Page 56 of The Deviation

“I’m trying,” I cry.

“Try harder.” He drags the last word out until the innuendo is unmistakable.

Barking out a rough laugh, I glare at him. “You’re an arsehole.”

“You started it.”

I heave a sigh as I pull into Gavin’s driveway. “And neither of us can finish it.”

“More’s the pity,” Johnny says quietly.

I park and kill the engine, but neither of us moves to get out of the car. “I can give you a ride home after…”

He shakes his head. “I’ve already asked Ned to drive me.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“I didn’t think it was a good idea for us to…” He doesn’t need to finish the thought. We both know what could happen if we’re not careful. “But there’s a new band I heard about playing at a pub on the north side on Friday night. I thought we could go check them out.”

“Sounds like a plan.” A safe, public plan. My hands curl into fists as we finally move to get out of the car.

TWENTY-THREE

______

JOHNNY

I’ve had one too many glasses of champagne and, if Calum’s giggling is any indication, he’s even worse. The number of little red SOLD stickers showing up on the graphic artwork lining the walls tells me Toni can afford the extra bottle.

In the six months since his last art gallery showing, Toni has been focusing increasing amounts of time on what was supposed to be a side business to complement his day job as a graphic designer. The number of people attending his second show proves how popular his work is becoming. Ned is in ecstasy boasting about his talented partner, his enthusiasm only topped by Toni’s best friend, Rodney. Watching the two of them compete for Toni’s attention is enough to keep me and Cal in stitches.

“I like this one,” Calum says, pointing to a small print hanging in the hallway of the converted house. With three cozy, brightly lit rooms, and a larger foyer, there are plenty of available walls. Toni has filled them all. “It’s Fifth Circle, isn’t it?”

I look closer at the image. There are four male figures, standing in varying positions. They’re against the wall of a building that looks suspiciously like The Jam Shed. The subtle lines of a drum kit can be seen through the open door on their right. Hints of bushland fill in the background. “I didn’t know about this,” I murmur, feeling myself blush even as I’m smiling. “That’s so cool.”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Calum says before disappearing into the crowd.

Assuming he’s using the bathroom, I examine the print of me and my three band mates for a few more minutes. Ned is definitely the one furthest to the right. He’s staring straight ahead, as if beckoning the viewer to come a little closer. Plus, there’s no mistaking the tilt of those limber hips. Oz is next, arms wrapped around himself as he looks towards the ground. Gavin is loose-limbed and grinning. I’m on the end. My body angles towards the other men, but my head is turned away, looking off to the left. Something about the position evokes a sadness in me. Even here, in digital art form, I seem torn between the band and the somewhere else I’m supposed to be. Can everyone see that in me? Am I so obvious?

I’m leaning in close to the picture, staring at myself like a befuddled narcissist, when a hand places a red SOLD dot on the picture’s frame. I jerk upright, to see Calum standing beside me. “You bought it?” I ask, my eyebrows lifting. He nods, but there’s an odd expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Toni gave me a ‘family discount’.” He puts air quotes around the words.

“Is that bad?”

“No.” His baffled smile wars with his frown. “I’m just… surprised, I guess.”

“Why? You’re our manager. That makes you family.”

He starts to speak, but nothing comes out. Then he shakes himself free of whatever he’s thinking. “Anyway, yes, I bought it. Fifth Circle is my first band.”

“That makes us a forever kind of special, right?”

His smile is pure indulgence. “Yes, Johnny. You are forever special.”

I laugh low in my throat. “That’s what I like to hear.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” he says as we wander back across the room. “I know when you first started the band it had fivemembers. Yes?” At my nod, he continues, “I assume that’s where the fifth in Fifth Circle came from?”