Page 104 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

Luke looked confused for a moment. “He saidyour. And how you never made it to the lunch. What happened?”

Matt shook his head. He didn’t want to keep lying. “She was hungover. Everyone was. Thought she was gonna puke so I brought her home. You saw her. You thought something was wrong with her.”

Seconds crawled by.

Fuck.

A clusterfuck of fucking fucks.

Luke took a gulp of beer, then looked at Matt again. “You told me Harry had been a dick.”

“He had. What are you saying, Luke?”

“What’s going on?” Alex asked.

Ben glanced over to Matt. While his gaze was sympathetic, he mouthed, “Just tell him.”

“Luke,” Matt began, looking over at Izabel again. She was too focused on whoever she was talking to.

“No. No fucking way. The wedding was near the fucking peacock wallpaper. Late August. You’ve not hooked up since. Then you just told Alex there was someone you were getting serious with. And you know details about this gig of Izabel’s. And what Harry just said. That he got it. That’s she’s yours. That you guys were all over each other. Fuck me,” he gaped. “No. No, mate. Please don’t tell me it’s happening all over again. Tell me you aren’t.”

Matt shook his head. “Let’s get out of here and talk, yeah?”

“You’re fucking Iz.” It was a statement. Luke’s face was taut and red, but it was anguish Matt could see in his eyes, not anger.

Matt pushed himself off the wall and ignored everyone but Luke. “I love her, Luke.”

“You’re fucking my sister.”

“I heard you. I love your sister in every possible way there is. I’m not going to let you reduce it to fucking her.”

Luke shoved Matt’s chest, but Matt stood his ground. “You promised me. You told me there was nothing going on. You looked me in the eye and lied to me.”

“I did. Because of tonight. Because of Jase. Because of the break with Willow Warner and signing with Simon. Because you’re my songwriting partner and the band falls apart if we fall apart.”

“You think I care about the band right now? You and your fucking brother. I’ve spent the last decade watching you fuck anything that moves. You aren’t worth her, Matt. Shit, I’ve let her down, again.” Luke’s voice had gotten so loud, Jase looked over from where he’d been chatting with the lead singer of the second act that evening. He marched over to the two of them, but Alex slapped out an arm to stop him.

“What’s Luke yelling about?”

Matt’s stomach dropped. This was it. The band was about to explode, and it was his fault. There wasn’t a single thing he could do to stop it. They’d finally caught a break, and now it was about to disappear into the ether.

Luke glared in Jase’s direction. “Looks like your brother is fucking Izabel.”

Jase’s eyes narrowed and he stepped right up into Matt’s space. “For real?”

“I love her. I have for a long while.”

Matt glanced in Izabel’s direction, just as she looked at him. In a heartbeat, he knew if he walked out of the bar with only one thing—only one thing from having a band, a brother, a best friend, or Izabel—it would be Izabel, no matter what other fallout there was.

Concern etched her features, then her hands flew to her mouth as Luke’s fist collided with the side of his head, catching him off-guard.

Matt kicked the chair out of the way so he wasn’t pinned so tightly against the wall, ducking as Luke tried to rain another blow. He raised his hands and grabbed Luke’s wrists. “I don’t want to fight you, Luke.”

“Yeah, well. Too late for that.” Luke threw another punch that glanced off Matt’s shoulders.

Still, he refused to hit Luke. Even though he was bigger, even though he could win. He raised his hands in front of his chest. “Don’t do this, Luke.”

“Do what? You fucking lied to me. You’re like a fucking brother to me.” The vein at the side of Luke’s forehead pulsed erratically.

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