Page 30 of Fame & Rhythm

Caleb drags a hand through his shoulder-length hair, already looking stressed. “Indi, I swear it’s not like this all the time.”

She shakes her head. “I have other patients to tend to. She can leave in an hour or so, once the fluids finish running through. I’ll talk to you then.” She turns to go, but Caleb catches her gently by the elbow. She stops and faces him, her expression cold enough to freeze the room. “Don’t, Caleb.”

He lets go immediately with a quiet exhale, and she turns and walks toward the door.

“Indi,” he calls after her, but she doesn’t stop.

The door swings shut behind her, leaving a thick silence in the room.

Caleb sighs and drags both hands through his hair again, looking agitated, while I lie here feeling horrible and completely confused by whatever just happened between him and his friend.

“Well,” I say carefully. “That was intense.”

He turns to face me, shaking his head, biting down on his bottom lip like he’s trying very hard not to say what he’s thinking.

“What was that all about?” I ask.

Instead of answering, he walks over to the window, moonlight spilling in across the floor. “That’s none of your business,” he says, his voice clipped. “But thanks so much for making things harder for me.”

I flinch at the harshness in his tone.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

He puffs out a breath, some of the tension leaving him, then comes back over to the bed. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s not your fault, my life is so complicated.”

I stare at him. “Your life? Complicated? I don’t think so. You’re the most laid-back, easygoing guy I know… besides Aston.”

That earns a quiet chuckle.

“Oh, if only you knew, little Annie.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, then ask the question I’ve been dreading, “Does Dad know I’m here?”

Caleb shakes his head. “No. He knows you’re with me, but he doesn’t know why. Not yet.” His expression hardens a little. “But I’m going to have to tell him, Annie.”

My eyes instantly fill with tears. “You don’t have to. You can just tell him I fell over and hurt my arm or something, and that’s why we came to the hospital. He doesn’t have to know, Caleb… please?”

He shakes his head again, gentler this time, but no less firm. “I can’t. As much as I want to be the cousin you turn to when you need help, I also have to be the responsible one here. And what you did tonight, Annie…” He pauses, looking me dead in the eye. “It was stupid. What if you’d drunk enough to end up with alcohol poisoning? What if you’d gotten really sick? Did you even think about the consequences when you were stealing drinks?”

And just like that, he stops feeling like my cool cousin and starts sounding way too much like my father.

Which, considering they’re related, probably makes perfect sense.

I close my eyes, and the tears slip down my cheeks, dripping onto my arm.

“Oh, shit, Annie, don’t cry.” Caleb’s voice softens immediately. “I know this sucks, and yeah, what you did was wrong, but Colt will calm down eventually. But you will need to take responsibility for your actions—”

“Is this all because I stopped you from getting laid with that heiress?” I snap, louder than I mean to, annoyed that he won’t just help me out.

“No, Annie, don’t be a brat,” he says, walking over to the chair and dropping into it.

“I am not a brat!” I shoot back. “It was my fucking birthday, and stuff happened that made me feel uncomfortable. I had every right to have a drink if I wanted one.”

His jaw tightens. “There it is. That attitude right there. Always thinking you’re entitled to whatever you want. News flash, Annie, just because you’re the daughter of a famous rock star doesn’t mean the world owes you anything. Life can be shit. Bad things happen. You don’t get to dodge it by doing something reckless and then acting as if none of it counts.”

“I am normal, ass—”

“No, Annie, you’re not living a normal life, and you know it.” He leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “You live in a mansion. You get taught at home. You’ve grown up surrounded by music and connections, and yeah, that’s amazing, but it also means your life doesn’t look like most people’s. Mine doesn’t either, and I know that. But I’ve never gone around drinking before I was allowed to or taking advantage of everything just because it was there.”