Page 116 of Paint Our Song

Miles grins and puts an arm around her shoulders. “Dad really was good at being honest. Don’t worry, Ma. We’ll both get better at it.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

The drive back to the city takes forever, and he plays the band’s new song on a loop obsessively. It’s all he has on until he makes it to his apartment, then he puts his earphones on and listens to it from there.

After what seems like the hundredth ignored call, he can’t take it anymore. Miles pulls up Gil’s number and calls him, nervously watching the screen blink as he waits for an answer. Gil seems to be the more patient one compared to Chase, so he’ll try him first.

“What, Miles?” Gil snaps when he picks up.

So much for relying on Gil’s patience.

“Hi,” Miles says. “I really, really need to get in touch with Calvin. He’s ignoring all my texts and calls.”

“For good reason. Why the hell didn’t you show up at the release?”

Miles shuts his eyes and throws his head back. “Iam so, so sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to, Miles.”

“He won’t let me apologize to him!”

“There’s not much I can—hey!” There are shuffling sounds, Chase yelling, a lot of protests from Gil, and then Chase successfully snags the phone out of Gil’s hands. He should have known they were together. They’re a package deal, and Miles doesn’t think he’s seen them apart since meeting them.

“Miles!” Chase says, when he finally talks into the phone. “The fuck is wrong with you?”

“Um. Well, lots of things.”

“You broke my boy’s heart,” he accuses.

Gil says, “Don’t tell him that.”

“I… didn’t mean to,” Miles says, voice weak. “I was wrong, okay? I was being stupid, and I backed off because I know how much you all wanted the band to stay together, and I knew being around was messing it up for all of you. Come on. Tell him to pick up his phone.”

Chase cackles. “We didn’t want the band to stay together. What are you talking about? We only agreed because Cal asked, and look at what good that’s done. Theo’s making his life miserable, and Cal’s too lost in his head because of you to even realize that. We’re having another band meeting tomorrow, and you need to convince him to fucking stop backing Theo up.”

Again, Gil says, “Don’t tell him that!”

“What do you mean?” Miles asks.

Gil takes his phone back and says, “I’m going to hang up, Miles. Sorry.”

Jesus.In the background, he can hear Chase arguing, and then the call ends. Miles presses fingers against his eyes and sighs. He’s so lost in his thoughts that when his phone beeps, he almost jumps out of his own skin.

Chase: Cal’s probably at Camilla Hotel right now.

Right. Calvin’s been staying in a room there. Miles grabs a coat and leaves immediately.

The walk to the hotel doesn’t take him long, and he rehearses what he’s going to tell Calvin in his head.I messed up. I want to be with you—that’s what he’ll say.

Miles walks right up to the counter asking for Calvin’s room number, and predictably, they refuse to give it to him because ofpolicy.Miles, whose family owns an inn, knows that well. Frowning, Miles gets out. He sends another text to Calvin and, as expected, gets no response.

“Miles Curtis, right?”

Caught off-guard, Miles looks up. The woman in front of him looks like, what Miles can only describe, Calvin’s female doppelgänger.

“Hi?” Miles says. “Sorry, have we met?”

“Cassidy. Calvin’s sister.” She beams and puts a hand out. Miles shakes it, still staring at her as if she’s an apparition. Cassidy’s gorgeous, and he can see why Chase has a crush on her. Her hair’s pitch-black like Calvin’s, though it reaches past her shoulders, and even her dimples look exactly like his. Her features are softer though, her face rounder and her lips more plump, and she looks a head shorter than her brother. Cassidy adds, “I recognize you from thephotos Calvin posted. Are you looking for Calvin?”