Page 40 of Not Your Golden Boy

“I just wanted to solidify our plans for tonight,” Nikky said, alarmed at the way his voice shook slightly.

“Do you want to go big or small?” Drew asked, not picking up on Nikky’s mood.

“Small, definitely,” Nikky said, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths after.

“Cool,” Drew said. “Nikky wants to go someplace quiet,” he went on, probably talking to Lee. In the background, Lee answered, then Drew said, “Lee likes this place called Sandy’s close to the flat. If that works, I’ll send you the address.”

“That works,” Nikky said. He tensed as Albion and Charlotte entered the studio, still arguing, probably over his career. “I’m looking forward to it. I…I could really use an evening out with you guys.”

There was a slight pause before Drew said, “Everything okay?” He’d picked up on Nikky’s anxiety at last.

Nikky could have lied and said everything was fine. He could have blurted everything out, confessed how unhappy he was with the life they’d both been tossed into so unexpectedly last year. Drew was the one person on the planet who would understand that. He could have told his friend about Harry. He could have shared all the ways Holberg had been stalking him and making increasingly terrifying demands. He could have mentioned he wasn’t happy with the way Albion wanted to manipulate his career and make him into something he wasn’t, or the fact that, despite being twenty-five, he still felt like the anxious foster kid who knew that rejection meant life-threatening danger.

“Yeah,” he said with no certainty whatsoever. “We’ll talk later.”

“Okay,” Drew said, full of concern. “Stay safe.”

Nikky said goodbye, Drew’s last words fluttering in his gut. Stay safe. Like he’d ever been able to do that. Like safety wasn’t the one thing he craved most in life and always had.

“If you’re done with your precious phone call, let’s get back to work,” Albion spoke through the intercom.

Charlotte wedged her way in and followed that with, “Dean and I have had a little talk, and we’ve agreed to let you record your songs today. We’ll assess everything later and do the orchestrations and bring in backing vocals in the next few days.”

She stepped back from the mic and gave Albion a shit-eating grin.

Albion frowned and sighed before taking a seat. “Warm up while I get everything ready on this end,” he told Nikky through the mic.

Even though Charlotte had won the battle for him, Nikky could tell the war wasn’t over. There didn’t seem to be any point in fighting, though. He picked up the guitar from where he’d left it before lunch and strummed a few chords, warming up his voice again. The earlier joy he’d felt from his night with Harry was gone, leaving only work and obligation in its wake, but it was the best he had for the moment.

The afternoon passed in a distracted blur. Nikky sang, played, and consulted with Albion about his music. He did okay, but he could have done better. Charlotte seemed to think she was some sort of music maven all of a sudden, which embarrassed Nikky and irritated Albion. But at least she seemed to be advocating for him, which had to be good. Nikky was grateful, but he wondered if Harry was right when he’d hinted he needed to fire his entire management team and find people who understood what he wanted and needed better.

“I agree with Harry about that,” Drew said hours later, as the two of them and Lee sat in a cozy corner of what turned out to be a trendy gastropub near Earl’s Court, where Lee lived. “I’ve always thought your management team is shit.”

“How did you end up with a team like that when you and Drew were signed to the same be-all-and-end-all agency after Cooked?” Lee asked.

Drew huffed a laugh and answered for Nikky. “Charlotte came with him from the first agency he was signed with. She’s okay, but Nikky has a hard time telling people no or disappointing them.”

Heat flooded Nikky’s face, and he reached for the craft beer he’d ordered in an attempt to cool himself down. “Drew’s not wrong,” he admitted before taking a drink.

“I’m all for being a nice person,” Lee said, “but you have to surround yourself with the best people when you’ve reached the level where you and Drew are right now. Anything else is career suicide.”

Nikky swallowed awkwardly. Maybe now would be a good time to explain that career suicide was what he’d set out to commit just a few short weeks ago when he’d arrived in London.

“Harry says the same thing,” he said instead. “He’s kind of stepped in, as far as Albion and recording this album is concerned, to act as my manager. He really looks out for me.”

“Does he?” Drew asked, a steel-edged look in his eyes as he reached for his own lager.

“He’s very protective,” Nikky said, smiling despite the pit of anxiety that still swirled in his gut. “He’s exactly what I needed.”

“Is he?” Drew said, his words even more clipped.

Paradoxically, Nikky relaxed a little more. “You’re not jealous, are you?” Drew’s reactions should have made him feel insecure, like he was under a microscope. Instead, the teasing sparkle in Drew’s eyes reminded him that he was among friends, possibly his best friend in the world.

Aside from Harry.

“No, no, I’m not jealous at all,” Drew said, deliberately seeming as jealous as possible. “He does know that I found you first, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re not the one who wants to sleep with me,” Nikky replied, winking at Lee.