go.”
We get comfortable, and I eat while Lyric starts with the questions.
He takes a bite of his sandwich and talks around the mouthful. “I know we’ve already covered this, but I really need to be sure. Did you actually die?”
I laugh hard. “I did. In a plane crash a few years ago. I’m either a ghost or your imagination. Pick one.”
“Has to be my hot as fuck imagination because no way are ghosts as attractive as you are.”
“Thank … you?”
Lyric ignores me and is ready for his next assault. “Umm, I already know the Kaylee rumor about her being a test tube baby isn’t true. Soooo, ooh, hashtag Ryley4Ever. Did you and Harley ever hook up?”
“I almost don’t want to deny this because the fandom behind that rumor is awesome. But it’s a myth. Harley and I are great friends and that’s all.”
I don’t miss the way Lyric lingers for more information about Harley and the rumors of his sexuality, and while it’s pretty well-known in Hollywood circles, it’s not my place to say more than that.
“Does your rider really have a sacrificial chicken slaughter before a performance?”
“Nah, that was Denver’s.”
He eyes me.
“I’m fucking with you. Total myth. Eleven’s rider was tame. It had to be because our label didn’t want us becoming bratty divas. Those rumors get spread around like crazy and cost gigs and appearances.”
“Ugh. The more I hear about labels, the more I wonder if I should go indie.”
“That’s a legitimate conversation to have if you want to have it.”
Lyric takes another bite. “Maybe another time. This is fun. Hmm, what else was there …”
“I’ll get some out of the way for you. None of the guys except me have a kid—all those love child claims are fake. Umm, oh, in the early days, we did accidentally leave Blake at a rest stop somewhere in the middle of Ohio. So that one is true.”
Lyric almost chokes. “Really?”
“He’s so quiet. We didn’t know he’d gotten off the tour bus to take a leak.”
Lyric laughs. “How mad was he?”
“Not at all. He banged some groupie he met while he waited for us to circle back.”
Lyric throws his head back. “That’s amazing. Okay, which one of you is the manwhore? You’ve got Harley, the heartbreaking monogamist. You, the single father. Blake, the quiet token blond. So, it’s either Mason or Denver.”
“Denver,” I say immediately. “Hands down. Mason is … I guess he’s a little guarded? Always has been. Of all of us, he’s the one who believes in love the least. Even temporary love in the form of hookups. I mean, not that he never did that, but it certainly wasn’t as much as Denver.”
“Wasn’t Mason engaged at, like, nineteen?”
“Yep. The reason he doesn’t believe in love. She wanted him for his fame. It’s something we’ve all kind of dealt with at some point.” I realize something. “Hang on. How did you know he was engaged at nineteen? I could maybe overlook the fact you knew Harley and I wrote most of Eleven’s songs, but Mason’s engagement is a pretty obscure piece of Eleven trivia.” I gasp. “Are you secretly a boy band fan? Oh my God, this is brill—”
“Calm down. I remember my sister crying over it when it happened.”
“Oh, damn. One day I’ll get you to admit you love Eleven. Even if I have to play our songs randomly until they catch on and you start singing. Next step is dancing, and then you’ll be completely consumed.”
Lyric sits up straighter. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“And that’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me. We’re not really that bad, are we?”
Lyric lowers his voice and mumbles, “You might not be entirely horrible.”
“Step one complete.” I smile at him, and he returns it, but his next question throws me.
“Did you ever do this with Cash?”
I swallow hard. “Cash?”
“Yeah, like, order food and laugh and give each other shit.” He looks down at his plate.
“Cash and I never did anything outside of the studio. He has the emotional reach of a vibrating dildo.”
“Man, I’m so pissed I threw up on him. Who doesn’t want that?” He laughs, but there’s really no humor in it. “Sorry, forget I said anything.”
I inch closer to him so our thighs touch as we sit cross-legged. “Lyric, I’ve never done this with anyone. You need to understand what Cash and I had was convenience. I hadn’t been with anyone since Kaylee was born, and he was … there.”
“Just like I’m here?