Page 36 of The Deviation

He backs up, and Calum enters the room. I flinch, taking in the neat ginger hair, the suit, the wide smile. Bright green eyes wander over Gavin and Oz before crash landing on me. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

I shoot upright from the couch, my heart pounding. How did he find us? Is Ned going to be pissed? “What are you doing here?”

Ned waves a hand in the air. “I asked him to come.”

Calum nods in agreement. “Ned tells me you may be in the market for a manager, after all.”

What the fuck? I stand there blinking as Gavin and Oz cross the room to greet our guest. Here I’d been trying to figure out how and when to sneak Calum’s name into the conversation, and Ned’s already invited him to rehearsal? He wasn’t kidding about moving forwards. Now all I have to do is not screw it up.

Schooling my expression, I follow the others and reach out in welcome. “It’s good to see you again.”

Calum’s hand closes around mine and we shake. The spark ignites. His pale cheeks burn with the rush. “You, too.”

We’re supposed to let go now.

Let go, Johnny.

I release his hand. Our gazes remain stubbornly locked.

“So,” Gavin says, filling the silence as he rubs his hands together, “are you gonna make us famous or what?”

Calum turns towards him, and I suck in a lungful of air. Glancing at Ned, I see him watching me with a quizzical frown. My eyebrows lift in question. When he looks away without a word, I sag with relief.

“It all depends on what your goals are as a band,” Calum is saying when I manage to tune back in. “I believe happy bands make the best music and have the best longevity in the industry. Those are two of my most important measures of success. Are you headed in the direction you want to go? And are you having a good time along the way?” He gestures to the circle of chairs we vacated when he arrived. “Shall we sit?”

I rush to grab a single chair. The last thing I need is to find myself squished in beside Calum on the less-than-spacious couch.

“All right, gentlemen,” Calum begins once everyone is settled, “let’s have a frank discussion about your future as rock stars.”

A grin erupts onto my face as the others laugh out loud. I take the opportunity to lean closer to Ned, who’s sitting beside me. “Are you sure this is what you want?” I murmur. “Because I get it now and I’m ready to follow your lead on this. Anywhere you want to go.”

“I know,” he says with a nod. “I’m sure. This is exactly what I want.” He glances at me. “It’s still what you want too, right?”

“Hell, yeah.” Even as the words slide off my tongue, my gaze is drawn back to Calum. He’s talking animatedly with Gavin, his body relaxed and eager. It seems job security really is his happy place. It looks good on him. “This is the dream come true,” I tell Ned. “For all of us.”

And yet, I can’t help but want more of the fantasy, too.

That’s what this thing between me and Calum is: a fantasy come to life. What we feel in each other’s arms is explosive and breathtaking—but it’s also temporary. The carnal pull of our attraction will release its grip, eventually. There’s no reason why we can’t end it on good terms. There’s certainly no reason why we can’t continue to work together after the physical aspect of our relationship has run its course.

Surely, it’s possible for the dream and the fantasy to co-exist a little longer.

SEVENTEEN

______

CALUM

“My place?”

Johnny mutters the words as he passes me in the gravelled parking area outside the rehearsal space. He pauses to look back over his shoulder, the intensity in those dark eyes striking me deep in the gut.

I open my car door and throw my bag onto the passenger seat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“We need to talk.” He takes a step back towards me, and I glance around. Ned and Oz are still packing their gear into their cars. Gavin is locking up. None of them seem to have noticed us—yet.

“All right,” I tell him. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Releasing a breath, he gives me a short nod before walking away.