Page 117 of Paint Our Song

“Yeah, but he’s ignoring my calls.”

The look on her face says that she’s well-aware of that, probably even knew the answer before she asked. She puts a hand on Miles’s arm and turns him around, leading him back to the hotel. “Come. I think he’s in the hotel gym.”

“I… okay.”

“Why didn’t you go to the release?”

“Because I was stupid,” he says, because there’s really no point coming up with an excuse.

Cassidy chuckles, and they make their way to the elevators.

Miles asks, “Is Calvin going to be okay with this?” He doesn’t want to start a riff between him and his sister, too.

“Of course. I know my brother more than anyone. You’ll be fine.”

Warmth gathers in his chest. “Congratulations on the, um. Your engagement,” Miles says, glancing at the diamond ring she’s wearing.

“Thank you!” She grins wide. “I hope you can go. I mean, if you and my stupid brother can work it out.”

He rubs his neck, smiling sheepishly. “Is the band going to play at your wedding?”

“As if,” Cassidy scoffs. “He doesn’t like playing in front of his own family. Calvin’s always been ridiculously shy, though it is quite funny how he’s able to perform in front of thousands of people, but not for us.”

“Heisshy,” Miles says, chuckling. “I think it’s cute.”

Cassidy eyes him.

The elevator opens to the fifth floor, and Cassidy leads the way to the gym. The sign on the wall says this floor holds amenities. Aside from the gym, there’s an indoor swimming pool, a spa, and what looks to be accommodations for pets. The hell? Did their establishment in Ridgeford have all this, too?

They reach the end of the hall and she opens a door. The gym’s empty, except for Calvin, who’s sitting on a bench and drinking from a bottle. As soon as he sees Miles, he coughs in surprise, as if the water went down the wrong pipe.

“I brought Miles,” Cassidy says, smiling. She doesn’t move from where she’s standing by the door.

“I can see that.” Calvin wipes a hand against his mouth and glowers at his sister. His sleeveless black shirt’s drenched around the collar with sweat, and he scowls and furiously wipes at his face with a towel. Miles stares at his arms, at the sweat on his neck, and those shorts, and how strong the muscles in his thighs look—

Miles swallows. This is going to be harder than he thought.

“Well, goodbye!” Cassidy says. “Hope to see you at my wedding, Miles!”

“I—”

She’s gone already and the door swings behind her.

Calvin stays seated. Leaning forward, he holds his bottle between his legs and glares at Miles. His lips are a flat line and he says nothing.

Miles steps toward him and takes a deep breath. His heart hammers in his chest. Fuck, he should do this conversation while running on the treadmill—run off the anxiety.

“Can we talk?” he asks with a lop-sided smile when he gets closerto Calvin.

“Don’t really have a choice, do I?”

He stops in front of Calvin and resists the urge to reach forward and brush the messy hair away from his forehead. Even if Miles is standing and he’s seated, Miles still feels very, very small. “Listen. I was stupid and I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Calvin still says nothing.

“I didn’t stick around for the release because I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

“How would you even ruin it?” Calvin’s voice is strained.