Page 72 of Fame & Chaos

A second later, Colt reappears, with Rob following behind him, and, instinctively, I straighten my posture and square my shoulders—confidence and presence matter. If I want to be a performer, I need to act like one.

“Hi, guys,” Rob says casually. “Has Colt told you why I’m here?”

“Sure has, Mr. Luxley,” I reply smoothly, flashing him an easy grin.

Charm has always come naturally to me. Men, women, crowds… it doesn’t really matter. When I switch it on, people notice. Dad says I got it from Colt, but I think it’s just part of who I am.

Rob chuckles lightly. “Relax. Call me Rob. Think of me as a friend sitting in on rehearsal. I want you to play exactly how you usually would. Don’t overthink why I’m here. Just play, then afterward we’ll talk.”

We all nod, though I’m pretty sure none of us are capable of relaxing right now.

I seriously can’t believe this is happening.

“Okay,” Rob says, checking his cell. “I’m just gonna step outside and make a quick call, then I’ll come back in, and you guys can start. Sound good?”

The second he walks out of the room, I spin toward the band. If there was ever a moment for a pep talk, this is definitely it.

“Okay, guys, group huddle.”

Annie, Aston, Ella, and Chad move in close around me.

“This could literally be it for us,” I tell them seriously. “So whatever nerves you’ve got, whatever bullshit is happening outside this room, leave it there because this is huge. If we nail this, we could have an album on shelves in a few months. So bring it. Everything you’ve got.”

The excitement on everyone’s faces mirrors my own as they all nod eagerly.

“Chad,” I say, turning toward him. “I want your bass kicks harder tonight. Make those drums hit like a fucking heartbeat.”

He grins. “Got it.”

“Annie and Ella, you already know your parts, so trust yourselves and just let it rip. Ella, if you lose your place without the music sheets, fake it and keep moving, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Ella says nervously. “I’ve been practicing without the sheets for weeks now, so hopefully I’ll be okay.”

I can hear the nerves shaking her voice.

“You will be.”

Then I look over at Aston and smirk. “Fat beats tonight, yeah?”

“Hell yeah,” he replies.

“And you, Caleb,” Annie says, pointing at me. “Sing like you’re singing to Indi.”

The words hit hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.

I swallow thickly and nod because… fuck. She’s right.

Whenever I sang for Indi, I poured everything into it because I wanted her to feel every word. Every lyric mattered more when it was for her.

“Yeah,” I murmur. “Good call, Annie.”

I glance around the huddle. “We good? Everyone remembers the song order?”

They all nod.

“Don’t worry, cuz,” Annie says with a grin. “We will totally rock this shit.”

We all laugh.