Brooklyn & Beale, page 14
For the next hour, the group divulged stories that were both nostalgic and shameful. Inky, unsurprisingly, had more stories than anyone. Reid couldn’t help but wonder how much longer it would be before there wasn’t a single place on her body that wasn’t colored with ink.
“Okay, last roll. Chloe, it’s you and Reid.”
Chloe grabbed her die and looked to Reid. “You’re going down.”
“He wishes,” Greer mumbled, earning a kick from Inky.
As soon as the dice hit the floor, Reid’s arms flew in the air. “Finally,” he laughed.
Chloe grumbled under her breath and rolled her eyes. “You got lucky. Now pick a tattoo so this game will finally end.”
Reid scooted to the edge of the couch and, like Greer, he lifted Chloe’s arm to look at the tattoos hiding on the underside. Not satisfied with the angle, he stood and pulled Chloe to her feet. His swept his thumb across her skin and tried to ignore the way she shivered from his touch. Clearing his throat, he dropped her arm. “I wanna know about the one with the zodiac signs. What’s the story behind that one?”
“Shit,” Chloe groaned and fell back onto the bench. “I was really hoping I’d be able to avoid this story.” Chloe traced her finger along the tattoo. “Although, I am impressed that you knew they were zodiac signs. Most people think it’s some kind of weird cave drawing.”
Reid laughed. “I can see that. You have two girls holding hands while they stab a ram and then the same two girls kissing each side of a lion’s face. It’s weird, but there’s a story there.”
Chloe sighed. “A drunk one, at that.”
“About damn time,” Greer complained. “You have far too many sober tattoos.”
Chloe stuck out her tongue and threw a pencil at Greer. “Shut up.” After repositioning, she took a final deep breath and told the most embarrassing tattoo story Reid had ever heard.
“A few years ago, I was obsessed with zodiac signs. I spent way too much time researching personality traits, compatibilities, who was a sun sign, water sign, you name it. After a particularly bad date one night, I decided to listen to my sign.” Chloe rolled her eyes, her expression colored with annoyance.
“I read that my most compatible sign was Aries. So I decided not to go out with anyone who didn’t fall under that sign. I would literally ask a guy his birthdate and tell him yes or no depending on his answer. God, I was an idiot. Anyway, eventually I met an Aries and we dated for a while. He was a total prick and it didn’t take long for things to fall apart. I assumed it was just a run of bad luck. At the time, I’d had my fair share, so I wasn’t going to give up. Two Aries later and I thought I’d found the one. That is until I went to his apartment unexpectedly one day and found him bent over his sofa. Apparently, had my name been Ian, we would have lived happily ever after.”
“No,” Inky gasped, her face split in a wide grin.
“Go on,” Chloe groaned. “Laugh. I can see it’s killing all of you to hold it in.” The moment the words left her mouth, the entire group exploded with laughter.
“Shit, Chloe. Of all the directions I expected your story to go, this wasn’t it.” Drew braced his elbows on his knees and tried to catch his breath.
“Oh, I’m not to the best part yet,” Chloe said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “After I left, I went to a bar down the street from my apartment. A friend worked there, and I knew once I told her what happened, she’d make my drinks strong enough to knock out an elephant. As the night wore on and alcohol started making decisions for me, I came up with this genius plan to make sure I never dated another Aries as long as I lived. I decided to get a tattoo of my sign murdering Aries. The guy next to me thought it was an awesome idea. Never mind that he was totally shit-faced; we were brilliant in our drunkenness.
“After my friend closed the bar and started downing shots, she asked if there was another sign I should have chosen. I explained it had been a toss-up between Aries and Leo, and that clearly I’d made the wrong decision. That’s when everything went to shit. I convinced her to go with me to see my guy, the one who does all my ink. Together we came up with this,” Chloe said, waving her hand at the tattoo. “It’s Gemini killing Aries and finding love with its true match, Leo. The one it should have been all along. I have never felt more like an idiot in my life. The only way this won’t be my biggest tattoo regret is if I fall in love with a Leo and we live happily ever after.”
