Page 25 of Under the Same Sky

“Dude,” Fletch slaps Thorin’s chest, “we need to her in the studio with us. She has that fucking rasp, man.”

I giggle, feeling my cheeks warm from something other than the flames that lick the air in front of me. I desperately want to know what Thorin is thinking, but instead, I pass the guitar on to Benji.

“You ever think about recording?” He asks, touching the guitar with as much reverence as I had.

“Nope.” I pop the ‘p’ and dip my head towards Thorin. “Singing was his thing, we just wrote some stuff together as kids.”

“Well, that was pretty fucking impressive,” he replies. “You should think about it. Recording with us, I mean.”

I shake my head. “Like I said, singing isn’t my jam.”

Alex regards me, his gaze assessing. “Have you written more songs?”

“A few, but I think it was a fad.” Lie. “Kind of outgrew it in high school—” truth —“and then dabbled with it for a bit in college as a creative outlet.”

“That’s it,” Fletch throws his hands up. “You’re helping us with our next album.”

I look between him and Thorin.“Uh, what?”

“You’re helping us with your next album,” Fletch says simply. “Thorin said its cool.”

“No, I didn’t.” He’s still staring at me. To anyone else, his expression would be considered aloof, perhaps even indifferent, but his eyes show me just how pissed he is. Granted, the song could have been misconstrued as a personal jab at him, but I didn’t intend for it to come out that way. At least, not intentionally. I can see now where I might have misstepped in my song choice, but hey, it was the first song that popped into my head—and maybe that’s saying something too? Ugh. This is not the time or the place to probe my subconscious.

Fletch, on the other hand, is like a dog with a bone. “Let’s vote.”

Uh, no. Not happening.

Not that it stops him. “All in favor of Reese helping us with the next album, raise your right hand and swear on the Bible.”

Penelope snickers, Benji shakes his head. “Man, can’t you see she’s green just thinking about it?”

“I’m with Benji on this one,” Carson adds. “Looks like you lose, Fletch.”

Fletch looks at Thorin. “Help me out, Thor, God of Thunder. Bang that hammer.”

God, where does he come up with this shit? It’s funny, but seriously?

“Fine,” Thorin grunts, and I realize I’m holding my breath. He looks straight at me. “Reese isn’t helping us with our next album.” Is it just me, or does he sound mad? And why do I feel a stab of a disappointment at his answer?

Huh.

Figure that one out.

Fletch deflates, and Carson claps his hands. “There you have it, the mighty Thor has spoken,” — he casts a quick glance at me — “no offense, Reese.”

“None taken,” I reply quietly, keeping my eyes locked on Thorin. “Like I said, songs are Thorin’s thing, not mine, and that part of my life was over before it really began.”

Now that? That was a direct hit, and Thorin knows it too. Why I decided to throw that in there is beyond me. God, this man makes me bananas in all the ways, and now we’ll be raising a kid together. If I can just figure out how to keep our ugly past from rearing its head, Thorin and I should be able to learn to get along, right? And maybe save Eli from a lifetime of emotional scarring in the process? Please and thank you, baby Jesus, forever and ever, amen. I stand and walk towards the cooler. Grabbing a Pampelonne Rosé Lime Sparkling Wine Spritzer, I pop the cap and am about to take a healthy sip—especially after what just happened—when Thorin steps up beside me. His ice blue eyes bore into me, his face marred by a deep groove between his drawn brows. “What the hell was that?” He asks. The low timbre of his voice is nothing short of a warning, but for what exactly I’m not sure. I’m not aware I’ve done anything wrong.

“What was what, Thor?”

His frown deepens. Guess only his friends get to call him that. Okay then. Noted.

“The guitar, that song?”

I take healthy gulp of my drink before I answer him. Liquid courage and all that. “I’m sorry if keeping the guitar pisses you off, but I couldn’t get rid of it, and as for the song, they’re just words, Thorin. Nothing more.”

“I looked for that thing for almost a year, and it’s been with you this entire time?”