“Do you think there’s a Sprite in your cooler full of Coke?”
“I’m pretty sure there’s a little bit of everything. We should be able to find you something suitable.” He moved around her and pushed the door open, stepping to the side so she could walk inside. Once the door clicked shut, he moved to the cooler and pulled out an icy Coke and Sprite. “Looks like you’re in luck.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
Reid followed Chloe to the sofa and sat on the opposite end. With their bodies facing each other, the pair sat in silence and sipped their sodas. Reid followed Chloe’s movements, watching the way her throat constricted as she swallowed. A feeling Reid knew all too well stirred in his abdomen. He quickly averted his eyes and cleared his throat. Twisting the tab of his can, he mentally scolded himself for the direction of his thoughts. This was why he didn’t want to talk to her in front of the others; he didn’t need anyone getting the wrong idea. The sound of crinkling paper distracted him from his thoughts. When he looked up, any lingering feelings of inner turmoil vanished.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Chloe’s face colored with surprise as she froze with a Starburst hovering over the mouth of her Sprite can. “Huh?”
Reid wore a bemused expression as he waved toward her hands. “Are you shoving Starbursts into your Sprite can?”
Chloe looked from the can to Reid. “Yes,” she answered, the word drawn out. “Is that weird?”
Reid took a moment to look at Chloe. He made a mental list of all her unique qualities. Like how she attended Juilliard, yet never hid her crazy hair, nose and lip piercings, or colorful tattoos. She joined the wrestling and roller derby teams, even though she had a gift to make the most beautiful music playing the violin. Hell, she quoted Star Wars better than any comic book nerd he’d ever met. Shoving Starbursts into the top of her Sprite can was just par for the course it seemed. The thought made Reid smile.
“No,” he chuckled. “Not even a little.” He shook his head and threw his arm along the top of the sofa. “I wanted to say thanks for what you did.” He laughed again and cocked his head. “I swear, it seems like all I’m ever doing with you is apologizing or thanking you for something.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that, but I must say, it’s better than having you yell or be angry.”
“It takes a lot to make me mad. I’m pretty even-tempered. Usually,” he mumbled.
“Then Greer is quite talented at pushing your buttons.”
Reid ran a hand down his face and groaned. “That’s a story for another day. I asked to speak with you to say thanks for playing that song at the end of rehearsal. I have a lot of stuff going on, most of it self-inflicted.” He shifted on the couch and cracked his knuckles, before wiping the palms of his hands over the tops of his thighs. “I don’t know if that’s the right word. I’m just under a lot of stress of my own doing. Playing that song, well, that was the lightest I’ve felt since this tour started.”
Chloe fidgeted and took a sip of her drink. “I consider you a friend, and when my friends are upset or sad, I want to help. Sometimes my efforts are appreciated, sometimes they aren’t. The thing is, you’re an amazing musician. The idea of you not writing music is unacceptable. My methods might seem silly, but they’ve worked for me. I didn’t see the harm in seeing if they might work for you as well.”
“There’s no harm at all. Honestly, I don’t know what, if anything, can get me back in the headspace to write again. But anything that makes me forget about the bad stuff for even just a minute is a welcome relief.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but if you need to talk, I’m here.”
Reid nodded and stood from the couch. Much like Chloe had done earlier, he reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Thanks. I might take you up on that one day.”
“If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to grab some food before I start getting ready.”
“Nope. You go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”
Reid watched Chloe step into the hallway. The moment the door closed behind her, his anxiety came rushing back. The feeling twisted his stomach and tightened his throat. His skin felt as though an army of ants was marching from his scalp to his toes. It was maddening. One foot in front of the other, he paced the length of the room. When his phone rang, the sensation intensified.
“Jess.”
“Hey, you. I wanted to check in before your show. See how things were going.”
Reid raked his hand through his hair. “Okay, I guess. They’d be better if you were here.”