PERIPHERY | NH |

TWO

THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE!
MAKE SURE YOU READ CHAPTER ONE!

Hunter

"So Paul did this?"

Sliding my well worn bookmark into the pages of my book, I sit it down on the table before looking across the scattered paintbrushes and coffee mugs on the table to see Cooper dip a brush in the murky water.

"His wife had her baby." Reaching for my mug and letting the heat radiate through the light blue ceramic against my palms, I smile at him. "I guess he's worked with this artist previously and told them there was nobody else that they should go with."

My cheeks flush at the memory of the phone call.

Two Weeks Earlier

Sitting behind a soundboard in a studio by myself, gigantic headphones cover my ears as I work on the track in front of me, adjusting and fine tuning the background instrumentals when my phone vibrates next to me.

At first I reject the call, the number staring at me, only for it to immediately ring again and for me to deny it.

Again.

I rolled my eyes at the interruption as the screen lights up immediately, truly cursing myself for not putting it on do not disturb, sliding one side of the heavy duty headphones off of my ear before sliding my thumb across the screen to pick up the call.

"Hunter Gray." My name rolls off of Paul's tongue, the same happy tone that seems to always come with purple interactions. "My favorite prodigy."

"Paul." A smile creeps across my face along with the heat spreading across my cheeks as I shake my head, pulling the headphones off and hanging them on the hook installed on the end of the counter. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Okay, fine. Are you busy?" His voice is excited, not out of the ordinary for him in the slightest.

"I'm in the studio, currently. What's up?" Crossing my legs in front of me, Paul wastes no time in giving me his news.

"Charlotte is in labor!" A gasp flies out of my mouth as I squeal and immediately start asking him a million questions.

Paul was my mentor when I came to the record label all those years ago when I was fresh out of college, someone who just happened to tuck me under his wing and teach me every single thing that he knew.

Charlotte and Paul were like older siblings to me, going as far as inviting Cooper and I over for the holidays and random game nights.

"Yeah, so I have a favor to ask.." His tone is playful — one that always has me on my toes. "So I'm supposed to start a new project and I was going to try and work on it, you know Charlotte didn't want me to stop working but I'm going to."

"As you should. She's going to need your help and you can't really do that from inside the studio." Shrugging my shoulder, I look down at my nails.

His laughter comes through the phone, deep and rich. "That's what I've been saying but you know her, literally the most stubborn woman on the planet."

"Okay, you aren't wrong there. So get on with it Paul, I know your wife is in labor and you don't want to spend the whole time on the phone with me.." Trying to get the information out of him, it's easy to poke fun in his direction.

"Alright so this project... I talked to the artist's team about leaving. I've worked with them a ton of times before but with the baby I broke the news about stepping back." Paul takes a deep breath before rushing out his next words. "So I told them to hire you for it because you are one of the only people I trust to work in my place."