Out of Beat (Boys of Fallout Book 1)

by Cassandra Giovanni

  Danny leans forward tapping his feet and slapping his hands against the couch between his legs. He looks over his shoulder at me, and my jaw tightens, which only makes him smile. The look makes butterflies erupt and fill my brain. Zack starts singing and Danny’s brows lift as he nods at me to join. I cross my arms, shaking my head.

  “I told you that wouldn’t work,” Aaron says as he comes out of the bathroom dryings his hair, thankfully in the PJ bottoms he brought inside earlier.

  Zack looks over at Aaron using his fingers to signal for him to join. He jumps in singing, and Danny looks at me expectantly.

  “Don’t make me sing, Sky. It’ll only ruin this moment,” Danny says as he nods for me to join the guys.

  “No.”

  Danny’s voice joins the mix, and it’s ridiculously bad– but the guys just keep singing the song and when Joey comes out of the bathroom he joins in. I roll my eyes and stand, which makes Danny think I’m going to participate, but instead, I grab my fresh set of clothes I brought in and head to the bathroom. I put Incubus’ Wish You Were Here on my cell phone as I get into the shower, thinking about my next longboarding video. I plan to have it recorded somewhere in Cali — on one of the boardwalks like with the guys in Maryland, but the environment is going to be completely different, and I can’t wait. I smile as I settle into the lyrics, letting the warm water cascade over me and clean the sweat of the night away. When I head back into the lounge, the guys are listening to something on Danny’s phone.

  It’s the same song I chose for my longboard video, but it’s a woman singing. I stop midstride, and the guys look up with wide smiles.

  I was singing and didn’t even realize it.

  “And why don’t want to sing in front of us?” Aaron asks, shaking his head. “You’re fucking great, Sky.”

  “Even better than Joey,” Zack adds, and my brother elbows him.

  “Not really,” I say as I pull my sweatshirt over my head. “We need to get back to the bus in about fifteen minutes. Danny, Zack, are you showering?”

  “You’re not getting out of this just because I want a real shower,” Danny says, pointing at me.

  I shrug, pouting at him as if I’m innocent.

  “Now we’ve all heard you,” Zack says as he stands. “So there’s really nothing to be afraid of.”

  He squeezes my shoulder as he walks by and I nod.

  But it’s not that easy. The fear makes me shudder.

  Fear of ruining Danny’s song.

  Chapter 31

  When we get to Cali, it’s the dead ass middle of the night. We stumble up the stairs of the condo the label is renting us and find two bedrooms, Zack takes one and Joey the other. Then the rest of us continue up to the top floor to the other two bedrooms. Danny and I take one room while Aaron takes the other.

  I sigh as I collapse on the bed– a real bed– and then cuddle into Danny’s arms. The next morning I’m woken up by Danny singing as he gets dressed. I yawn as I sit up, taking in the fact he’s already showered and done his hair. He’s slipping on a pair of gray pants that fit him perfectly– everywhere. I smile as he turns, buttoning up the navy short-sleeve shirt to the point where just a little bit of his chest hair is showing. Maybe it’s the good night’s sleep, but he looks even more gorgeous than usual. He leans down and gives me a kiss.

  “Where are you going?” I ask as he grabs his wallet off the dresser.

  “Shopping with the guys. Joey has a ring to pick out,” Danny replies, wiggling his eyebrows before going to the door.

  “Wait a second!” I yell at his back, and he peeks his head back in with a soft smile on his lips.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Why didn’t he tell his sister he needed to pick out an engagement ring? And why am I obviously not included? And what am I going to do all by myself?” I ask, pouting.

  Danny leans against the door frame. “The first one, you’ll have to take up with him. The second one is…” His eyes move to the ceiling and his lips purse. “You’re not going to be by yourself, Aaron’s sticking around. You guys can skateboard around town or something.”

  I narrow my eyes at him, and he claps his hand against the doorframe.

  “You and I have a date at the pool tonight. Love you,” Danny says, winking and leaving before I can question him further.

