Page 24 of Take What You Want

But the idea of ever doing anything more with her? No way.

Some lines exist for a reason.

But the thought of her hooking up with someone else bothers the fuck out of me. Especially when she’s just looking for a quick fuck to get it over with. They won’t treat her right. They won’t make it about her like she deserves.

Grinning, I leave her to get my secret stash of vodka for a refill. She needs time to think through decisions.

She’ll come to her senses about the whole thing.

Maybe we both will.

She would never find a random guy tonight.

Right?

7

JANE

“The studio looks great.” My breath catches looking around the space.

Walker’s arm is draped over Scar’s shoulders as he holds her tightly to his side. He kisses the top of her head and she leans into him as they look at their home studio proudly.

They renovated Walker’s basement when Scar moved in a few months ago to make the studio space functional for both of them. In one corner sits Walker’s kit, this one entirely matte black.

Looks like he retired his neon green one with Whisper Me Nothings ending.

There’s a booth through a soundproof door, looking dark and cozy with soft fairy lights inside. A large panel of equipment that I have no idea what it actually does sits in front of the booth. Scar’s decks that she uses at shows sit on a large desk on the opposite side and speakers wrap around the entire space.

They took out all the overhead lighting and instead have neon signs around the space and lamps scattered around. The dark purple and lime green glow give the space a fun but coolatmosphere. By the door is a large, plush black couch that’s just inviting you to flop onto.

A few guitars hang on the walls, and a small piano sits back by Walker’s kit.

“Scar had the vision for it,” Walker says. He looks at her with such admiration, such love, I almost feel like I’m intruding on them. But it’s good to see them so happy. Even Scar greeted me with a smile when I arrived, which can be rare for her.

She brushes him off, saying, “He made it happen. You should’ve seen how he eagle-eyed the contractors the entire time. If they weren’t getting paid so much, they would’ve told him to fuck off.”

Walker pinches her shoulder and she elbows his side.

“Well, they did a great job,” I say. “I wouldn’t know how to play a single instrument here, but yet I want to spend all day here.”

Walker got all the musical and creative genes, while I got the love for learning and excelled academically. Our mom is a graphic designer, while our dad is a sociology professor, so safe to say which one we each inherited our skills from.

“We pretty much do anytime Scar’s not on the road,” Walker says.

“How’s the album coming along?” I ask Scar.

Her face darkens slightly as she shifts from foot to foot. “It’s alright,” she sighs. “Not as far along as I would like at this point. I’ve been adding on a lot of shows, which is great, but doesn’t give me a lot of down time to get work done.”

Walker squeezes her and she gives him a half-smile.

“Anyone hungry?” he asks.

“Starving,” Scar and I answer at the same time and laugh.

Walker heads out of the studio and toward the stairs. “Then let's get some food ordered!”

The three of us make our way upstairs, making small talk along the way. We gather around the massive island in their kitchen as Walker pulls out his phone, ordering food from his favorite Chinese restaurant. Knowing him, we’re going to have enough to feed an entire horde and not just three people.

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