I fought back tears and remembered what we had said earlier.
Are you going to sing for me?
Tonight.
Chapter 37: Grant
Ari was crying.
Shit! I kind of hoped that was a good thing. I hadn’t intended on making her cry. I’d poured everything into this song when I wrote it while she’d been gone over Thanksgiving break. I couldn’t believe I’d actually spoken the lyrics to her right before we had sex last night. But the words were for her. I’d written them to express how I felt when I was around her.
Even drunk and angry, I couldn’t deny that the words were true. I had been pissed, and I’d let her walk away. I hadn’t even gone after her. Maybe I was never meant to be a boyfriend. I should have stood up for her, or at the very least, I should have taken our conversation to a private location. I’d known what she was feeling, but instead, I’d just stood there.
Donovan and Hollis had spoken to me afterward to make sure everything was all right. It had felt strange having this conversation with them. I didn’t even f**king know them. They seemed cool, and damn was the life incredible. It was like living in a dream—a dream that hovered just on the edge of reality.
I could have this. All I had to do was reach out and take it. Hollis wanted to talk after the show. I’d given him a dismissive answer, but I really f**king wanted to find out what he wanted. He’d be stupid to give me the same offer that Frank had tried to spell out for me, but Hollis seemed to have a bit more sense than Frank.
I didn’t know. All I really knew was that, I would talk to him. I’d never been one to deny myself anything, and I wasn’t going to start ignoring the curiosity that sprang up.
That didn’t mean I was going to walk out on the guys or Ari. It just meant…well, what the f**k did it mean? That I’m keeping my options open? I wasn’t. I wouldn’t compromise what I believed in. I just wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the opportunity to get everything I wanted.
We closed out the set with “Letting You.” The crowd cheered loudly with the success of our show. My eyes were locked on Ari’s. I needed to talk to her. I wanted to tell her to meet me now, that we needed to talk, that we needed to make this right between us. But I couldn’t. I’d talk to her later. By then, maybe my anger wouldn’t be simmering so close to the surface.
Hollis was waiting just offstage when we exited. He clapped me on the back like we were old friends. “Fucking great show, Grant!”
“Thanks.”
I tried to keep my enthusiasm to a minimum, but Hollis had a certain charisma about him that made something simple sound amazing. I could understand how he’d gotten so far in the business.
“So, we good to talk? I got us a room.”
Miller, McAvoy, and Vin looked at me expectantly. Yeah, shit. I hadn’t told them about this. I hadn’t even told them that I was with The Drift when I’d joined up with them earlier. “The guys can come with us, right?”
“Of course! Hollis Tift. Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking the guys’ hands.
Miller’s face relaxed. “We’ve spoken on the phone. Great to finally meet you in person.”
In hushed whispers, I filled the guys in on what I knew and why Hollis wanted to speak with me…us. Though I wasn’t sure exactly what he would say, I slung my guitar over my chest and talked confidently about it to the guys. This was our opportunity, just like they had all been saying.
We walked into a small room that was strangely reminiscent of our meeting with Frank—except Hollis lounged casually against the wall with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face.
“ContraBand,” Hollis said like he was testing the weight of the word. “Glad you guys are here. I was lucky enough to see your Halloween performance while I was in town, and after seeing what I just saw, I think you have a pretty marketable look and sound.”
Everyone tensed, anticipating the letdown.
“What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?”
I glanced over at Miller. Our eyes met, and he shrugged. Nothing. I’d been planning to go down the shore with Sydney while Ari was out of town, but I could cancel. It seemed like the same thing passed over everyone’s faces.
“No plans,” Miller said.
“How would you like to open for The Drift in New York City?”
It took a split second for reality to set in. Holy shit! We were being invited to play a huge show in the city. The Drift played sold-out shows all across the country. Opening for them could be our in.
“Are we signing a contract? Or is it just for the one show?” Miller asked, always getting straight to business.
“No official label contracts just yet,” Hollis said. “We’re looking for you guys for this show, and then based on how everything turns out, we’ll discuss terms from there.”
Another audition. Well, this one already seemed like a better opportunity than the show that Frank had shown up for. Hollis had said yet. That had sounded promising. I knew we’d rock out any show we performed, and this time, there was no mention of me ditching the band.
“So, are you in?”
“Definitely!” I said.
All the guys agreed.
Hollis handed us paperwork to fill out to confirm that we would be in attendance on New Year’s Eve. I scribbled down my information and then handed it off to Hollis.
“McDermott!” he called, stopping me at the door. “Are you going to be around the rest of the night? I’d love for you to introduce the rest of the band to The Drift.”
I smiled, feeling as light as air. “Yeah. Let me just put my guitar back in my room, and I’ll come back.”
“Perfect.”
I exited with the guys, and despite the high I was on, I could tell Miller and McAvoy wanted to say something. I wasn’t going to push them to initiate a conversation though. If they wanted to talk to me about hanging with the band, they could, but I’d helped get us this gig, so they couldn’t be pissed with me.
“I’ll meet you back here later,” I said.
Miller opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head. McAvoy nudged him, but Miller just grumbled something under his breath.
“Man, you going to talk to Ari?” McAvoy asked.
I was taken aback. “Why?”
“She just walked out of here pretty upset earlier,” Miller offered.
“She was crying,” McAvoy added.
Shit! I’d made her cry? I felt a part of me die. Yeah, f**k, I need to talk to her. But what the f**k am I supposed to say?