  I sink into the bed, crossing my arms and Aaron sticks his head in the doorway. He’s wearing a backward hat, palm tree tank top, and black shorts, and looks like he was meant to be in Cali. He cocks his head. “Want to head out for a bit?”

  “How did you get stuck with me?” I ask as I slide out of bed and unzip my tote bag to grab some fresh clothes.

  Aaron comes in and sits on the bed, leaning back on his elbows. “I volunteered. I figured you’d go out by yourself and that idea freaked us all out–plus, I’m the only one who has some sort of coordination on a skateboard.”

  I smile at him. “You’re right. You can have the dingy. It’s a lot closer to a regular skateboard.”

  “I appreciate that,” he replies. “I’ll go make you a bagel?”

  “You must really want to get out there,” I reply.

  “I figure we can talk and hit the beach. I like exploring,” Aaron says as he stands and follows me out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time as I turn into the bathroom between the bedrooms. There’s already a fresh towel waiting for me. I take my time, relishing the hot water and lack of time restriction. Two days of real showers make me feel spoiled. It’s going to be hard to go back on the road again, but we have a whole month of this pleasure. There’s a lightness in my limbs as I head downstairs to find my bagel waiting with a cup of orange juice. Aaron is slouched down in a chair, phone in front of his face as he bounces his foot against the ground.

  He looks up as I take a seat. “I don’t know how to make your coffee the way Danny does, and that’s a lot better for you. Filled with vitamins instead of caffeine.”

  I take a bite of my bagel and sigh as the veggie cream cheese melts into my mouth. Aaron continues to stare at his phone, shifting in his seat every few minutes as his eyes come up to me and then dart back down. I can’t help but smile to myself when I take my last bite, and Aaron stands and heads to the door, apparently antsy to get out in the California sun. I can’t say I blame him.

  We cruise down the road and the weightlessness I love from being on my longboard fills me. Without saying a word, we head in the same direction, out of the little neighborhood of rented condos and towards another block, this one filled with one story condos that are smaller than the ones in the area we’re staying in. It’s about twenty minutes away and we slow, taking in the area which appears to be residential from the people jogging, gardening or getting into their cars in suits.

  “So…” I begin, skating up next to Aaron. He rides goofy foot, while I don’t, so we face each other. “Danny and I told the guys…well, we were exposed…did you keep up your end of the deal?”

  Aaron’s face flushes as he looks over at me. “Yeah, I thought it was only fair.”

  “And?”

  His voice is thick as he replies, “I guess I thought because of Gabe that things were different than they really were.”

  I slow, braking with my foot and Aaron follows. We pick up the boards and keep walking. “They weren’t?”

  Aaron shakes his head, and his shoulders hunch. “I’ve never really been much for social media shit, but I was curious and found hers. Let’s just say I’m not the only band guy she’s fucked. Apparently, that’s her thing…I’m the trophy one– not just some small-town band.” He scoffs at that. “I should’ve known better than to date a fan…or as she said, fucked one.”

  I squeeze his bicep, and he glances over at me. “I’m sorry.”

  He swallows. “I was really falling, Sky. I was thinking about how we’re all talking about settling down and how nice Hawaii could be.”

  “So Baltimore instead?” I ask, cocking my head.

  “I don’t
know. I just said something to see how it felt. It’s the only other place I have friends besides Mass…and I don’t want to go back there–where everyone knows me as that bassist from KMS. You know?”

  “I get it,” I say, and I look just head to the entrance to another neighborhood, this one filled with for sale signs. “New development?”

  Aaron gets back on his board. “Looks like it.”

  We skate ahead and stop at one that says ‘Model Home – OPEN HOUSE.’ Aaron smiles over at me, and we pick up our boards, heading up the drive.

  “Could be a good place for Meredith and Joey?” I suggest and we head inside.

  “Welcome!” A woman dressed in a bright pink sheath dress says, handing us each a sheet on the condo complex. “This is just an example of the condos we have in the development. We have some that are complete and others that are finished to suit. Take a peek and let me know what you think and any questions you might have. There are samples of available finishes at each area.”