The sound of Chloe’s soft laughter floated in the background as Reid stared blankly toward the wall, his mind fighting to understand the strange sensation flying under his skin.
“Okay, what the hell just happened?”
Reid jumped at the sound of Chloe’s voice, his eyes sweeping around the room. Beside him, Greer sat with a scowl on his face while Drew and Inky shared a mischievous grin. He didn’t need to ask why they wore matching Cheshire-cat smiles, he already knew.
Inky turned toward Chloe and hooked her thumb in Greer’s direction. “Well, if you’ve really sworn off Aries men, Greer’s chances just dropped from slim to none.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I don’t recall his ever reaching slim in the first place.”
Reid let out a sharp laugh, causing everyone to jump in surprise. “Sorry,” he mumbled, avoiding Greer’s glare when a sudden thought hit him. “Wait a second. You’re a Gemini?”
“Yup.”
“Then you have a birthday coming soon. When is it?”
“June thirteenth. Feel free to shower me with bags of Starbursts.” Chloe grinned while everyone else shook their heads.
Reid stood and walked toward the schedule posted on the wall. “We should do something. Other than help you drown in Starburst wrappers. Where will we be then?”
“France?” Inky answered, her voice unsure.
“Paris, to be exact. We have a show on the thirteenth, but we have the twelfth off. We should plan to do something then.”
“Sounds good to me.” Drew stood and stretched his arms overhead. “I think I’m going to catch some shut-eye before we get to Glasgow.”
“Me too,” Greer said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Reid hid his smile behind his hand when he caught Chloe’s amused expression as she watched Greer sulk away to the upper deck of the bus behind Drew.
“Chloe, can we go over that stuff we worked on?” Reid asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.
Chloe smiled. “Of course.”
“I’ll be right back. I’ve got to run to my room first.” Reid took a final look over his shoulder, catching a smirk from Inky before closing the door behind him. He leaned against the door and let his head fall back. With his eyes closed, he inhaled deeply and tried to push down the feelings beginning to stir in ways he couldn’t allow.
Chloe sat with a smile as Reid disappeared into the back room, only looking away when Inky cleared her throat. Her brows furrowed when she noticed Inky’s odd expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just curious what you two are working on, that’s all. That was my nosy face.”
“Your nosy face?” Chloe asked, laughing when Inky nodded. “Okay, then. We’re actually working on adding more layers to the CCR song we played. Reid came up with some really amazing ideas.”
Inky’s lips parted in surprise. “Reid’s writing music?”
At that moment, Chloe realized that whether or not Reid had confided in the others about his problem, they were aware nonetheless. “Yeah,” she answered, shifting her weight.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Inky muttered as she stood and grabbed a water bottle. The same look of mischief she’d worn earlier returned in full force.
Chloe eyed her cautiously. “What?”
Inky shook her head and moved toward the stairs. “I think I’ll grab some sleep too.”
Chloe’s confusion intensified as she tried to work out what Inky was up to. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” She grinned. “Oh, and Chloe?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know Reid’s birthday?”
Chloe swallowed hard. It was obvious that whatever Inky was going to say was the source of her canary like behavior. “No. Why?”
Inky laughed. “It’s July twenty-third,” she said, before disappearing from sight.
Chloe sat completely still as she put together why Inky found Reid’s birthdate so amusing. When it clicked, her eyes fell shut and her hand instinctively covered the tattoo decorating her arm.
“Shit,” she exhaled, nerves rippling through her body. “He’s a Leo.”
“What’s that?”
Chloe jumped and spun toward Reid with her hand over her chest and her eyes wide as saucers. “Shit,” she gasped. “You scared the hell outta me.”
Reid grinned and fell onto the bench beside her. “My bad.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Chloe rolled her eyes and lifted her chin toward the notebook. “Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding? This is awesome.” Reid ran his hand over the cover and pulled in a deep breath. “For a lot of reasons,” he mumbled.
