Page 158 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

“I’m sittin’ in some hallway at Venom,

“probably lookin’ pathetic.”

I let out a low chuckle, wipe my face.

“But I... yeah.

“I found this band. Got ‘em here.

“And—fuck,

“I didn’t think I could pull it off, Drew.

“Didn’t think I could do this CEO thing without fuckin’ that up too…

“But I see it.

“I see the vision I want for it so bad.

“And maybe…” I shrug. “I dunno, maybe I won’t run Soundwave into the ground.”

My breath’s embarrassing,

blowing ragged into the phone.

“They said they’d wait for me.

“They trust me. Thanks to Eli,

“the reason he flew out…”

Another smile breaks on my wet face.

“Can’t wait for you to hear ‘em.”

Silence clings to the seconds.

Only the bass pulses in the background.

“Anyway. Yeah…

“You’re the first person I wanted to tell.”

Voicemail sent, my throat’s still raw.

I text Eli three words: We’re done here.

He replies fast: Meet me out front.

Two hours later, we’re sunk deep in a velvet booth at Delilah, champagne in their glasses, club soda in mine, music around us, camera flashes at the door.

Hours blur into snapshots.

Celie’s on her third cocktail, hollering about how she’s moving to LA for the weather, the dick, and the zip code.

(She’s not.)

Jordan’s got half the room hypnotized.