Chapter Twelve
Caleb
I’m so caught up in my excitement that I barely notice the doorbell ringing. Colt heads out to answer it, and I turn straight toward Dad.
“Holy shit, Dad, why didn’t you warn me?”
“Because you would’ve freaked out,” he says with a grin.
I nod as nerves slam into me full force. My stomach twists violently while butterflies batter around inside me like they’re trying to escape through my ribs. It’s the weirdest feeling, but I fucking love it and I can’t wait for Rob to hear us play.
We’re good. I know we are. And for the first time in days, my head isn’t completely consumed by Indi. Music is finally dragging me out of that dark place.
Even though a part of me still wishes she were here.
Indi always loved hearing me sing. Every song I ever wrote, every lyric I obsessed over, she was there for all of it. Sharing this moment with her would have meant everything to me.
But that’s not happening.
So there’s no point torturing myself thinking about it.
Across the room, I notice Annie and Aston very obviously avoiding each other. The tension between them is painful to watch, and I silently pray they get their shit together before Rob walks in.
A second later, Colt reappears, with Rob following behind him, and, instinctively, I straighten my posture and square my shoulders—confidence and presence matter. If I want to be a performer, I need to act like one.
“Hi, guys,” Rob says casually. “Has Colt told you why I’m here?”
“Sure has, Mr. Luxley,” I reply smoothly, flashing him an easy grin.
Charm has always come naturally to me. Men, women, crowds… it doesn’t really matter. When I switch it on, people notice. Dad says I got it from Colt, but I think it’s just part of who I am.
Rob chuckles lightly. “Relax. Call me Rob. Think of me as a friend sitting in on rehearsal. I want you to play exactly how you usually would. Don’t overthink why I’m here. Just play, then afterward we’ll talk.”
We all nod, though I’m pretty sure none of us are capable of relaxing right now.
I seriously can’t believe this is happening.
“Okay,” Rob says, checking his cell. “I’m just gonna step outside and make a quick call, then I’ll come back in, and you guys can start. Sound good?”
The second he walks out of the room, I spin toward the band. If there was ever a moment for a pep talk, this is definitely it.
“Okay, guys, group huddle.”
Annie, Aston, Ella, and Chad move in close around me.
“This could literally be it for us,” I tell them seriously. “So whatever nerves you’ve got, whatever bullshit is happening outside this room, leave it there because this is huge. If we nail this, we could have an album on shelves in a few months. So bring it. Everything you’ve got.”
The excitement on everyone’s faces mirrors my own as they all nod eagerly.
“Chad,” I say, turning toward him. “I want your bass kicks harder tonight. Make those drums hit like a fucking heartbeat.”
He grins. “Got it.”
“Annie and Ella, you already know your parts, so trust yourselves and just let it rip. Ella, if you lose your place without the music sheets, fake it and keep moving, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” Ella says nervously. “I’ve been practicing without the sheets for weeks now, so hopefully I’ll be okay.”
I can hear the nerves shaking her voice.
“You will be.”
Then I look over at Aston and smirk. “Fat beats tonight, yeah?”
“Hell yeah,” he replies.
“And you, Caleb,” Annie says, pointing at me. “Sing like you’re singing to Indi.”
The words hit hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.
I swallow thickly and nod because… fuck. She’s right.
Whenever I sang for Indi, I poured everything into it because I wanted her to feel every word. Every lyric mattered more when it was for her.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “Good call, Annie.”
I glance around the huddle. “We good? Everyone remembers the song order?”
They all nod.
“Don’t worry, cuz,” Annie says with a grin. “We will totally rock this shit.”
We all laugh.
“Yeah, we will,” Chad says enthusiastically. “We’re gonna rock his socks off!”
I shake my head at him. The guy’s obsession with socks is genuinely concerning at this point.
“Okay, guys,” I laugh. “Hands in.”
We all throw our right hands into the middle, ready for the same stupid mantra we’ve been saying before every rehearsal and performance for years now.
The music flows for all to hear,
You cannot help but stop and cheer,
The walls will tremble, shudder, and break,
‘Cause no one can handle the sound of Staked.
One, two, three…
STAKED!
We shout the last word together before throwing our hands into the air. The parents laugh at us, but they know we need this. It settles and focuses us.
Tonight is the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had, and there’s no fucking way I’m screwing it up.
We move into our usual positions automatically. I am in the center, with Annie and Aston on my right and Ella on my left. Same setup we’ve always had because it works. This is how we connect as a band, how we become one unit instead of separate people.
