Page 66 of String Theory


Font Size:

Oh—damn, it was his turn to say something, wasn’t it? “Thank you—”

“So,” Linsey cut in. “New muse?”

Ari’s ears heated. “Is it very obvious?”

“I think a couple of literal hearts floated out of my guitar during that solo,” Linsey said wryly. “When you get a vocal artist in here, you’re going to need, like, a fainting couch.”

Brian nodded sagely and twirled a drumstick. “You should mention it to Noella.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

When they finished the session, Ari bid the two of them goodbye and went back to the office with Noella, who sat down across from him with a portfolio. “So. I have a short list.”

“Are you going to tell me Bon Iver isn’t available?” he said ruefully.

Noella snorted. “Just keep an open mind, okay?” She hooked her phone up to the Bluetooth speaker in the lounge and flipped the folder open to the first page.

Noella had curated ten artists, six women and four men, for Ari to choose from, and she had audio samples for all of them, though three were artists he’d heard on the radio. He didn’t need to hear samples for those.

He’d been waffling about the artist’s gender. He’d originally wanted a man, but the fourth woman on the list had a dreamy, raspy quality to her voice that made him reconsider. It suited the song almost perfectly.

“Should I stick a pin in this one?” Noella asked.

Ari nodded distractedly and glanced at her CV. Maxi Greene. Only twenty-one, a rising star, or so the label was hoping. Her voice and headshot suggested a maturity beyond her age, with large dark eyes and pale skin over cheekbones that could’ve sliced cheese.

“We should definitely keep her in mind,” he said. The CV noted an album release slated for January.

He put two more in the Maybe pile, both men, but he was pretty sure he was going to end up going with Maxi. It wasn’t exactly how he’d thought the song would turn out, but he could already almost hear it, and he couldn’t say he was disappointed.

But when Noella was putting her phone away, she must have hit the wrong thing, because music played from the speakers again, and all the hair on Ari’s body stood on end.

“Who isthis?”

Noella pulled her phone closer and touched the screen. “Aiden Lindell, apparently.”

“It’s—he?” Ari asked. The voice was androgynous, lilting. It was a deep alto, but smooth, lacking any gruffness or cracks.

Noella tapped at her phone and, after a pause, said, “Yes. He’s—I can’t believe this—Canadian and based out of Toronto.” She looked up. “I’m guessing you want—”

“Yes.” The voice was everything Ari wanted for the song but hadn’t known to ask for.

Noella smiled. “I’ll make some calls.” Ari might have felt bad for putting her on the spot if he didn’t know that “I’ll make some calls” was Noella’s battle cry, and she was as bloodthirsty as any Klingon.

WITHOUT ARIin town, Jax found time to get bored. On Friday, before his shift, he slumped into the couch and pulled out his phone. Even mindless scrolling of an Instagram feed was better than staring at the ceiling.

Jax had followed Ari’s official account months ago. Ari didn’t do social media for himself, really—his phone, an antique BlackBerry he insisted on using to avoid straining his wrists, had an appalling dearth of apps—and his accounts were actually PR vehicles run by someone else. But Jax wasn’t going to stop following his boyfriend’s official account just because Ari didn’t actually use it.

Over the weeks, Jax had largely ignored the updates to Ari’s account, since they tended to be pictures and video stockpiled during the tour or reminders about events, products, or endorsements. Today’s picture was different.

Ari stood with his violin in one hand, gesturing with his bow at some sheet music with the other. Next to him, a slight young man with large dark eyes and fine features, somewhat obscured by a fashionable toque, was obviously listening intently.New collaboration. Aiden Lindell @AideL and Ari discuss vocals for Ari’s upcoming studio album. #dreamteam #thecountdownbegins

Jax started at the picture, at how Ari practically loomed over Aiden, but the kid didn’t look intimidated. Instead his body language and his fierce look of concentration spoke of something else entirely. He was eager to collaborate with Ari and make it successful.

It wasn’t that Jax doubted Ari. Even if he didn’t trust his own instincts—which, given his past, maybe he shouldn’t—Naomi loved Ari, and Murph admired him. Ari was a good man and would never betray his trust. Also he was pretty sure Afra would do permanent injury to her brother if she ever discovered that he’d done something as crass as cheat.

But that didn’t mean Jax was delusional enough to think Ari had suddenly lost the ability to recognize an attractive man when he saw one. Ari might, and was perfectly within his rights to, look at another man and think,Yeah, I would if I could. That was life. That was human nature.

And Aiden Lindell was definitely attractive.