Chapter 11
The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air as I enter the kitchen after my morning run with Haze. I told him I’d put the kettle on while he went to make a phone call to his office in London.
The morning sunlight streams in, casting a warm glow in the room. Amidst the clinking of utensils and the hum of conversation, my eyes instantly seek out the woman who stops me in my tracks—Eden.
She’s standing by the counter, focused on pouring coffee into her mug as Asher and Callum sit opposite her, chatting away. Her movements look graceful, and the soft morning light highlights the contours of her dark, tanned face. Eden’s deep green eyes seem brighter in this light and sparkle with a kind of clever knowledge as she looks up at them and joins in their discussion. Her thick, dark brown hair falls in gentle waves down her back. I can’t help but notice how a loose strand frames her face, adding a touch of effortless beauty.
As my gaze travels downward, there’s no ignoring the subtle allure of her figure. If I’m being polite, I’d say there’s a natural elegance about her. But my knob twitching in my shorts will insist the curves of her body hugged tight in those black denim jeans and fitted black vest demand my attention.
Her laughter rings out as she engages in conversation with my two mates, a sound that resonates with my knob once more.
For a moment, I let myself revel in the physical attraction I have for her, admiring the way her lips curve when she smiles and the soft curve of her neck. But as quickly as those thoughts surface, I remind myself of the importance of keeping my feelings and attraction to her completely platonic. Since she arrived here yesterday, I find myself caught in the ebb and flow of my internal struggle of the past and present.
The other fellas haven’t mentioned it, but I see how Callum and Asher look at her. I know these men well enough to realize they’re fighting that urge, too. Those subtle glances and stolen moments of lust are tempered by the reality of our current situation.
There’s no way I’m going there with her again. None of us will. There’s too much at stake, such as the future of this band. One, we still haven’t yet agreed on a name.
“Alright?” I say casually, walking over to the kettle and filling it with water. “Anyone up for a cuppa?” I ask, looking over to their cups and realizing they’re drinking coffee.
“Eden made breakfast this morning, but you and Haze were out running.”
“Sorry,” she says. “I thought you all had breakfast together. I could still whip up something if you’d like.”
I settle the kettle on the plate and switch it on.
“Ta, Eden. It’s fine. I’ll probably grab something on my way to the studio. But I think for the future, we should set a time when to come down for breakfast since we’re all living here and working on the same project.”
“I appreciate the gesture for me to stay here, but I’ll be at Brittney’s tonight and I’d like to find my own place here in LA. Rent something temporary while I’m here for the duration of the demo and promos.”
She still has doubts about this venture, and I get it. Our history isn’t all bright and rosy. It ended badly and she doesn’t trust us. But who’s to say she won’t get up and do another runner, leaving us in the dust.
“We tried to convince her otherwise, but Eden’s always been somewhat of a stubborn mule,” Callum says and winks at her as he flickers his eyes with amusement.
“Mule, huh?” She says, her lips curving up with a smirk. “ I’d tell you to go to hell, but I don’t want to see you there.”
Asher chuckles, “She has a point, mate. No one wants your ugly mug.”
A quick smile emerges on my face, remembering the banter we used to have.
“That’s fine, Eden,” I interrupt. “I speak on behalf of Haze since this is his place, but you have a bedroom here with your name on it if you have a change of heart.”
She picks up Storm’s empty food bowl from the floor and rinses it in the sink.
“I appreciate the gesture….”
She stops talking abruptly, and her eyes move cautiously toward her mobile, silently vibrating a notification on the counter where we sit. There’s something off about how her whole body freezes as if she’s not anticipating what’s in that text message. I lean over to view the screen, but it”s face down.
“You alright, luv?” Asher also noticed her unusual stance.
Callum’s busy scrolling through his phone and focused elsewhere, but looks up after hearing Asher’s voice of concern.
“Yeah,” she sighs as if she has been holding her breath and quickly straightens her back. “Just caught me off guard, that’s all. No need to make an issue of it.”
She quickly relaxes and leaves the bowl on the dishrack, pats her wet hands down over her thighs, and retrieves her phone.
Her reply is way too defensive which warrants my concern.
There’s a slight twitch of her jaw as she hesitates to look at the screen. Her eyes remain wide and wary.
I cast a quick glance at the other two. They look just as confused as me.
“Oh,” her shoulders immediately relax as if whatever bothered her a second ago dissipated. “It’s Catalina. She’s made an appointment for Storm’s physio with a vet here in LA. It’s this morning. That was fast,” she looks up at us to catch the three of us staring straight at her.
If she notices the millions of questions on our faces about what just happened, she ignores them.
“Uhmm,” she looks at me. “I know we’re supposed to work this morning, but Storm needs his physio every day; otherwise, the joints in his back hips freeze up, and it becomes painful for him. I’ll make sure his next appointments are in the afternoons.”
“It’s fine, Eden,” I say. “We can continue working on the material we already have and update you later.”
She smiles at me and then clicks her tongue, bringing Storm to his attention.
“I’ll see you boys later then,” she tells us. And I watch her leave, and the dog follows her out.
“What the hell was that?”
“I reckon being in LA isn’t giving her the greatest vibes. She’s made it clear that she wants to go back to the desert as soon as we wrap up the demo tracks.”
“We know she was hounded and bullied by the media, maybe she’s scared they pull the same shit if she reappears here.”
“It’s been ten years,” Callum scoffs. “No one’s going to be interested in some fallen pop princess who’s been out of the limelight longer than she was in it.”
“Maybe best not put it in such a harsh way if the topic comes up,” Asher explains. “Telling her she’s a has-been isn’t exactly motivational.”
Well, whatever it is, I hope she lasts long enough to make the bloody demos before she quits. Right now I have my doubts that she can pull this through. Despite the strong fa?ade she shows with her brassy mouth and attitude, unpeel her layers, and I see a very vulnerable, twitchy individual.