𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 | ♬

𝐬𝐢𝐱

s o n g s : king of fall

"No, I'll think about it, Cody," I replied into the speaker, navigating the dark streets. Dakota and I had decided to stay on the phone until I reached home.

It had been three days since our little tree spot gathering, and unfortunately, Dakota had missed it. My hands were full, juggling three grocery store bags in one hand while the other held my phone.

"Think about it? You're coming, no way you're saying no to that," Dakota insisted about the beach party she'd been planning since forever. "You know I can't leave Logan alone the whole night," I explained, my voice resonating through the quiet streets with only the sounds of the waves accompanying me.

The street was deserted, a typical scene at night. I wasn't a fan of being out alone, especially considering Australia's collection of creepy nighttime spiders.

"And?" Dakota whined, "Oh, come on, babes. It's not gonna be the same without you," she pleaded through the phone, her voice a tad too loud.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment. "I don't know, mate," I responded honestly. "Let me think about it for a night, and I'll give you a yes or no."

My feet guided me home as I knew the way by heart. I didn't even need to look up to know when to turn - but maybe I should have looked up.

I collided with someone, and some groceries spilled onto the ground, prompting me to swear under my breath. The person I bumped into wasn't impressed either.

"For fuck's sake," he said, and I instantly recognized the American accent. "Can't you see where you're going?!" he called out with a scoff. And as our eyes met, it became evident who we were facing.

Micah fucking Hayes stood before me, clearly annoyed.

He scoffed, crossed his arms, and watched as I mumbled an apology - not that I truly meant it - and bent down to retrieve the fallen items.

"Of course, it's you," he said, and as our eyes met at the same level, I bit my lip nervously. "Now, this is just great," I muttered irritably, closing my eyes for a second. "Listen, I really didn't mean to bump into you-" I tried to talk my way out, but he cut me off. "Just cut this bullshit," he retorted, seemingly irritated by my presence and knowing I didn't mean anything I was going to say.

In fact, what was he doing here? Alone on the street?

I noticed he was smoking, judging from the cigarette in his hand. However I decided it would be better not to dwell on those thoughts.

"Just trying to apologize," I said, unable to hide the annoyance in my tone. He noticed, and there was no way he couldn't. Fortunately, he let it be.

So, we stood there, in silence.

"Okay, now that that failed you could stop staring and leave," he said blankly, leaving my jaw hanging. "Excuse me?" I said, laughing out loud. "You can't be bloody serious right now, ay?" I asked, shaking my head. "I didn't know that this was the new way of treating someone you work with," I said, pissed.

I got it; he probably traveled the last few days and was now pretty much fucked up. But that didn't give him the audacity to act like that towards me, considering we would have to spend a long time together.

"Just shut up and go wherever you wanted to go," he said, frowning as he stepped out of the way, his hand signaling me to leave.

"You know what," I said, snickering, "Gladly."

Putting my chin up, I walked past him, casually returning my phone to my ear. I could hear Dakota losing herself in laughter already.

"You wouldn't believe who the heck just crossed my path," I said dryly, well aware that he could still hear me the whole freaking time.

-☆-

It was the big day. Lydia had instructed me to wait in the studio while she welcomed Micah inside and spoke to his manager. However, it seemed the plan had a slight switch-up because she had mentioned they'd be in within 10 minutes, yet I could already hear their laughter and footsteps approaching.

Of course, they hit it off instantly - Lydia Redfield and Micah Hayes- a perfect match. While I might have held a somewhat unnecessary grudge, I wasn't one to let disrespect slide so easily. In my mind, I had every right acting mad.

Taking a quick glance in the mirror, I crossed my arms and positioned myself by the door. Right on cue, it swung open, Micah following Lydia. His manager lingered outside in the hallway. Lydia's smile faltered momentarily, but she quickly corrected it before anyone else could notice.

"Micah, this is Kova Banks," she said, pointing toward me. Apparently, they were already on a first-name basis. Great, just great.

"Oh, I've heard," Micah replied sarcastically, approaching me with a fake smile and extending his hand for a shake.

He left me no other choice than to play right into his act.

With a hint of reluctance, I took his hand, gripping it a bit too firmly - a deliberate move to convey that I hadn't forgotten - and released it with a slight chuckle. "Nice to meet you," I said innocently, flashing a smile that was met with an equally feigned one.

"Well," Lydia interjected, moving closer to Micah. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I think it's time for the two specialists to work together, hm?" She glanced between Micah and me before nodding in affirmation.

"Sounds like a plan," I said casually, heading toward the music box to ensure everything was connected. There was no way I was gonna spend another second in the same room as Lydia and Micah.

"Oh, I see you're diving right in," Lydia remarked. "She's always so hasty," she added in a mocking tone, hidden with a fake admiration, and laughed, her gaze now fixed on Micah, who joined in the laughter with a slight smile.

Observing them from the corner of my eye, she extended her hand towards Micah, a bright grin painted across her lips. I never thought that I would see the Lydia Redfield attracted to someone.

"Well, the job doesn't do itself, does it?" I said, tilting my head, my hand resting on my hip as I nodded. "Now that the music box is settled, you can leave," I stated as gently as possible, earning a frown from her before she decided to leave the room reluctantly, and clearing her throat.

"Sure. Have fun, you two, and I'm excited to see what you'll conjure up later," she exclaimed, waving her hands, giggling, and finally exiting the room. If she were prettier, she would have made an awesome actress.

"I see you've made yourself some fans in here," Micah sneered, watching as I stretched myself to warm up. Little did I know- I was warming up for nothing.

"Plenty," I replied drily, eager to end this conversation and dive into the real deal.