Her lips twitched as her gaze roamed over the plate. "Your favorite, you mean." She picked up one of the cookies and took a tentative bite. I didn't miss the flinch she made when she crunched off a small piece.
"They're my favorite now," she confirmed, lifting her eyes until I was lost in her gaze. "You made them for me."
I laughed as she shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth, chomping down loudly and obnoxiously. She slid closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she laughed and dropped crumbs out of her mouth. They added to the mess I already was as they fell against my black shirt.
"Sooooo goooood," she moaned, rolling her eyes back as she swallowed. Once she got the bite down, I reached over the counter and passed her a cup of milk.
My cookies sucked, and it was no secret; they were dry as fuck.
Still, she ate them with a somewhat inappropriate reaction, and I loved her all the more for it.
"Thank you for doing this for me, Romeo. I love them," she murmured, pressing herself against me as I leaned down to kiss her. "And you're forgiven for being an epic asshole to me and my cookies," she added.
I laughed, bending to pick her up and carry her off to our bed, ignoring the mess I made in the kitchen. Life with Ryan would never be boring and fuck if I wasn't looking forward to seeing how she kept me on my toes for the rest of my life.
"Show me what you've got,"I prompted Griffin, where he sat behind the drum set in the studio we were recording in. Our new album was underway, but we were messing with some new shit and hadn't gotten the sounds we wanted. Nothing had been coming out right, and all of us were frustrated as fuck. So, we were taking a well-deserved break.
Griffin had been my shadow since we got to LA, and I had to admit he was impressive as hell. Apparently, musical talent was in our blood, so that was something we bonded over right away when he came to LA with me.
He spun the wooden stick in his hand before slamming it onto the snare drum's surface, his arms flying so fast they were almost a blur as he pounded out a beat. I glanced at the other guys who were behind the glass panel watching. Jericho was our drummer, that wasn't in question. But there was no doubt in my mind that Griffin needed to be making music.
I wanted to help him however I could, and I had connections. For now, he was happy to hang with the four of us watching and learning. But he was a fast learner, and I doubted that'd be enough for him for long. He was also fucking wild, and if he brought one more hookup home from some random club, I was going to make him get his own place.
Ryan didn't need to be around that shit, and neither did I. I was done with all that and didn't have room for it in my life anymore. I understood him, though. I was the same when I was his age, trying to lose myself in anything I could that might make mefeelbut not feel too much. Anything that might make me forget.
It was fun until it wasn't.
A small part of me worried for him, my stint in rehab coming to mind. So, I tried to give him direction. To give him something productive to focus on. He had all the talent, and I wanted to see him use it. I hated to admit it, but he might be a better drummer than Jericho, and Jericho was the fuckingbest.
Griffin finished his piece, grinning up at me while he panted lightly from the exertion of flinging his body around behind the drums. "Well?"
"It was good." I shrugged, holding back my praise. He didn't need to go and develop a fucking ego.
Jericho walked into the room and stepped up to the drums. He held out his hand, and Griffin passed him the sticks before sliding off of the stool. Jericho eyed me and tilted his head in a way that saidI've got thisand went to fucking town, playing the drum line from one of our most popular songs. When he finished, Griffin gaped at him as he absently grabbed the sticks back from where our drummer offered them out to him.
Jer stood and came to stand next to me, leaning against the wall and looking completely disinterested as Griffin played back from memory the exact pattern Jericho had just played. I was impressed as fuck, but I schooled my features, not wanting to give that shit away. When he finished, Jericho pushed off the wall. "You finished two bars ahead," was his only comment before turning and leaving the room.
Even I thought that shit was cold.
Griffin's smile dropped a little. "Is he always that much of an asshole?"
I grinned. "Yeah, pretty much. Ready to go home? Quinn's making dinner."
Griffin perked up. "Is Ryan going to be there?"
I pulled my phone out and checked my messages, smiling like an idiot. "Yeah, she's home tonight."
"Fuck, I'm going out. I can't listen to you two fucking all night again. I don't know how Quinn does it. I'm done with that shit," he complained, grabbing his bottle of water as we walked out of the studio.
"Don't bring any goddamn randos you find tonight home with you," I warned.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine."
Zen laughed. "Fuck, I'm glad to be done with that shit," he said.
"Same," I agreed.
"Thirded," True chimed in.
"What, nothing to add?" Griffin taunted Jericho, who rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Ugh," he complained. "You guys are fucking rock legends. Why the fuck are you all so boring?"
We all looked at each other before bursting out laughing. "Someday, you'll get it," I promised before grabbing my stuff and following my best friends out the door.
I finally understood what they'd been going through the past couple of years, how everything was worth it to find that piece of you that made you whole. Ryan was my missing piece, the person who patched my soul up and made it complete, and I wouldn't give her up for anything.
Our future was wide open, and for the first time in my life, I was looking forward to seeing where it took me.