  I look down at the sheet and see the home is less than 900 square feet and there’s a ridiculous price that goes with it. I point to that on the paper and Aaron shrugs as if it’s not that much. Then again, I haven’t the foggiest idea of what any of the guys can afford, or what they’ve saved up over the years. The condo is gorgeous with two bedrooms and an open floor plan so it feels bigger than it is. Not to mention, it has amazing cherry wood floors and top grade finishes; all the ones I’d pick if this were going to be my home. We go to the back deck to see that there’s a fantastic view of the ocean. It’s probably a forty-five-minute board ride, but you can still see it from here.

  “What do you think?” The realtor asks, coming out. “Once the development is finished, they’ll be amenities as well. A gym;” her eyes fall to Aaron’s shapely biceps. “Pool and spa.”

  I glance up at Aaron, and he laughs. “You think your brother would use a gym?”

  I shake my head. “You would, though.”

  The realtor winks at me. “My number’s at the bottom of the sheet if you’re interested.”

  “Danny would use a gym, too,” Aaron comments as we head back to the front door.

  I look around the condo, my mouth dry. “Yeah, he would.”

  “And the pavement’s nice,” he adds as we go back to it.

  I fold the paper and put it in my backpack as I look back over my shoulder and then take in the beauty of the neighborhood. Something like this could be home. I shake the thought from my head as I put my board on the blacktop.

  “I don’t know about the price,” I reply.

  Aaron elbows me. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Want to see how far the beach is from here?”

  “Sure,” I reply, and we follow the signs leading out of the residential area down to the beach. It takes a little over thirty minutes to get to the boardwalk, and when we get there, Aaron strips his shirt off as we head onto the sand. We sit at the edge of the ocean, burying our feet in the cool wet sand and drink the water I pulled out of my backpack.

  “The condo was gorgeous,” I say, looking out over the ocean and then glancing over at Aaron.

  He leans back on his elbows, and I follow suit. “It was, and the fact it’s so close to the beach is definitely a perk. I’d love to learn to surf.”

  We look out at the surfers, hitting the waves as they roll in. “There’s sharks in there.”

  Aaron laughs. “Probably right, but there are sharks on the Cape too.”

  “Hence, why I don’t go into the ocean there either,” I reply, and Aaron laughs harder.

  “I bet you’d be good at it, with the longboarding and everything.”

  “Mhmm…” I mutter, and we’re quiet for a moment before I look back at him. “This could really fit you…don’t you think?”

  His gray eyes meet mine. “Maybe.”

  “Then we could all live on the same block…kind of like we grew up,” I say, and I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest. I stare out at the ocean and I can feel my body heat rising. “I can’t imagine you being so far away — in Baltimore.”

  “So you think you’ll stay here?” Aaron asks, sitting up too.

  “I think so… just like I can’t imagine being far from you, I can’t imagine being far away from Joey, and this is where he wants to be. Doesn’t seem so bad,” I reply, laughing.

  Aaron closes his eyes, tipping his head back. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not so bad, and those condos were beautiful. Maybe Zack and I could go in on one with each other. The bachelor pad since the rest of you are old married people.”

  I roll my eyes. “Ha ha.”

  Aaron stands, wiping the sand off his shorts and nods over his shoulder. “Want to check out the surf shack?”

  “I’m not going in the ocean,” I reply, letting him give me a hand up. “And I will scream bloody murder if you toss me in like Joey did.”

  Aaron throws his hands up. “Hey, at least this time you wouldn’t have a fresh tattoo!”

  “Very true, that would make it less painful but not less frightening,” I say as we walk up to the building with tons of surfing stuff everywhere.

  A girl with bleached blonde hair and an amazing body that’s only halfway covered by her wetsuit sitting at her hips greets us with a smile.

  “You guys surf?” she asks as Aaron runs his hands over a board.

  “No, but this one thinks it’d be a great thing to try,” I reply with a shake of my head.

  “You skateboard,” she says nodding to my board, tucked behind me in the straps of my backpack.

  “That’s on land,” I reply. “Where there are no sharks.”

