Razes Hell’s last pub gig was exceptional. They played as if they’d never perform again, and the crowd was right behind them. It took forever for us to get out because so many fans wanted photos, autographs, and the chance to speak with them. It was almost ten when we got back to the hotel, and we wanted to eat before we went out again, so we rushed to the hotel dining room before it closed for the night. Surprisingly, it was still quite busy. Perhaps everyone had the same plan to eat late before hitting the town.
Dinner was the first chance we’d had to relax all evening, but I still couldn’t completely loosen up. I hadn’t forgotten the weirdness from before the show. The tension hung in the air, and I wondered if Mack and Joey were oblivious or ignoring it for the sake of keeping the peace. What made things worse was that I couldn’t figure out what caused the frostiness between the brothers. They weren’t fighting, yet their conversations were strained even though nothing obvious had happened to trigger the hostility.
“Should we all be sitting so close together?” I asked, trying to force myself to eat the spaghetti bolognese in front of me. My throat had closed up and I felt sure I’d puke if I swallowed another mouthful. “I mean, you’re not supposed to be seen together off stage.”
“It’ll be fine, Ells,” Drew said. “This place is packed. We have no choice but to share a table.”
He gave my knee a reassuring squeeze which helped a little. I moved my foot closer to his in lieu of being able to hold his hand.
“This was a big night. You can’t share that kind of moment and not feel a bit closer.” Jason leaned across the table and reached for my hand. “Lighten up. We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
I forced a smile, and pulled away before Drew’s insecurities had a chance to spring up again. I could already feel his irritation levels rising.
“You know,” Jason began, “we’re lucky to still have Ellie in our lives. Most people would have run away screaming by now.”
“Most people haven’t known you as long as I have. Whatever happens, I’ll always remember you when you were two little guys playing basketball in the back garden.”
“That’s how we met, right?”
“Yes. We played a lot of basketball that summer.”
“And had lots of snowball fights in the winter.”
“What’s with all the reminiscing?” Drew asked, his voice cold.
“I’m just thinking about how far we’ve come. We’ve been through a lot, the three of us. Not many people would stick with us the way Ellie has.”
“Not true. Anyone who calls themselves a friend would stand by you through anything.”
“Like when I was using drugs?”
“Yes. Like then.”
Beside me, Drew stiffened, and another weird look passed between the brothers. “Ellie’s pretty special that way.”
The strain hit a peak as Jason’s eyes narrowed and locked onto Drew’s. “Is that why you’ve been sleeping together?”
My stomach jolted, and my gaze shifted from Drew to Jason, and back again. The boys didn’t take their eyes off each other.
What just happened? One minute we were reminiscing about the old days, the next Jason spat out our secret as if he was talking about the weather. Mack and Joey stopped eating; Mack watching us closely, Joey staring at us open-mouthed.
“I knew it,” Drew said. “You’ve been throwing out weird comments all night. You knew.”
“I knew. I was waiting to see if you were ever going to tell me.” He turned to me, anger dancing in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We didn’t...”
“How did you find out?” Drew asked.
“I saw you kissing outside your hotel room.”
Again, my stomach lurched. Whatever reasons we had for keeping him in the dark suddenly seemed insignificant. There wasn’t only anger in his expression, but hurt too, and my insides twisted that we’d made him feel that way.
“Jason, I-”
“You don’t need to explain.” Drew took my trembling hand.
“Like hell you don’t! You lied! Both of you lied to me!”