Obviously done with our conversation, Theo rests his head back and closes his eyes. So I remove the bud from my ear, and pull my replacement Kindle out of my bag and power it up, ready to lose myself in the world of romance for the next hour. It’s always been my favourite genre. Full of hope, and stories of redemption. I think more people should crack open a good romance more often.
“What’s that? A tablet?” Theo asks, his eyes now open as he watches what I’m doing.
“It’s an ereader,” I inform him.
“You like reading?”
“Yeah, I love it. And this means I can carry a whole library full of books with me.”
“Yeah? What are you reading now?”
“Oh, you don’t want to know.” I laugh, waving my hand at him in an attempt to cancel out the subject, most people tease me over my genre choice.
“Tell me. I’m interested.”
“It’s a romance. I love everything about them,” I admit, feeling a little defensive.
“There’s nothing wrong with romance. I’d have a bigger issue if you said you were reading War and Peace. No one really likes that book, they just say they do to impress people.”
I can’t help but laugh at the image of some uni students I’ve seen lugging around that giant thing trying to look cultured while reading it.
“Will you read to me?” he asks, pulling the bud of the earphone out and stopping the music.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. We’re going to be travelling a lot, we’ll have plenty of time to read a book or two. Why don’t you pick a book and read it out to me?”
“Um… alright.” I scroll through my library, trying to find a book that doesn’t skirt the line between romance and erotica. I’m sure I’ve got some clean romance on here… “Oh, here,” I say when I find one. “I’ve had this one downloaded for a while now. It got really great reviews. It’s about a girl who’s really spoilt and ends up getting in trouble and having to redeem herself through community service. Sounds kind of boring when I try to sell it like that. But I’m sure there are some good life lessons in there.”
“And this is the plot of a romance?” he asks, brows raised.
I nod, tapping the screen to open the book. “Romance can be about anything as long as there’s a love story and a happily ever after.”
“Is that a rule?”
“The happily ever after? Yeah. The whole point of them is knowing that no matter how hard things get, everything will turn out OK for the main couple.”
“I like that.”
“Are you ready?”
He nods. “Read away.”
The story opens with a bunch of rich brats having a party and doing drugs like it’s the normal thing to do.
“See I don’t get that,” Theo says when I pause. “Why is it, just because you’ve got more money than you can possibly spend, that you go and ruin your life with drugs? It’s just stupid as far as I’m concerned.”
“Do you want me to pick another book? I’ve got heaps.”
“No, no. This is fine. I just hate drugs is all. Keep going, I like listening to your voice.”
We exchange a brief look and a smile as he leans on the armrest between us, his head on his hand and he positions himself so he can see the words on the screen as well. When I look at him, I have this great urge to hug him. So I do. I can’t help myself. It’s a little awkward because we’re sitting next to each other, and I think I’ve shocked him a little so I only hug him briefly, but he hugs me back and I hear him release his breath in a low sigh.
“What was that about?” he asks as I sit back and pick up my Kindle again.
“It’s just nice to know that the boy I used to know is still in there somewhere. I’ve missed you and your view of the world, Aramis,” I tell him fondly.
He chuckles a little. “Just call me Theo now. But thanks, I guess I’ve missed you too. You were kind of the light to my dark,” he admits, and my heart does this little skitter thing across my chest.
“You should write that down you know.”
“Which part?”
“The light to my dark. It sounds like something you could use in a song.”
He nods. “Yeah. That could be what I’ve missed,” he says, more to himself than to me. He opens the notes on his phone and writes the lyrics on the screen. I can’t wait to see what he turns those few words into. “All right, keep going.” He nods towards my ereader.
It’s gone to sleep now, so I press it on again and resume the story, sneaking glances at him now and then to check that he’s still listening and doesn’t look too bored. All the while, I’m thanking the cosmos for returning my friend to me. Even if he’s a slightly gruffer version of who he was before.
