Page 15 of Little Monster
“Hey, Nora, it’s Ashton Montgomery. Got a sec?”
There are noises behind her, voices that sound like they could belong to the band.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Well, we’re in the studio today, and we want to make a change to your solo—we think it’ll make all the difference. Are you available to come in?”
A mix of excitement and fear washes over me. “Yeah, I can come in. When?”
“Um, how about now? I’m about to leave, but Naomi and Wes will be here.”
Now?Meaning I won’t have time to mentally prepare for possibly being in Dex’s presence again? Shit.
“Sure, I can head over.”
“Awesome! You’re the best, Nora. Thank you!”
The line goes dead. I immediately pull the visor down and look at myself in the mirror. My brown hair is pulled back in a casual braid, and I’m not wearing any makeup. But I don’t have time to run home and try to make myself more, I don’t know, cool? Sexy?
Ugh, whatever.
It’s not like they hired me for my looks, and besides, I could spend all day preening before a mirror and still not look half as beautiful as their receptionist. It’d be a waste to even try.
I turn the key in the ignition, and the first song to come on the radio is “Crash Course,” one of Loaded God Complex’s recent releases. I’d typically change the station, but instead, I turn it up.
And I know it’s a bad idea as soon as Dex’s voice washes over me. I lean my head back against the headrest, and what he said that day in the parking lot rushes back.
Try not to fall in love with me.
My insides feel weird when I think about it.
“What an asshole,” I mutter, and then I back out of my spot and head toward the studio.
chapter 7
WHEN I GET TO THE studio, I head right in, and Morgan greets me from her usual post. “They’re recording vocals, but you can go on in and hang out.”
“Okay, thanks.” I give her a friendly smile, and she returns it.
As I head down the hall, I can hear hushed voices.
“He needs to push a bit higher here,” Naomi says, and Wes mumbles his agreement as I step through the doorway. “Dex, let’s run that bridge again.”
Pausing behind them, I look through the big window into the booth, and Dex is standing there alone, leaning into a mic, headphones over his head. He’s wearing a baggy tee with a long-sleeve shirt underneath and tight white jeans with a chain hanging from one hip. His usual backward hat has been replaced by a black beanie, and he’s wearing his sunglasses even though he’s indoors.
Part of me finds it sexy, and the other part wants to roll my eyes.
“Yo, Nora.”
I glance over my shoulder to find Michael sitting on the couch, a laptop propped open on his lap.
“Hey.” I smile, and he reaches out to give me a fist bump, which is starting to feel weirdly normal around this group. “What are you working on?” I ask, and I’m pleasantly surprised by how casual I feel as I go to sit beside him. Of the four band members, he’s probably the easiest to be around.
“Check this out.” He offers me the headphones he was wearing, and I slip them over my ears.
A second later, our song, “Ghost,” starts to play, and my mouth falls open. They’ve recorded the lyrics, and Dex’s voice sounds rough and haunted over the strings.
“I locked away my heart, too scared to feel the pain, but now I’m haunted by the memories that remain.I let her slip away, too scared to face the truth. Now I’m haunted by her absence in this lonely fuckin’ youth.”