Chloe wanted to press. She wanted to ask what he meant, but after the last twenty-four hours, more complications were the last thing they needed. “So what are we working on?”
Reid slouched against the back of the bench and raked his hand through his hair. “Do you ever have those days where you wish you could just forget everything?”
Chloe fought to keep her expression neutral. This type of question was the exact opposite of avoiding complications. “Well, yeah. I think that’s normal. Although it wasn’t until the last six months that I started considering what everything included.”
“What do you mean?”
Chloe shrugged and looked at her hands. “I had two tours cancel back-to-back. When the bills started piling up, I thought I was going to have to throw in the towel.”
Reid sat up abruptly, causing Chloe to jump. “What do you mean throw in the towel? Surely you don’t mean giving up music, because that’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Some of us don’t have the luxury of waiting out the bad times,” Chloe shot back, defensive. When Reid winced, Chloe knew her words hit their mark.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to piss you off. It’s just that I can’t imagine someone as talented as you never playing again.”
“I could say the same thing about you,” she countered, her eyes soft.
Reid cleared his throat. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. This is all I’ve ever wanted. This has been a horrific year, and as much as I’m struggling, walking away just isn’t an option.”
“That’s good to hear,” Chloe said with a smile. “And when I said I considered throwing in the towel, I didn’t mean music altogether. I meant this kind of music, this lifestyle.”
“What other kind of music is there?”
Chloe gave him a sad smile. “The kind of music my mother wants. The kind where I dress in pencil skirts and blouses that cover my tattoos. Where piercings and purple hair are a foreign concept.” Chloe threw her head back and straightened her shoulders. With her fingers laced delicately over her knees, she spoke with exaggerated enunciation. “In the words of my mother, ‘Only true musicians are given the honor of playing for the Philharmonic. Be the best of the best, Chloe. Don’t allow those bottom-feeding so-called rock bands to bring you down. You’re so above that lifestyle.’ You know what’s funny?” Chloe asked. “She married a middle-class man and lived a middle-class life by choice.”
“What do you mean, by choice?”
“My mother’s family is very well-off. When she met my dad, they forbade her from seeing him, so she left. Gave it all up for him. I think a part of her regretted it later when she saw firsthand how difficult life could be without having everything right at your fingertips. Maybe that’s why she treats me the way she does. She doesn’t want me to make the same mistakes. Which is a really shitty feeling because I’m a result of those mistakes.” Chloe slouched her shoulders and dropped her chin. She hadn’t planned to tell him so much about her mother, but once she started, she couldn’t stop. Maybe it was because after the things he shared the night before, it was only fair. Chloe’s eyes snapped to Reid when he hooked his finger under her chin.
“There are a lot of words I could use to describe you, but mistake isn’t one of them. You’re right, I do have the luxury of waiting this thing out, but I need you to understand that I’ll wait until I draw my last breath if that’s what it takes. There is nothing else for me but this.”
Chloe blinked back tears and straightened her back until she broke away from Reid’s touch. The sincerity in his voice and the tenderness of his touch caused her heart to race and her pulse to pound. “There’s that passion,” she whispered.
Reid leaned away, his expression dazed. For several seconds, he stared blankly at the wall behind Chloe before a slow smile crept across his face. “Well, I’ll be damned. You really are a fucking Jedi Master.”
A fit of laughter burst from Chloe’s chest, her arms wrapping around her waist when her muscles began to ache. She peeked up at Reid with glassy eyes. His skin was flushed, his bright hazel eyes pinched at the corners from the wide smile splitting his face. It was the most carefree Chloe had seen him, and she couldn’t help but notice how it made him even more attractive. The thought was sobering.