By the time we land, we’re about ten chapters in, the main character has just started her community service helping impoverished kids and the guy who’s being her love interest is giving her a hard time for being so spoilt all her life. She thinks he hates her, but you can tell there’s more to it than that.
When we stand up to disembark from the flight, I stash my kindle back inside my bag, sliding it on my shoulder.
“I hope you’re going to finish reading that to me. If I don’t find out why Ethan’s got it in for Kasey, I might lose my will to live,” he jokes as he steps out into the aisle, blocking the path of other passengers as he lets me out in front of him.
“You don’t have to listen to it if it’s boring you,” I state, talking to him over my shoulder as I slowly move towards the exit.
“No, I like it. I really do want to know what happens,” he assures me, his voice soft and low as he leans towards me and speaks so only I can hear. “I meant it when I said I like listening to your voice.” There’s something about Theo, the rumble of his laugh, the deep tone of his voice, it’s like a caress, gently running down my spine, causing my skin to prickle with goose bumps.
“Then you’ll need to make sure you’re always sitting next to me.”
Marcus
Rising from my seat, I get ready to exit the plane. I can’t wait to get out and stretch my legs. I’m not big on sitting still for long periods of time, preferring to be active and moving. I rarely go to a movie because of it.
“How long do you reckon it’ll take to get to the hotel?” Lachlan asks. “I’m fucking sick of travellin’ already.”
“I just wanna get our bags and get out of here,” Jack grunts, twisting his head so his neck cracks. “I need a smoke.”
“I think it’s maybe half hour from here to where we’re staying,” I say. “Theo has the...” I stop talking when I glance back to where Theo and Naomi were sitting, my stomach bottoming out. I’ve been around enough women to not like the way she’s smiling up at him. Her cheeks are flushed and her focus is entirely on him. Even sourpuss Theo is looking like the cat who got the cream as he leans in and says something in her ear. Fuck. I knew I should have insisted I sit with her. I knew Theo couldn’t be trusted. She laughs at whatever he said, touching her hand briefly to his chest. Am I growling?
“We’re moving,” Jack says, nudging my shoulder.
Shifting my attention between the exit and my brother, I can’t make my feet move. “We’ll wait for the others,” I say, blocking them in. Theo laughs. I hear it. And it’s so foreign to my ears that it feels all wrong. When did he get so happy?
Not when. Why. He’s fucking flirting with her. And she’s loving it.
“Hey guys.” Naomi smiles as she pauses to let us out. “How was your flight?”
“Long,” I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “And yours?”
Her grin gets wider. “I’m reading a great book. So, yeah, it was good.” I spot Theo’s head bounce with a burst of amusement. They have inside jokes now?
“You’ll have to tell me all about it,” I say, shooting a glare at my brother. “Ladies first.” I gesture for her to go ahead of me then slide between her and Theo, pausing to let Lachlan and Jack out as well.
�
�I know what you’re doing,” I state over my shoulder.
“What’s that, Marcus?” Theo’s voice hardens with each word, any sort of lightness displayed with Naomi seems lost.
“As if you don’t know.” I close my eyes for a split second, still assaulted by the mental image of him practically putting his tongue in her ear. The way she smiled, touched him. Breathing through my nose, I hang back a little more, blocking his progression and letting out other passengers. It gives us a bigger gap between Naomi, Lachlan and Jack.
“I really don’t.” He gives me a smile like he feels sorry for me. Fucking arse. Just because he’s quitting, doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply.
“You were flirting with her,” I say through gritted teeth.
He swipes a hand across his mouth and laughs at me. “I was talking to her like a human being. You should try it sometime.”
“I talk to her like a human being.”
“You talk to her like a woman you want to fuck. There’s a difference.”
“Yeah? Well, you look at her like she’s a woman you want to fuck.”
“We get along, Marcus. We always have. I’m just being nice.”
“You don’t do nice.”
“Sure I do. Just not with you.”