  “Not from around here?” she asks, and Aaron shakes his head.

  “East Coast — Massachusetts.”

  “Honeymoon?” the girl asks, keeping her eyes on Aaron’s face even though I’m pretty sure she wants to check out the rest of him.

  Aaron and I laugh before he replies, “Sister.”

  “You don’t look anything alike,” she says, and her eyes finally fall a little bit before darting back up to Aaron’s face and then to me.

  “Not biological…he’s in my brother’s band,” I reply, and the girl bites her lip. I’m betting she thinks we’re just saying we’re not into each other. “I date the drummer.”

  “She’s practically married to the drummer,” Aaron explains. “They’ve been in love with each other since they were teenagers.”

  I put my hands up, shrugging. “Best friends to lovers thing.”

  “Ah,” the girl says. “My name’s Amy. I run this place, and I do give surf lessons.”

  Aaron’s eyes dart to me, and I laugh. “Yes, you can. I’ll watch. I do wish I had my camera, though.”

  “Maybe my next lesson,” Aaron says, and I have a feeling it’s more than just the waves he’s into from the way his eyes go to Amy.

  “Alright,” Amy says, letting her eyes run freely over Aaron. “First things, first, let’s get you suited up.”

  Chapter 32

  When Aaron and I get back to the house, Joey is pacing in the living room while Danny and Zack take turns yelling at him for being in front of the TV. Ethan, Jordan, and Paul have headed back to their respective homes for a break before we get back on the road. After a day relaxing at the beach, I wonder why they didn’t just stay. I settle in next to Danny and kiss his cheek.

  “Have fun shopping?” I ask, and Danny tenses up before nodding and keeping his eyes on the TV. I glance over at Zack who gives me a wide smile that reveals nothing.

  Joey stops pacing and turns to look at me. “Sky! Seriously, I’ve been waiting hours for you to get back!”

  I blink at him, cocking my head as I smirk. “Really? Then why didn’t you just invite me to come shopping with you?”

  I feel something cold on my shoulder and take the bottle of water Aaron hands me.

  “Yeah, why didn’t you?” Aaron asks as he plops down next to Zack and props his feet up on the coffee table.

  Joey’s eyes
flicker to Danny before coming back to me. “It was a guy thing, but I do want your opinion.”

  I narrow my eyes, my stomach twisting in an uncomfortable knot from how weird both Danny and Joey are acting.

  “Can I get your opinion or what?” Joey asks, pulling a box from his pocket.

  I take a sip from my water before nodding for him to go ahead. He flicks open the box and hands it to me before stepping back and putting his hands behind his head to form two sideways V’s, framing his face. I look down at the ring, and I can’t help how my jaw goes slack. Based on the size of the sucker, Aaron was right about not worrying about the money. It looks like a princess would wear it.

  “So?” Joey asks, and his voice squeaks a little at the end.

  “You have excellent taste, any girl getting this is lucky,” I reply before reaching into my backpack and pulling out the folded up paper on the condo. “Not that you have any money left over after that but Aaron and I found a new development when we were exploring today. Little condos — but gorgeous…not sure on the price, though.”

  Joey takes back the ring and stuffs it into his pocket. I’m pretty sure Meredith will know exactly what he’s planning on doing since you can see the shape of the box because of how tight his jeans are. He takes the paper and looks at the pictures before glancing up. “Did you guys like it?”

  “We were talking about how nice it could be for all of us to live on the same block,” Aaron says, putting his arm over Zack and fluttering his lashes at him. “I thought you and me…bachelor pad.”

  I chew my lip as I wonder what Danny thinks about us living together.

  “Maybe Meredith and I will go take a look sometime this weekend,” Joey says, and he taps on the box in his pocket. “Depending on how things go.”

  “Dude, you’re the father of her child, and you’ve been dating since you were like twelve. I’m pretty sure it’s a solid yes,” Aaron replies, shaking his head. “Now show me the rock, damn it.”

  Danny’s foot starts tapping next to my thigh, and he puts the controller down to the game he was playing. “Uh, want to go for a swim?”