Chapter 30
Chapter thirty
Tom
We’re back in the studio, picking up where we left off yesterday. Same beat looping. Same tea in my mug.
“Come on, that sounds only audible to dogs.”
Calvin is fully focused on the screen. “You’re just old, McKenna. Ears are the first to go.”
Calvin is a couple of years older than me, and I’m positive he’s ruining his ears all the time by not using earplugs in loud environments. Plus, I definitely wasn’t deaf last night.
That final broken moan? It still echoes in the back of my skull.
I take a sip of rooibos; perfect temperature, warm and soft on my throat, which still feels a little raw from moaning through my orgasm.
Calvin keeps fiddling with the track. I put my earphones back on to listen for the change.
I click my fingers and point at the screen.
“Yeah, right there. Pull that back a notch.”
He lifts one ear of his headphones, about to say something, when his phone buzzes on the desk. He looks at it and frowns.
“It’s Jay.”
Great. Just what this day needed.
I nod. “Let’s see what brother dear has to say.”
Calvin waits a bit, then answers.
“Yo, Jay! Your little brother’s right here with me.” Calvin flips his voice 180 degrees to something feigned. “He showed up yesterday, and I swear, I’ve never met someone who wanted to go back to rehab so badly. Seriously, I think he met some cute girl there.”
I shove Calvin’s shoulder. His arm shoots forward, wrecking the track we’ve been working.
“Fucking wanker,” Calvin laughs, desperately clicking undo. “Now we have to start from zero!”
His eyes spark like we’re still two teens messing around.
He hands me the phone. “Here, Jay wants a word.”
I hesitate. I already know where this is headed.
“Tom. How do you feel? Still sober?”
His directness puts me on edge.
“You really don’t have much faith in me, do you?” My voice carries a decent amount of irritation.
Jay sighs. “It’s not about faith, Tom. You have a pattern, you know you do. So excuse my skepticism. I’ve seen this movie before.”
His words circle in my head. I can’t even explain the sour feeling they leave behind.
He already expects me to fail, even though I’ve been sober for months now, even though it’s become so easy for me to just say no. But I guess that’s the sequel to a movie he’s not interested in.
The resentment burns, old shit mixing with new insights. And it’s not just the physical distance. It really feels like there’s an entire ocean between us now.
“Stay focused on your recovery and don’t go messing around with girls at the resort, understood?”
“Alright. No girls, I promise.”
I rub my eyes, pinch the bridge of my nose. “How… How’s Effy? Is she okay?”
There’s a crack. I’m not sure if it’s in his voice or the phone connection.
“She’s sleeping a lot, but everything’s going as it should. No need to worry.”
That’s all I needed from Jay. As for the rest, I’ve got nothing to say to him right now. Without another word, I hand the phone back to Calvin.
Fuck Jay.
My own phone buzzes in my pocket.
Yosh: I’m outside. The dogs are cute.
I smile. Everything I’ve been holding onto falls away. Jay’s bullshit, talking down to me like I’m sixteen again, it all doesn’t seem to matter anymore knowing Yosh is here.
“I’m heading out,” I tell Calvin as I stand.
Calvin, still on the phone, waves me goodbye.
“I’ll see you at SeaBreeze on Sunday, yeah? Got a surprise for you!”
“Wouldn’t miss it!” I shout back, already at the top of the stairs.
Outside, I spot the lime-green Gremlin right away. Bella and Gordo are passed out in the shade of a palm tree. Belly-up, legs in the air. Lazy dogs, for real. Even the flamingo floatie would do a better job guarding the house.
I give them a quick rub before sneaking through the gate.
One last look at the villa before hopping into the passenger seat.
Yosh is checking me from head to toe. His eyes glint with mischief, a faint curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Ready?” he asks.
“More than ever.”