Page 122 of Paint Our Song

“Theo,” he says, much louder this time—definitely loud enough for Theo to hear him, unless he’s doing this on purpose.

“Shit!” Theo turns to him, jaw dropped. “Since… since when have you been here? What the hell. Are you eavesdropping on me?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention,” Miles says.Asshole.“I was in the backroom when you came in, and you didn’t see me.”

Theo opens his mouth to say something—and closes it again. His chest heaves as he exhales, and Miles lets him stew in the awkwardness. He ends his call, mortification all over his face.

“I didn’t mean any of that.” Theo meets Miles’s unrelenting stare.

“So, you don’t think that if you tell Calvin to jump, he’ll ask how high?”

Theo purses his lips. “No. Of course not.”

“Right.” He’s not going to stand here stuck in a room with this guy, so he walks toward the door. He’ll wait for Calvin in the hall.

“Look, Miles,” Theo snaps, getting up. It’s surprising that he even remembers Miles’s name. “Cal and I are going through a rough patch, but we’re good together and we’ll get through this. We always do.”

“You treat him like a tool.”

“I do not.”

Miles’s mouth twitches. “You don’t see how amazing Calvin is,” he says. Miles doesn’t get angry like this, he doesn’t confront people, but—he’s furious. “Chase and Gil, too—you use them. Calvin writes all your songs, even lets you take credit for them, he backs you up and defends you, and then you… This is how you talk about him?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you. What are you even doing here?”

“You should be more grateful for what he does for you,” Miles mutters.

Theo snorts and throws his head back, his eyes closed. “Get off your high horse.”

“I’m serious. You only got this far because of him.”

There’s noise behind him, but he doesn’t care enough to look.

“The band only got this far because of me, because I’m the only one who cared to keep pushing. He wrote you a few songs and you let it get to your head, Miles. The only reason he has a career isbecauseof me. That’s why he needs to see that us being a duo would be the best idea. Without me, he—”

“I what?” Calvin’s voice suddenly asks.

Theo’s eyes snap open, and he stiffens, stare drifting behind Miles. Bewildered, Miles follows his stare, and his heart sinks to his stomach.

Calvin’s standing by the door, his hand still holding it open, a tight frown on his lips.

“Cal,” Theo breathes.

Shit.Miles looks between the two of them. Calvin steps inside and stares right at Theo. He’s silent, his face unmoving.

“Calvin,” Miles says.

He raises a finger in Miles’s direction. Calvin’s not even looking at him. Scowling, and putting his hand back down to his side, Calvin says, “I’m not working as a duo with you. And I don’t owe you my career.”

“What’s going on?” Chase asks, stepping inside with Gil, because of-fucking-course they’re here too. “Theo, management’s waitingupstairs. I said I’d check if you were here. You too, Cal.”

Gil says, “Can we stop wasting their time and get a move on?”

Ignoring them, Theo scrubs at his face and groans. “Wait, hear me out, Cal.”

“No.” Calvin shifts his stare toward Miles, and Miles blinks. Calvin’s quiet and tight-lipped demeanor is kind-of scary. It’s also kind-of hot.

Theo takes a step forward. “Hear me out,” he says again.