Pulling in a cleansing breath, Chloe wiped under her eyes and relaxed against the back of the bench. Reid mimicked her position, leaning in the opposite direction. In comfortable silence, the pair stared at each other, wearing matching soft smiles. Chloe’s lips parted of their own volition when Reid licked his lips. His smile melted and his gaze intensified. Chloe felt heat rise to the surface of her skin and butterflies erupted in her stomach. When he leaned forward, her breath caught.
“Chloe,” he whispered. “Will you promise me something?”
“I’ll try.”
“Please don’t ever give up on this. Music runs through your veins. It saturates who you are to the very core. You’re not meant to be lost in a sea of faces playing for a bunch of overprivileged rich people. You deserve to be seen at center stage.”
Chloe nodded, the lump lodged in her throat preventing her from speaking. This was how Chloe knew Reid hadn’t lost his creativity; he spoke in poetry. The fire that had been absent in his eyes since they met was beginning to flicker to life. It was awe-inspiring. Clearing her throat, Chloe pushed the notebook on the table toward Reid. “As long as you promise the same.”
Reid grabbed the notebook and flipped to the last page. Slipping around the table until he and Chloe sat shoulder-to-shoulder, he handed her a pen and smiled. “Deal.”
Chloe dug through her bag, pulling out what she needed for the show later that night. Using her shoulder to cradle her phone to her ear, she waited for Josie to finish with her rapid-fire questions.
“Things are great,” Chloe said, answering Josie’s questions all at once. “Exhausting, but great.” Three weeks had passed since her impromptu heart-to-heart with Reid on the tour bus. In that time, they’d played thirteen shows and traveled more miles than Chloe could count.
“I’ve watched some of the videos posted on YouTube,” Josie remarked, her tone holding a hint of mischief.
“Oh?” Chloe didn’t have to guess where the conversation was going, but she had no intention of making it easy for Josie to prod her.
“Don’t play coy with me. What happened to keeping things strictly professional? You guys look like you’re about to go at it in every clip I’ve seen! I won’t lie, it’s hot.”
“Maddie, is that you?” Chloe joked, swallowing thickly.
“Oh, you’re lucky she’s not here. I’m going easy on you compared to the kind of things she would say.”
“True,” Chloe laughed then sighed again. “Well, you can report to her that there is absolutely nothing going on between me and Reid.”
“What? Why not? Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that whole, ‘staying professional’ thing.”
“No, it’s not that. There was a moment when I actually entertained the possibility of there being something more between us.”
“What happened that changed your mind?”
“He has a girlfriend,” Chloe said simply.
The line was silent for several seconds followed by a quiet, “Oh.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame. You guys really do have an amazing stage presence.” After a beat, Josie spoke again, her voice playful. “How serious are they?”
Chloe laughed. “What has Maddie done to you?”
“I think it’s Anders. Living with him is destroying my morals, one scandalous thought at a time.”
“How’s that going?” Chloe asked, happy with the change in conversation.
“It’s fine. He’s still alive,” Josie chuckled. “In all honesty, it’s amazing. I never thought I could be this happy with someone who drives me insane.”
“I’m really happy for you,” Chloe said, her voice filled with sincerity. She jumped in surprise when there was a soft knock at the door. Pushing off the bed, she crossed the room and peeked through the peephole.
“Thanks. It’s been an adjustment sharing a space with someone on a daily basis, but I guess you know exactly what that’s like living inside a bus with a group of people for months on end.”
Chloe opened the door and moved to the side, motioning for Reid to come in. “Thank God for hotel rooms,” she laughed. “I think it’s the only reason some people haven’t killed others.” Reid flashed her a wide smile, well aware she was referring to him and Greer.
“When are you coming back to LA?”
“Our last show for this leg of the tour is the twenty-sixth of July. I’m not due in LA until the middle of August, so I’ll hang out in New York until then.” Chloe’s brows furrowed when Reid’s face twisted into a frown. She tried to get his attention, ask him what was wrong, but he was lost in whatever thoughts were running through his head.
“Well, if you want to come here sooner, let me know. I still have my old place. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with it yet, so it’s empty if you want somewhere to crash.”
