Page 80 of Fame & Chaos

People actually paying to hear us play.

Holy fuck.

Every bit of adrenaline inside me surges to life, and there’s only one person I want to tell.

Indi.

I want to share every part of this music journey with her because she’s the reason I fell in love with performing in the first place. She should be there tonight. She belongs there.

I’ve been trying to convince myself over the last couple of days to back off and give her space, but there’s no way I can keep this news from her. I need to call her and at least try to convince her to come tonight. Even if deep down I already know she probably won’t answer.

She never does.

Still, I have to try.

I slip out of the music room and head down the hallway. Technically, the first person I should be calling is Dad to tell him the news, but he can wait. Calling Indi will probably just end the same way it always does anyway… with me listening to endless ringing before hanging up, disappointed.

Pulling my cell from my pocket, I scroll to her number and press call.

For once, I’m so excited that I barely even feel nervous. I just desperately want her to answer.

The phone rings.

And rings.

And rings some more.

Despite the excitement buzzing through me, disappointment slowly starts creeping in. I pull the cell away from my ear, ready to hang up when her voice flows through the speaker.

I freeze.

Quickly lifting the cell back to my ear, I blink in shock. “Indi?”

There’s a small pause before she answers softly, “Hi, Caleb.”

Relief crashes through me so violently, I swear I could cry.

She answered.

She actually fucking answered.

“Hey,” I say quickly, trying not to sound completely shaken. “I didn’t think you’d pick up. I’ve been thinking about you since the other night.”

“I’ve been thinking about you too—”

“Really?” The word flies out of my mouth before I can stop it.

She gives a soft laugh. “Yeah. Running into someone from your past after six years is kind of hard not to think about.”

“I miss you,” I admit before I can stop myself.

I hear her exhale softly. “Caleb—”

“Sorry,” I cut in quickly. “It just slipped out.”

“It’s okay,” she says quietly. “You haven’t called for a couple of days, and I started thinking maybe you weren’t going to anymore.”

My heart skips. “You wanted me to call?”