Page 107 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

“You couldn’t even let me have the band, could you?” Jase spat.

“What does that mean?”

“You got everything else, Matt. You got the brains. All I got was stupid comments about how I wasn’t like my brother. You probably have some half-decent guy as your dad, while mine is a jailbird. I get that Iz didn’t want me, but that doesn’t mean I want to see her with you. You got all the songwriting talent. You got Luke. If the band falls apart, you’ll go start a new one. And where does that leave me? Shafted like fucking always.”

“Jase. It doesn’t have to be like that. Tomorrow, when everyone has calmed down, we can—”

“You lied. To Luke. Your best friend. How do any of us trust you?”

Izabel swallowed, every part of her aching for those her actions had hurt. If she hadn’t told Matt what had happened the night she slept with Jase. If she’d just let Matt call the front desk at the wedding and ask for a room with two beds. If—no.

Her and Matt? They would have ended up together somehow. If not now, at some point in the future.

You couldn’t avoid fate.

Jase glared at Matt. “We’re done. I don’t have a brother. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“Guys,” Ben pleaded. “This isn’t going to get solved tonight. Jase, you need to let Matt fix things with Luke. I love Luke like a brother, but the band can go on without him. Go home. Give it some time.”

Jase scoffed. “Fuck you, Ben. You knew and didn’t say anything. How do we trustyou? Matt’s an arrogant fucking dick. He screwed his best friend over with no remorse.”

As Matt dabbed the bloodied cut on his cheek and winced, anger filled her.

“Jase, please don’t paint Matt as the bad guy. Luke’s rule was ridiculous. And you and me ... it was a mistake that just made everything even harder. Matt’s done everything he can to make this as painless to the band as possible, as painless to me and this fundraiser concert. Do you think it’s been easy, hiding this until the right time? I’ll tell you what we were going to tell Luke. We tried. We tried damn hard not to do this, and it nearly broke me. And then, when we realised it was something much bigger than we ever thought, Willow Warner made that video. And Mattknew. He knew telling Luke about us would ruin the biggest chance you’d ever been given. Everything he’s done has been in the best interest of the band. Don’t make him out to be the bad guy.”

Alex winked kindly at her, then placed his arm around her. “You love him, right?” he whispered. “This isn’t all for nothing, right?”

She looked up at him. “No, it’s not for nothing, but I didn’t realise it would cost Matt everything.”

“Then do me a favour, Izabel. Don’t be noble. Don’t try and duck out of this. We know you. We know you hate conflict. Don’t leave him on the premise he can get the band back together by making it right with Luke. Be selfish. Fight for him and you. Something would blow these two up eventually. And something will patch them back together.”

“Fuck off, Alex,” Jase said petulantly.

Matt stepped closer to Jase. “You’re standing there, pretending to be offended for Luke, pretending to be offended for the band. But don’t you ever look at me and pretend we both don’t really know this is about Izabel.”

“You’re smoking crack, man,” Jase said mockingly as the rain stopped. The street suddenly seemed quieter, the scene less dramatic.

“No? So that night wasn’t about you finally seeing a chance with her? Wasn’t about you finally telling her exactly how you felt? Wasn’t about you getting her to fall in love with you? And how it came crashing down when you realised she was in love with me. How she called outmyname as you fucked her?”

“Fuck,” Alex muttered next to her. “That right, Iz?”

Izabel rolled her head back and looked up at the stars, wishing they could swallow her up right now.

“You told him?” Jase asked, and the hurt in his voice cut through her.

“I love him, Jase. And he couldn’t see past you and me, so I had no choice. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I told him, but he refused to even look at me because of one mistake.”

He looked up at Matt, his face devoid of any emotion. “You know what? Yeah. It’s a painful fucking memory. But if you think Iz is what this is about, you really don’t know me at all. You think you’re the only one that music means everything to? It frustrates the absolute shit out of me that the only thing I can do is ... Do you know what? I don’t owe you an explanation.”

He turned to walk up the street with his hands in his pockets.

“We’ll go after him, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Ben said. “I’m sure Iz needs to get back inside.”

Izabel looked to the doors, wishing she was able to just hop into a cab and leave.

“Remember what I said,” Alex said, giving her a hug. “It’ll all work out how it’s supposed to.”

“I will.” She turned to Matt as they walked away. “Are you okay?”

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