.
“I’ll keep this in mind, Hart.”
“Please do, Grey,” she says, her smile radiant enough to challenge the sun.
“Come on, grumpy pants,” she teases, poking at my arm with a slender finger. Her touch is electric, sparking a reaction deep within. “We should join the guys before they start sound check without us.”
“They won’t have gone far.”
I’m proved right when we open the door, and the three of them are standing there with concerned expressions, arms crossed, and brows raised.
“What was that about?” Jack asks.
“Mind your own business,” Oli calls out to them, her tone playful yet firm. She steps closer to me, a quiet solidarity that has me standing taller.
“So, everything is good?” Chase asks, the doubt in his voice clashing with the smirk he can’t quite hide.
“Better than good,” I answer before I can second-guess the truth of it. And weirdly enough, it feels right.
“Let’s roll, then,” Oli says, looping her arm through Aiden’s as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. As we stride toward the venue, I fall into step with the others behind them.
We get on stage surrounded by a mess of cables and amps.
We move into our first song, and I decide to follow Oli’s advice and let go.
When Oli comes over to run her fingers through my hair, I offer her a smile that feels foreign on my face.
She blinks at me, surprised, before grinning back at me.
I can feel the shock of my packmates, and it’s annoying.
We leave the stage, letting the opener get set up, and move into our dressing room to get ready. Oli needs her hair andmakeup done, which takes an hour before every show.
While she’s sitting there as they curl her hair, she excitedly bounces in place and announces, “Aiden and I wrote a song.”
“That’s what you were up all night doing, right?” Chase asks.
Aiden nods. “It flowed easier than any song I’ve written.”
“When do we get to hear it?” Jack asks.
“As soon as it’s perfect,” Oli declares.
I take a breath and decide to be nice. “I’m sure it’s great.”
My packmates stare at me.
“That didn’t sound sarcastic,” Aiden mutters.
“Whoa, what’s gotten into you?” Jack eyes me with suspicion.
“Nothing,” I mutter. “Just thought I’d try something different.”
