Loving You

XV. Overwhelmed

Thursday, January 21st, 2016

"Thanks, Kev." Casper once again handed the driver a wad of cash after he dropped us off in front of a large old theater in the middle of Arkhan City.

"Is this...?" I trailed off as I stared up at the nearly 90-year-old building that was probably one of the city's most treasured historical landmarks. Yet, despite growing up only a few miles away, I'd never once stepped foot inside Anatoli's Theater.

Casper tried not to smile as we headed inside, but I thought I saw his lips curl up a little bit. "Mr. Kline, the guy who owns our label, is known for renting out extravagant places. I think Benny said something about the house magicians putting on a short show. Maybe we'll be able to catch it."

"Even if we don't, this will still have been the coolest place I've ever been to."

He chuckled like I was a naive little kid, but I didn't even care. "There are way better places out there. Even here in the city. I'll show you."

"Hey, man! You made it. Late, as usual." Benny sounded irritated, but there was a playful smirk on his face.

"Don't act like you didn't check his location at least three times to make sure he was still coming." Ari laughed and Benny's familiar scowl was back on his face in an instant.

"You guys didn't have to wait." Casper's shoulders relaxed when he caught sight of the guys, and he instantly seemed more at ease.

"Yes, we did. Otherwise, who knows if you'll actually stay the whole hour. And then we get shit from you-know-who."

"Don't talk about me like I'm Voldemort." A woman came out of nowhere as we entered the building, and stopped at security. They looked at all our ID's before allowing us into the lobby where hundreds of people were mingling and gathered around several snack tables that spanned at least thirty feet. At least.

Casper rolled his eyes and followed her to a mostly empty corner of the room. "Don't pretend you don't love the connection." Turning to me, he hooked a thumb in her direction. "This is Princess Kelsey. She's technically our manager." Every word he spoke was dripping with irritation.

The woman was tall and slender and looked every bit the part of a beautiful, young professional. She actually could've been a model. She scrutinized me up and down when she finally noticed me tucked under Casper's arm. Her emerald green eyes narrowed.

"Kelsey Kline. And who are you?" Turning to Casper, without waiting for my response, she smiled sweetly and said, "Oh, how cute. I didn't know you had a sister."

Beside me, I felt his whole body tense. "This is Aspen. Our new keyboardist."

Kelsey's eyes flashed with rage, and she glowered at him in a way that made me feel like I was intruding on a sensitive matter. "We already told you. The music sounds fine with just the three of you." Cutting her gaze in my direction, she snarled, "I'm not paying you."

I stood up straighter and rolled my shoulders back, matching her glare. "I never asked to be paid. But thank you." I kept my voice as calm and polite as I could, which actually seemed to upset her more. "I'm just happy to play."

Something flashed in Kelsey's eyes that I immediately didn't like. Almost like she won an argument I didn't know we were having. "Okay. Well, then, why don't you play for us right now? There's a baby grand over in the corner. We were gonna have some music playing, but I don't think anyone will mind. Play anything you want."

"No. Aspen, the princess is just being her normal bitchy self. You don't have to do anything." Casper's stony expression never changed.

"Actually..." Benny spoke up for the first time, looking less bored than usual. "It might be cool to hear her play a little bit."