“I don’t understand,” Chloe hiccupped. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
Josie looked to her side when her phone vibrated. She and Chloe laughed when the name Asshole flashed across the screen. “I understand more than you know,” Josie said with a smirk. “But being with Anders has made it easier for me to see things that others normally wouldn’t. And I’ll tell you this,” Josie grunted, pulling Chloe with her as she stood. “This thing with Reid isn’t nearly as simple as you think it is.”
“I don’t think it’s simple at all,” Chloe argued. “Look at me. I’m a freaking mess.”
Josie smiled and hugged Chloe. Pressing a soft kiss against her cheek, Josie whispered, “You may be a mess, but you’re not the only one.” Taking a step back, Josie grinned. “I just moved in with Anders ‘Issues’ Ellis. Trust me when I say, things are not always as they seem. But don’t worry about that right now. Everything will work out like it should. If nothing else, being with Anders has taught me that.”
“You guys are really going to make it, aren’t you?” Chloe asked with a smile, her eyes glassy.
Josie grinned and lifted her phone when it began to ring again. “You’re damn right, we are. Now go, I’ll call you soon.”
Chloe waved and took in a deep breath. Josie was right. She couldn’t let the mess going on in her head affect the one thing she’d worked so hard for. With her shoulders thrown back and her eyes clear of the turmoil she’d felt less than an hour ago, Chloe made her way to the stage. It was game time.
The lights danced over the stage and the crowd screamed as the platform lifted Reid to the main stage beside Jack. The pair smiled as the deep bass of Jack’s guitar met the high peal of Reid’s. While Jack riled up the crowd, Reid’s eyes drifted to where Drew, Greer, and Chloe stood hidden from the audience’s view just off the side of the stage. Reid had done this a million times, but it somehow felt like more. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the guy standing next to him, or because things were slowly returning to normal with Chloe. Whatever happened when she disappeared into his dressing room a few days ago seemed to have done the trick. She played with more poise and passion than he’d ever witnessed. Her energy was like a battery that charged everyone around her.
Reid’s attention was brought back into the present when beams of colors raced across the fog-covered stage. As Jack began to sing the first verse, a feeling of nostalgia washed over Reid. Growing up, Jack Green’s song “Turbulence” had been one of his all-time favorites. Hearing the lyrics now, however, had a different effect than they used to. When he joined Jack on the chorus and they sang about being caught in the turbulence of their lives, love, lies, and denials, Reid couldn’t stop his gaze from sliding to where Chloe stood. She beamed when she caught him looking. He grinned back, embarrassed to be caught, but loving the way his stomach twisted into knots at the sight of her smile. For the remainder of the song, he could barely keep his eyes off her. When the lights dropped and the audience cheered, he all but ran off the stage.
“Holy shit,” Chloe gasped, her eyes wide. “That was amazing!”
He smiled and pulled his guitar over his head, handing it to one of the stage crew. “Yeah?” he asked, breathless and charged with energy.
Chloe slapped his shoulder and laughed. “I thought you were above fishing for compliments.”
Reid hunched his shoulders and ducked his chin. “Busted.”
“Do you need anything? We need to get to our places soon. We go on in twenty minutes.”
“Are you trying to squeeze me out of a job, Chloe?” Tom asked with a chuckle as he stepped beside Reid and clapped him on the shoulder.
Chloe grinned and hooked her thumb toward Greer and Drew while giving Reid a pointed stare. “And be responsible for keeping these three in line? Working as Jabba the Hutt’s personal trainer would be less taxing. Your job, sir, is all yours.”
Drew and Greer joined the circle, Drew laughing with Reid and Tom when he noticed Greer’s outraged expression.
“You know, since Chloe forced us to watch all those movies, I know who that is. She just downgraded us below a giant fucking slug. Why am I the only one who doesn’t find this funny?” Greer’s comment only made them laugh harder. In that moment, Reid felt his anger toward Greer fade. Reaching out, he threw his arm over Greer’s shoulders and started walking them toward their places.
“Look at it this way, it could have been worse. She could have compared us to Jabba the Hutt. That, my friend, would have been so much worse.”
Greer jabbed Reid with his elbow and grinned. “Jabba had a half-naked princess for a slave. I still say we got the raw end of the deal.”
Reid conceded. “Touché.”