Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN
“Alright, who took the last sparkling water?” Lennon asks, storming into the living room.
Malaki pauses with the bottle of said water to his lips. “Uh…”
I snort as Lennon dramatically puts his hands on his head and gives a shout of frustration.
“We can get more,” Cyrus says diplomatically, his hands massaging the kinks out of Jamie’s shoulders. The beta’s mouth gapes open slightly when he hits the right spot, and the sight causes warmth to pool in my belly.
Lennon shakes his head. “Josie said those were Lark’s favorite; now what are we going to offer her?”
My smile grows so wide, pain pinches my cheeks. I forgot that I told him about my bandmates’ favorite drinks, and he’s obviously trying to use that information today.
It’s been about a week since my heat, and settling into pack life has been smooth sailing.
Besides all the stresses coming from outside sources—our labels and the public especially—everything has been glorious in the tight unit I’ve found myself in.
I knew it would be, if watching them over the past couple months was any indication, but now I feel it.
I’m a part of them, just like they’re a part of me.
And that means it’s officially time to bring my friends into the mix.
“She likes a lot of things; it’s okay,” I tell him, knowing how flexible Lark is.
“I know but I was saving that one specifically,” he mutters, glaring at Malaki.
The blue-haired alpha visibly gulps, putting the bottle down with a guilty expression. “Sorry.”
Lennon sighs. “It’s okay… I just want things to be perfect.”
I check the clock, seeing that it’s five to six, which means the girls will be here soon.
I had no idea that my alpha would take my friends coming over so seriously, but by the look on his face, he is.
There’s a stressed scrunch in his brow, so I stand up to go to him, squeezing his arm reassuringly.
One of those pack squeezes that I’m getting so used to doling out.
“You guys don’t have to be perfect. The time together doesn’t have to be perfect, either. I mean, come on, you guys saw how we were all tour long. We’re far from perfect.”
“Exactly,” Cyrus joins. “Besides, you guys have already met them.”
“As their rivals, not as Josie’s pack,” Remi interjects as he maneuvers himself on the couch.
“Plus, Lark is really scary,” Malaki gripes. “Oh god, I shouldn’t have taken her water.”
“It wasn’t her water,” I repeat.
Just as I hope to further assure him that everything is fine, the doorbell rings. I get up so fast, ready to rip the bandage off this night so we can all have a little bit of fun. I look back to the guys once more. They’re all looking at me, wide-eyed, and I’m suddenly nervous for them.
God, they’re going to let their nerves get the better of them. It’s kind of hilarious.
Lark and Nicola are both standing tall, each holding a tray of snacks. When I see the detail in Lark’s cheese platter, I squeal.
“You two didn’t have to do that,” I say.
“Please, don’t act like you’re not drooling over this speciality brie,” Lark comments as I step aside to let them in.
I shrug, because I am. I can tell it’s from one of my favorite local delis downtown.
Nicola smiles wide and pulls me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Jo. It feels like it’s been ages.”
I feel squeamish by that, my face contorting into a grimace.
“I’m sorry about that… after everything, it was hard—”
“I’m not saying that to make you feel any kind of way,” she reassures me, her smile soft.
“Exactly. We’ve all been dealing with it in our own ways,” Lark adds. “We each needed time to come to terms with it and to heal. You could have taken months and that would have been fine with me.”
“Ditto!” Nicola exclaims.
My chest feels full just from this simple interaction in the walkway. I blink back tears, emotion choking me.
“And about that interview next week…” Lark starts, her voice low. “If you want us to come with you and Cyrus, we can. If that will make things easier for you, I will find blackmail material on Donna to make it possible.”
I snort a laugh. “No, I think we’ll be fine. Having to talk about it will be hard, and I know it’s not fair to Cleo, but we have to keep on, right?”
Nicola nods. “Right.”
I point my thumb over my shoulder. “Are you guys ready? My guys are biting their fingernails.”
“Why?” Nicola asks.
“Well… they’re nervous, I think.”
“Oh, I love this.” Lark barks with laughter. “These too-cool-for-school rock stars are nervous about us. I can’t wait to mess with them.”
They follow me into the living room, where the guys are standing around awkwardly.
Malaki holds his arms out like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands.
Jamie tries to nonchalantly lounge on the couch, while Lennon beams so wide that it’s almost scary.
Remi and Cyrus both watch the other three, their features pinched like they’re trying to figure out what to do with them.
There’s a moment of silence before Lark says, “Stop being weird.
Malaki squeaks.
Jamie immediately drops his unnatural-looking pose. “Sorry.”
Cyrus steps forward, knowing it’s time to put on his prime hat. “We’re just happy to have you two here.”
“Any friends of Josie’s are friends of ours,” Lennon says stiffly, like he rehearsed it.
Nicola coughs as she laughs, her eyes looking at me like, “Is he for real?”
“They’re a little nervous,” I repeat.
Lark sighs, stepping forward. “Look. We’re not here to grill you, or to bring up what happened during the tour.
I’ve already seen how amazing you are to Josie, even when you weren’t looking, so there’s no need to be any kind of way with us.
Just get me a cold drink and put on a classic movie and I’m square. ”
Nicola stands taller. “Same here. But I’d like something fruity.”
They all seem to relax with her statement, the weird energy immediately zapping from the room.
“Oh, thank god,” Lennon huffs in relief.
Malaki grabs the sparkling water and says, “I accidentally drank this and Lennon nearly blew a casket because he knew it was your favorite.”
Lark’s head tilts as she looks at the bottle. “It is my favorite. Now I’ll have to fight you for it.”
The room quiets at the statement, Lark’s monotone voice doing what it does best. Then, before I know it, my entire pack is laughing. Jamie even has tears in his eyes.
“I don’t know if this drink is that good,” Malaki laughs.
Lark gasps. “You take that back.”
They come and sit down as Lennon offers them other options. The conversation flows from there. There are drinks, there are laughs, and there are even a few sappy words from my friends to my mates. It’s all glorious by the end as my two worlds finally collide and decide to merge completely.
And dare I say it, the entire evening is perfect.