to the pretty-boy lead guitarist, Noah Kennedy. My heart tripped over itself.
A few years back, Theater of the Absurd went on tour, opening for Walking Disaster in Europe. That’s when fans started threads to discuss their music, learned their songs, and picked favorites among the band.
I confess I’d ranked the guys’ hotness over the years. I’d gone through a phase where Micah was my number one pretend musical boyfriend from his band, and I wasn’t alone. As the front man, he got the most attention, plus he’s simply beautiful with his blond hair, blue eyes, and broad build. Once he’d fallen into a serious relationship with Jo, it became a bit harder to even joke about him in fake romantic ways. Not that it would stop me from drooling over a photo. I mean, they’re just pictures.
But that was no photo, leaning over the kitchen island with that thousand-kilowatt smile.
Then there was Noah, a bit mysterious, sometimes distant with fans, but onstage, he exploded. I’d seen him shred a guitar at a show, and I could still remember what color pants he’d had on that day because his ass was one of those works of art that people had made a point of photographing whenever possible. Jeans, red leather pants, or the rare suit slacks all worked in service of his perfect butt. And it was sitting on a stool five feet away from me. All that separated us was a plate-glass door.
The other guy—I wanted to say Shawn—had the other two entranced with some story he was telling. His hands shot dramatically forward and up and down and back, in circles, in swoops, like he was drumming out the narrative. His face lit up so that I desperately wanted to hear what was so funny. Micah and Noah leaned in to listen, both so engaged, it made me hesitate to interrupt.
On the other hand, I was dying to actually meet these guys. What a day.
With a good shake of my hair to maximize volume, I slid open the glass door, and three heads turned my way.
Micah said, “Well, hello.”
I swallowed hard. My brain fritzed, and I stood there, frozen.
Jo popped up from the base of the fridge. “Oh, here you are. Someone came home early. Let me introduce you to my boyfriend and these other clowns.” She flipped her hand toward Micah. “This here is Micah Sinclair. This is his house, actually. I’m just a guest, alas.”
Micah grabbed her upper arm and reeled her in for a kiss. “Liar. You’d be out on the streets if you didn’t live here.”
She pushed his chest away. I admired her restraint. “Stop. We have guests.”
“I thought you were a guest.” He chuckled at himself.
Jo simply rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Excuse him. He’s literally the worst. Meanwhile, over here, we have the insufferable Shane Morgan.”
Shane! Right.
Shane tipped an invisible hat and said, “My lady.”
He still wore a mischievous smile leftover from the anecdote he’d been sharing before I walked in.
“Finally, this brat is Noah Kennedy.”
Noah winked, and I melted a little.
“Gentlemen, let me present my newest coworker and a brand-new resident of our fair city, Layla—” she faltered “—shit, I’ve already forgotten your last name.”
“Beckett. Layla Beckett.”
Noah immediately sang my name, and it should have thrilled me to hear those words coming out of his beautiful lips. I couldn’t help it though. I judged people who went for the obvious joke the minute they met me, as if they honestly thought it was original and clever. People often asked me why I didn’t just go by my middle name if I didn’t like being a punchline. Except my parents had saddled me with the middle name Prudence. Their love of music spilled over into their kids’ names. My brother had scored with Maxwell Jude.
I schooled my face into a placid mask of indifference until Noah flashed the charming smile I’d seen in pictures on the forum. “Awesome name. Really.”
Maybe he realized his faux pas. His comment smoothed some of my ruffled feathers. “Thanks.”
My mind searched for anything I knew about Noah, besides how perfect he looked. I’d read about some fan encounters with him, but I usually ignored them unless they got graphic, and then I nuked them without much thought. Of course, Micah had a worse reputation with women before Jo tamed him. But fans claimed Micah was a sweetheart. Noah on the other hand came off as rude. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, since