the teasing camaraderie. He suddenly cut his gray eyes over to me, catching me studying his perfect profile. He flashed a wicked charming grin. “So, Ginger Spice.”
I bit the inside of my cheek at the unintended slight. His bratty reputation seemed well founded.
“Where did you say you’re from?”
“I didn’t. I’m from Indiana.”
Noah drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, lips twisted, like he was trying to remember where Indiana might be. “July. We were in Indianapolis in July.”
“Uh-huh.” I wasn’t sure how best to respond to that piece of information.
Shane’s face lit up. “Oh, yeah. Maybe Layla was there.”
“Yup. I totally was.” I laughed.
“Sure,” said Noah, sarcastic, as though reading my response as polite good humor, which suited me just fine until Shane’s mouth squeezed together in disappointment.
“No, I really was.”
The admission of my fan status was worth it if only to watch Shane’s face brighten again. His expressions changed like a chameleon, like a mood ring. And those eyes. Noah’s were a fascinating swirl of gray cold mist, and Micah’s were the clear aqua of island seas you find in travel brochures. Shane’s were the dark blue of the midnight sky. A black ring encircled the universe of his incredible eyes, and, as I lost myself in those depths, he let me drink my fill.
Noah turned all the way to face me, elbow on the counter, blocking my view of Shane entirely. “So, where did we play then?”
Never did I expect I’d be sitting here having to prove my fan cred to a member of a band I was slightly overinvested in.
Without missing a beat, I said, “You played the Lawn at the White River State Park.” Savoring the pearly white grin spreading across his face, I added, “Chain Smoke opened for you.”
Noah swung his head back to face Shane. “Is that right?”
It was. My interest in Theater of the Absurd was genuine. Not nearly as ardent as my love of Walking Disaster, but I could hum a few bars.
Micah started laughing, and that distracted Noah enough to lean back so I could see Shane clapping his hands.
“Well done.”
I hugged myself a little. I could have died right then. Hanging with these guys had made me feel truly special, and that was something I could take with me when this night ended. I wished I could snap a picture, get an autograph, or just tell someone about this, but I forced myself to behave like a human and focus on the experience.
The pizza arrived, and once Jo placed the boxes on the counter, we helped ourselves. Jo chose a piece covered in veggies, while Micah and the two guys demolished a meat lovers. Fearful I might lose a limb if I ventured too close to the pepperoni, I hesitantly reached for one of the veggie slices.
Chewing on his food, Noah honed back in on me with a lift of the brow. “So, you’re a fan then?”
The question confused me. Had my confession ruined any chance of being treated like one of them? I told the truth. “I don’t know what the right answer here is.”
Jo cut her pizza with a fork and knife and pointed an impaled corner at me. “The proper answer is always yes. They want to hear you’re a huge fan.”
I snickered. “In that case, yes. I’m a huge fan.”
Fishing the depths of my sincerity, Noah said, “Name one of our songs.”
Shane laid a hand on his shoulder. “Man, ease up. She just said she came to a show. What difference does it make?”
Noah’s eyes slid off me and over to Micah. “Just curious if she’s a normal fan or a super fan.” He set me in his sights again. By the way he’d said super, it sounded synonymous with creepy, and I didn’t want to fail his test. “Five bucks she can’t tell us what instrument Shane here plays.”
Now, that was a trap. He wanted me to confess knowledge no casual fan ever knew: the name of the drummer. If anyone had asked me to name their drummer this morning, I would have drawn a blank, but it was stupid to point to the guy and ask what he played when I just told him I’d been to a show. Process of elimination would rule out guitarist.
If I pretended to guess, if I lied and said, “Bassist,” I felt like I’d be letting Shane down.
I nervously glanced to Jo for help, and she laughed. “Noah, she’s not a super fan. She’s a music