Chapter 25 #3
“For the first time since we were in my parents’ garage, I’ve been writing real music,” Phoenix admitted, stealing a glance at his friends since childhood.
He took the time to look each of them in the eye because they deserved that much from him.
“And I’m not sure I want to stop. I know I don’t want to stop.
And yeah, I could do it while also drumming with the Stone Talons but—”
“You don’t want to,” Gavin finished, surprising him with his astuteness.
“I love you all like brothers,” Phoenix said quickly.
“You are my brothers, my family, and I don’t want to let you all down, but …
yeah. My heart hasn’t been in it for a long time now, and it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I’m not doing any of you any favors by sticking around and holding you back. ”
The guys exchanged a few looks before Gavin nodded. “Let’s see this latest song … and not the one you gave Marcus to appease Kinkaid. Let’s see the one you’ve been writing with stars in your eyes.”
He glanced at the guys, getting two additional nods, and dug into his bag for the notebook. The spine bulged with the additional pages he’d stuffed inside when he’d run out of room.
East whistled. “Damn, man. You’ve been busy.”
Phoenix chuckled warily. “Yeah, well, it’s been a wild few weeks … and days.”
He opened the book to the song that had started it all, the one inspired by the demigoddess that stole his heart—and if he was honest with himself—that he’d freely given. He sat back and waited, watching East stand behind Xavier as they all read the lines and Gavin hummed the melody.
It felt like eons until they were done, and by the time they got to the end, Phoenix was fidgeting in his seat and felt seconds away from throwing up. “Is it fucking horrible? Tell it to me straight. I can take it. Maybe.”
“You wrote this about Addie?” Gavin’s gaze flicked up to him and back to the open book.
“Yeah.”
“Well, fuck.” He closed it with a sigh. “If I could write something like this, I’d want to branch out and do my own thing, too. This is fucking amazing.”
He saw each of them nodding in agreement.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Gavin added, “it’ll fucking suck having to get used to someone else’s drum style, and I’m already dreading searching for one even half as good as you, but you should definitely chase this, man. The songwriting. The girl. All of it.”
Phoenix chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure chasing the girl will work when the girl doesn’t believe in love and thinks what we have is some freaky Olympus thing…”
“Then find a way to prove to her that it exists … and that it isn’t.”
Phoenix shot his friend a look. “Who the fuck are you? Because you’re being awfully mature and way too insightful for you to be our Gavin.”
The griffon shifter tossed him his notebook. “Whatever, asshole. But tell me I’m wrong.”
East cleared his throat. “Since we’re all being insightful and understanding, and talking about making grand gestures and following new paths, I decided that I really do want to open my own School of Rock for Kids.
Naiomi’s about to get her PhD, and I don’t know what will happen in the immediate future, but I do know I want to be around for it.
And her. I can’t do that while on tour.”
They all joked, not bothered in the least—at least for now—over their groundbreaking admissions.
Gavin chuckled. “Anyone else have any grand declarations?” He shot a look to Xavier. “What about you, man?”
“Actually … I’ve been offered a position as a spokesperson for the Animal Preservation Society, and if they’ll have me, I’d like to be more involved and actually have my boots on the ground.”
They all blinked before all eyes slowly turned toward Gavin.
“Well, don’t look at me for any grand announcement.” He laughed. “Although I admit, I kind of like the idea of going solo. It’s very Harry Styles–esque. I kind of dig it.”
Did that mean …
East glanced around the room, locking eyes with each of them. “So this is actually happening?”
They each slowly nodded, and Phoenix was the first to break into new—real—laughter. “Please let me be the one to tell Marcus. I want a front-row seat to watch his head explode.”
They all laughed, and Phoenix couldn’t help feeling at least a little bit lighter than he’d been a few minutes ago.
Except for one very large anvil hanging over his heart.
Addie.
He dropped his head onto the back of the couch with a groan. “How the fuck will I survive coming face-to-face with Addie tomorrow and not make a fucking lovesick fool of myself?”
“Maybe that’s exactly what you should do,” Gavin suggested. “Let me ask you a serious question.”
“Is it actually serious?”
“Are you in love with her?”
“Without a fucking doubt,” Phoenix answered without missing a beat. “Head over heels and all-in, tattooed on my fucking soul.”
His friend nodded. “Then I have an idea.”
“That should scare the fuck out of me,” Phoenix admitted.
“But?”
He shrugged. “But I’m all ears.”