Page 6 of Next Time I Fall (Excess All Areas 2)

Matt stepped out of the hotel with Ben, Alex’s brother, and Luke, Matt’s best friend from high school. The five of them made up the band that had gotten a lucky break after ten years of hustle.

Supposedly, they were going to meet the chick who’d used their song in a “break-up with your boyfriend” app video or some shit during their stay. Jase couldn’t imagine why millions of people would want to see that, but enough of them had liked the song to stream it, and here they were.

Matt nodded once in Jase’s direction, which Jase refused to acknowledge. They hadn’t spoken since Nan’s, had even sat in opposite sides of the lounge before their flight.

Alex’s laughter cracked through the air. “You can be such a stubborn dick.”

“Yeah. Well. He can go fuck himself. And so can Luke for forgiving Matt so easily.”

Alex gripped his shoulder and shook him, his blond curls bouncing. “Luke’s not forgiven him for hooking up with his sister. Far from it. But he’s putting their differences to one side so we get the most out of being here. Luke’s just being professional.”

Jase eyed them as they stepped into one of the two black town cars and, for a moment, wondered if Alex would prefer to travel with Ben.

He and Alex climbed into the second car, and Jase listened to Alex chat amiably with the driver as he looked out of the window. The landscape had a Manchester vibe. There was the same mash-up of mismatched buildings, some that looked over a hundred years old and others that looked as though they were finished yesterday. It had the same gritty glitter to it.

Everybody stooped forward, bundled up under twenty-seven layers that made them look like walking marshmallows. Perhaps after the day at the studio, he’d go shopping. Get some gloves and a thicker coat.

Luke’s just being professional.

Alex’s words swirled through his mind.

Couldhe? Could he be around his brother? And Luke? And participate in the band in a way that would create a good impression with Bexter? Could he put aside years of Matt never listening to him, just ploughing ahead with his suggestions?

He was going to look stupid.

Again.

“Fuck me,” he muttered.

“You okay?” Alex asked as they pulled up in front of an innocuous building.

“Totally mint.”

When they stepped outside, snow was finally falling. So much for being too cold to snow. Gentle flakes swirled in the wind.

“Not exactly what I expected it to look like,” Matt said. “Looks a bit like a doctor’s surgery.”

Luke pulled the door open. “I don’t give a fuck what it looks like as long as it’s warm inside. It’s freezing.”

For some reason, Jase didn’t feel the same. With his face upturned to the flurry, he experienced a rare and fleeting moment of peace.

“Welcome, guys. Come in.” The voice had a Welsh lilt to it, which sounded completely out of place in Michigan. “I’m Cerys.”

They all filtered in as Jase stared up at the sky, watching the snow swirl.

“Quick. It’s bloody freezin’.”

He turned to see who was talking to him and saw the eyes first. The most vibrant blue. Piercing, really. And dimples. Strawberry blonde curls bounced in all directions around her face. The rest was pure rock ’n’ roll. Layered silver necklaces, a vintage T-shirt tied on one side beneath an open blazer. Skinny jeans and Converse on her feet.

She danced from one foot to the other in the cold draft of the doorway.

Jase stepped passed her into the building, pissed they were now on someone else’s schedule instead of their own.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, closing the door behind him. “Still makes me want to make snow angels, then drink all the hot chocolate in front of a fire afterwards to get warm.”

“What are you? Twelve?” he asked.

The smile left her eyes for a moment, and he felt like a shit. Then she composed herself, but that pure joy she’d had when she looked up at the swirling snowflakes with him didn’t quite make her eyes.

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