Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,67

for something to say.

“Hey” is what I end up with. I shove his shirt into his hands. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much, seriously,” he says, smiling, clearly relieved. He wraps me in a quick, tight hug. I’m caught off guard but immediately relax in his arms. He pulls away too soon and glances behind me, biting his lip and looking anxious.

“What?” I say.

He nods his head. “Just spotted the A&R guy.”

I turn around and find a tall white man wearing an orange baseball cap sitting at the bar, nursing a beer. He looks bored, like he’d rather be doing a million other things right now.

But to Milo, I say, “He seems excited.”

He nods quickly, as if he’s trying to convince himself that this is true.

“Are your parents here too?” I ask.

“Yep. They promised they’d be standing front and center.” He steps aside and holds the door open for me. The other boys are sitting on the couch side by side, looking incredibly anxious, just like Milo.

“Evie found my shirt,” Milo says. He whips off his current plain black T-shirt and switches it for his band shirt.

Wow. Half-naked Milo. Look away. Look away!

“Thank God!” Raf says, hopping up. “Or, I guess, thank Evie.” He starts pacing like a caged tiger. “Can you imagine the immediate rejection we would have faced if we went out there and only three of us matched?”

Vinny groans, clutching his saxophone to his chest. “Yeah, I’m sure that would have lowered our chances.”

“My shirt still stinks from the other night,” Ben says, sniffing his underarms. “I didn’t have a chance to wash it.”

“Just try not to lift your arms around the A&R guy, okay?” Raf says.

“He’s out there now,” Milo adds. “We’re past the first battle. He’s here, so we can relax a little.”

“Yeah, nothing big riding on this night at all,” Raf says, sitting down once again, bouncing his knees. “It’s not like our entire lives could change or anything.”

“Shut it, Raf.” Vinny closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “What we need now is positivity, not your sass.”

Raf blinks, dubious. “My sass?”

“Can we not do this right now?” Milo begs. “We don’t need to be nervous. We’re good. We know that. Other people will see it too. We’re good.”

I’m struck by Milo’s conviction, how he knows the group’s value. The rest of the boys stare at him in silence. Ben is the first to stand up. He taps his drumsticks together once, twice. “Well, guess we’d better go, then.”

Milo, Raf, and Vinny stand too. The boys share one determined look and then put all their hands into a circle, bumping fists before they break apart. They’re like the Doves Have Pride Power Rangers. It’s kind of adorable.

“You’ll be fine. You’ll be great,” I whisper to Milo as we leave the room. I want to tell him about seeing Gigi, but now seems like the wrong time. He’s already so nervous. I don’t want to throw him off even more. I’ll just wait until they’re done. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” He squeezes my hand before we separate.

Eager fans burst into cheers as the boys step onto the small stage, and I notice a middle-aged Black couple standing up front, watching the crowd with bemused expressions. They must be Milo’s mom and dad. Even if they want him to give up music and go to school full-time, it’s nice that they’re here supporting him anyway.

I make my way to the back, standing near the bar again. I’m only a few feet away from the A&R rep. He glances down at his watch as one of the bar employees introduces the band. They take their positions, and the A&R guy lifts his head.

“What’s up, y’all?” Raf says into the mic. There’s a loud burst of feedback, and then the mic cuts off.

Oh no.

Milo leans into his mic and tests it, his eyes widening when there’s no sound. He looks off to the side of the stage and waves someone up for help. A collective groan erupts from the crowd. The A&R rep frowns and places his drink on the bar. He calls over the bartender. Crap. Is he asking to pay his tab?

One of the employees is still trying to figure out what’s going on with the microphones. Meanwhile, the crowd is only getting more and more antsy. The A&R rep stands up to leave, and I glance at Milo up onstage, who looks panicked. All his hard work to get this record-label guy to see