“Whatever, brother. The band rules still apply, even if you plan on ditching us.”
“I’ll take your concerns on board, frontman. You are the all-important talent here.”
“Don’t mock me. I said that shit in the heat of the moment. You know this band would be nothing without you.” When he doesn’t shoot off a comeback right away, I glance back, finding him stunned. I’ve never admitted that to him before. “Don’t let it go to your head, Theo.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Marcus.”
As we exit the plane, the other three are waiting for us outside the gate. And I’m sure to put myself between Theo and Naomi as we head as a group towards the luggage carousel. That plan doesn’t work so great when Naomi breaks off and says she needs to visit the ladies. Theo is the first to say he’ll wait for her.
“We’ll catch up to you,” he says to the rest of us as he reaches out and takes Naomi’s backpack before placing a hand on her lower back. Shit. Fuck. I take it all back. The band doesn’t need him. I don’t want him to stay. He’s moving in on my girl when we all promised not to chase her.
“You OK, mate?” Jack asks as I rubberneck beside him.
“I’m fine. Why would anything be wrong?” I can hear my voice; it’s coming out high and overly enthusiastic. I have to stop myself from visibly wincing when I’m met with odd looks.
“Err. No reason.” Jack frowns and exchanges glances with Lachlan. “But I’m sure they’re OK. Theo’s watching her.”
“Yeah,” I say quickly, even though that’s exactly what I’m worried about.
Gathering some trolleys, we load one of them up with our luggage then head over to the oversized pickup area to get our instruments. That’s when Theo and Naomi rock up. Finally.
And they’re happy again. Great.
“Why don’t you supervise this while Nomes and I sort out the hire cars?” I say to Theo, grabbing Naomi by the hand before I can even get an answer.
“Wait. Do you have the booking number?” he calls out.
“Of course. It’s all in the email on my phone. We were all cc’d.”
“I actually have it too,” Naomi says.
He looks between me and Naomi, at the way I’m holding her hand. His expression darkens. “Sure. We’ll meet you outside.” He waves us away and I hear Jack groaning about how he wants to go outside and smoke.
I drop Naomi’s hand and sling my arm around her shoulder instead. “First leg, Nomes. How cool is this?”
“I know. I’m dying of excitement, nervous about making a good impression, and pinching myself because it doesn’t feel real.” We join the short cue at the hire car counter.
“Tell me about it. Did you and Theo get to talk much during the flight?” That question didn’t seem too telling did it? I’m trying to appear like I’m just making polite conversation, but I have this great need to know what’s happening between them. And the smile that plays on her lips causes my gut to twist.
“We did. And it was almost like old times again. He’s really mellowed out this past few weeks. I feel like I’m getting my friend back.”
“That’s great. That’s great.” Now I wish they’d never sorted it out. I knew this would happen when I told him the truth. But I couldn’t say no to her. I like her too much to be that much of a jerk. “What’d you guys talk about?”
“The band, the tour. Nothing terribly exciting,” she explains as she reaches up and pulls her hair away from her face, securing it in a messy bun with her hair elastic. “How about you guys? Anything interesting to report?”
“Not really. Lachlan was pissed there was no inflight entertainment, so he slept most of it. And Jack was on edge the entire time, rapidly chewing Nicorette and asking when we landed.”
“That’s funny. Theo smokes more than Jack and he was fine.”
“I think Jack’s problem was being without the freedom to smoke. That’s what gets to him most.”
When it’s our turn at the counter, I’m happy to stand back and let Naomi do all the talking to sort out our van. It gives me the chance to look at her without seeming creepy. Or maybe it’s still creepy, I don’t know. I just know that I’m torn. I want to do right by the band. But I also really want Naomi. And that feeling has only grown more intense spending so much time together prepping for this tour.