We’re unstoppable together.
At least… I hope Annie and Aston remember that, too.
Rob walks back into the room, clapping his hands once. “Right then, Staked. Let’s hear you rock the house.”
I nod and count everyone in. I’m nervous as hell, but underneath the nerves is pure adrenaline. Music has always been my life, and Indi was the reason I fell in love with it in the first place. So it feels fitting that the first song we play tonight is the one I wrote about her.
“Saving Grace.”
She’s never heard it before, but tonight I sing it like she’s sitting right in front of me, hearing every word for the first time.
The melody floods through me while Annie’s soft but emotional guitar chords vibrate around the room. This song feels electric. It’s like the music physically lives inside my bloodstream, every beat and lyric becoming part of me.
I live for this shit.
I breathe it.
And right now, combining my love of music with the memory of performing for Indi makes this feel like the best performance of my life.
I know I’m killing it.
Closing my eyes, I lose myself in the lyrics and the emotion behind them. Indi really was my saving grace once upon a time, and when she left, she carved a hole through me that never healed properly afterward.
So I pour every ounce of that pain into the song.
By the time I sing the final line, emotion claws up my throat, but I force myself to stay composed and professional.
I glance back at the band and nod at Chad to kick off the next song.
This one’s faster, heavier, and more rock-and-roll than emotional, but I still picture Indi sitting directly in front of me while I sing like the entire room disappears except for her.
Then Annie launches into her guitar solo, and reality crashes back in, reminding me exactly why we’re here tonight.
Rob Luxley is watching us.
Looking directly at Rob, I notice he’s smiling, and even from here I can feel his excitement building. That alone gives me a rush of confidence.
I glance over at Annie, and she’s absolutely shredding on her guitar. Colt taught her well because she’s killing it right now. Her fingers move effortlessly over the strings, and the sound pouring from her amp is sharp, emotional, and powerful as hell.
Her solo is coming to an end, so I step back toward the microphone, ready to jump in with the next verse… but Annie suddenly takes the solo even further.
My brows furrow instantly.
I listen carefully to the rest of the band, making sure everyone’s managing to keep up with the change she’s thrown at us in the middle of the song.
My heart starts hammering against my ribs.
Fuck.
Yeah, she sounds incredible, but she should have warned us she was extending the solo. It nearly throws me completely off, so I can’t imagine what’s going through Ella’s head right now. Luckily, Chad and Aston are handling it like pros and following her lead without missing a beat.
I glance over at Colt, and he’s frowning just as hard as I am.
If Annie fucks this up for us, I’m going to lose my shit.
She’s such a fucking show-off sometimes.
Annie glances back at me with this huge, excited grin that almost makes me smile for a split second, and then I remember she’s potentially derailing the biggest moment of our lives.
I scowl at her.
Her smile immediately drops before she turns back toward Rob and finally wraps up the solo.
Thank Christ.
We move into the rest of the song, and I force myself not to let the panic mess with my voice.
My pulse is still racing so hard I feel slightly sick.
This opportunity is massive for us, and if Annie just ruined it because she wanted her moment in the spotlight, I honestly don’t know how I’m going to react.
The song finally ends, and Rob starts clapping straight away, which I’m taking as a good sign.
Annie dramatically takes a bow while I roll my eyes at her.
Rob walks toward Colt while the rest of the parents clap enthusiastically behind him. The two of them start talking quietly together, too low for us to hear what’s being said.
I glance over at Annie, and she still looks ridiculously pleased with herself. She genuinely thinks she nailed it.
Chad comes around from behind his drum kit and joins me while we both watch Annie cuddle briefly into Aston’s side. Then, almost instantly, she steps back and glares at him like she wants to murder him before storming from the room.
I huff out a breath while Chad chuckles beside me.
“Think they’re ever gonna sort their shit out?” he asks.
“They better,” I mutter. “Or they’re gonna fuck this whole thing up for all of us.”
“Tell me about it,” Chad says, shaking his head.
“Poor Aston is so pussy-whipped it’s not funny, and Annie keeps messing with his head.
Don’t get me wrong, I love her to death, but the way she’s screwing around with his feelings isn’t cool.
And that solo? Seriously? Poor Ella looked like she was trying not to panic but failing miserably. ”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I was worried about Ella too, but she pulled through. They all did. Even I was basically improvising there for a bit.”