Since Theo made his decision to leave, things have been more cohesive between the band members. I don’t know if that’s because he’s looking at this as the last chance he’ll have to enjoy his hard work, or if he’s calmed down now that he knows I never touched Naomi. Either way, I feel like we’re all friends again, kind of like how we were back in high school before I was a dick and ruined things. And I’m trying hard not to ruin things again. But I’m struggling. Especially now that Theo is acting like a different person around her. She says it’s like she has her friend back, but she seems to be forgetting he was in love with her back then. Just like I am now.
Shit. That’s it, isn’t it? It’s why I’m climbing the walls every time I see Theo smiling at her. Why I’m torn between asking him to reconsider leaving and letting him go. I’ve fallen for the girl.
Or maybe that’s how it always was? I’ve never been jealous of my brother before, but I’ve always been jealous around her. Shit. This makes things way more difficult.
If I was a good brother, I’d back off. There are plenty of girls out there. Ones I won’t have to fight Theo for. Problem is, none of them are Naomi.
And I’m not a good brother.
Twenty-Two
Naomi
“Naomi.” A gentle voice pulls at my consciousness. I slowly stir and open my eyes.
“I was asleep?”
Marcus’s mouth kicks up on one side, and I realise I’m practically lying across him in the car’s backseat. “You were also drooling.”
“Oh, god.” I sit bolt upright, pulling my legs from his lap as I wipe at my face. How embarrassing.
“Relax. You’re still gorgeous.” He chuckles as he opens the car door. “Come on. Let’s get this stuff up to our rooms before we have to get on the road again.”
“Again?” Taking the hand he holds out, I exit the car and stretch my arms above my head, yawning. “Why?”
“Sound check,” Jack explains. No rest for the wicked.
Marcus moves to help Jack unload the boot, and I move to grab a luggage trolley to help us haul everyone’s bags inside. Theo and Lachlan have detoured to the venue to drop off our equipment and talk through the soundboard setup with the tour team. I was happy to ride along with them, but Theo only wanted Lachlan with him. I guess he wanted brawn over beauty.
“We have an hour to settle in,” Marcus says, dropping duffle bags and a guitar case on the tro
lley. “Then we have our sound check booked in. And Theo wants to run a set rehearsal to make sure everything’s working fine. He worries something could get damaged in transit, he likes to prep for all contingencies. It’s what he does. He’s a bit of a control freak.”
“Yeah, but if he wasn’t, we’d be giving a cut of our profits to managers and agents or whatever,” Jack says, slamming the boot shut and pocketing the keys. “Better someone who has the band’s interests in mind more than they want the money.” The more involved I get with the inner workings of the band, the more I realise how intrinsic Theo’s involvement is. I have no idea what possessed Marcus to think he could just ditch his brother and do all of this himself. He doesn’t have the mind for the business side of things like Theo does. These guys are a team, and I need Marcus to get his head out of his arse and see his brother for the backbone of the band he is.
“Theo takes on a lot of work,” I comment, my purpose is giving Marcus a gentle reminder. “He manages, he organises, he writes. Is that why he plays drums now? To take some pressure off?”
“He used to play the keyboard when we first started the band,” Marcus explains. “But when we lost our first drummer, he took over and stayed there because it was easier to find someone for keyboards than it was to find a drummer that would actually show up and keep the right beat.”
“That’s when I joined.” Jack raises his hand before he lights a cigarette, needing his fix before we’re trapped inside again.
“I imagine he’s got a lot more on his plate than the rest of us. I feel kind of bad for taking an equal cut. Maybe he should be paid a manager’s percentage on top of his cut?”
I look between them. Marcus blows out some air and Jack bounces a shoulder.
“To be honest with you,” Jack starts, releasing his lungful of smoke. “I’ve never thought he was paid enough for what he does.”
“Theo is the one who made the decision to do an equal cut,” Marcus says.
“Why would he do that?” I ask.
“Because he’s Theo. He gives. He doesn’t take. Plus, he read a biography on Queen and they had a bunch of drama over royalties. They ended up taking an equal cut because Queen didn’t exist without each member.”
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 100
