Voice of an Angel

Chapter 18- Interludes

"So I go on my own, got faith in the road

I can share that control cause I'm never alone

I hear the creator speak to me through whispers

On winds the voices of friends and of foes

I listen to omens, the things that he shows me

Shows that he knows me and helps me along

And follow him closely, where he goes mostly

Guidin' my path on this map 'till I'm gone"

The Journey, Fatboy Slim

Violetta POV

The thrill of performing with the guys was amazing. They'd sent me their sheet music and some performance videos so that I knew what I was doing. I'd have been able to wing it, of course. Sight-reading and sight-singing (meaning playing or singing music I'd never played or sung before) were things I was quite good at, but doing so live in front of an audience is never comfortable. I'd been part of a music competition where they tested your ability once in this way. All they do is start a metronome so you know the count and off you go, hoping for the best.

Dancing with Eli had been one of the highlights. We'd taken dance classes at he same time, but dancing together was not something we had done other than when our parents insisted on it. It had felt remarkably easy. Ash watched with amusement, as it wasn't often Eli showed anything but his cool dude persona. Jude had watched with a sort of longing, but didn't seem jealous. It felt more like, he wished he had the skill to try it.

It had been difficult to leave, honestly. Too many people vying for attention and basically trying to get in our pants. Even Ash, who normally didn't mind it that much, looked overwhelmed. Somehow we managed to make it out. I rode with Eli, while Jude rode with Ash. Normally, they went back to the studio, so that's what we did. My parents had ordered pizza, and made sure the Heineken was restocked. It was still hot when we walked in, and I dove into the gourmet veggie with artichoke hearts. The guys laughed at me, as Ash pulled beers out for all of us from the drink cooler.

I grabbed the veggie pizza and flopped into the armchair, leaving the couch to the boys. Ash set a beer in front of me, smirking.

"Worked up an appetite, did you?" He joked. Weirdly, both Eli and Jude frowned. Did they think he was flirting? This was just how Ash always was. He wasn't serious most of the time.

"Sure did." I said back with a wink. Take that, you overprotective oddballs. Ash laughed in surprise, then sat nearest to me on the couch before digging into a meat lover's pizza with gusto. Eli grabbed the Hawaiian and sat down with a frown, then shrugged and ate in silence. Jude grabbed the chicken bacon ranch and plopped between Eli and Ash, shooting me an unreadable look as he glanced between me and his friend. Funny story? My parents knew everything. That's why we each had our own pizza, after all. My mom had been delighted, and my dad just shrugged. They knew of my feelings for Jude too, but their opinion was as yet a mystery.

"So, you dance ballroom Grace?" Jude spoke out of the heavy silence. Swallowing my bite, I nodded. "Was it difficult to learn?" I glanced at Eli who looked like he was going to laugh. "I... want to learn, is all." Aww he was shy. How cute.

"Any particular reason you want to learn?" I asked.

"Well, there's a girl..." He shook his head. "That's not really the point. I was thinking that when we sing a capella as a duo, maybe we could add something like that?" Eli and Ash nodded.

"That's not a bad idea, actually. We're not a dancy pop group, but that would be kinda cool." Ash agreed. He turned to me. "Don't be afraid to let out some dancing either. People love your dance videos on your vlog." He said, waggling his eyebrows. Jude cleared his throat at Ash, clearly annoyed. "What?" He snipped at Jude. "Worry about your girlfriend, not Grace, hmm?" Jude huffed and rolled his eyes. So Jude had told them about us? I wonder how much they knew, but given Ash's behavior, I was thinking they knew it all.

"She doesn't deserve to be harassed, even as a joke, and you know it, Ash." He said, and Ash looked to Eli for his two cents. Eli paused mid-bite, his eyes huge. He looked to me and I just shrugged. He finished chewing and swallowed slowly, buying himself some time. It was clear that Ash was using his knowledge to give Jude a bunch of s**t. When the truth came out, Jude was probably going to kick his ass.

"Uh... as long as it doesn't bother Grace it's fine?"

"Is that a question?" Jude groused. "Look, we are all friends here. Teasing her and there is okay, but flirting like that feels wrong somehow." He crossed his arms, his most beloved pizza forgotten. I sighed.

"I get it, Jude, but Ash doesn't mean any of it." I insisted. And Ash, grinning, just couldn't help himself.

"Don't I?" He quipped. I smacked his arm.

"Stop it. Quit putting Jude on the spot with your damn teasing. He's going to lose his shit." I ground out. Eli grinned and Jude looked perplexed. Ash's mouth hung open as he rubbed the place I hit him. It wasn't that hard, the big baby.

"Such violence!" He cried. I huffed.

"Maybe, you should stop provoking people so much. It's dangerous behavior these days. I'm not gonna bail you out when you piss off the wrong person, Ash." Maybe I was being harsh, but he was being such a little s**t with Jude, it was getting old. Was he really his friend? Jeez! I stood up, looking at my phone. "I'm gonna call it a night. Eli, share that pizza with this sister of yours, hmm?" He nodded. Ash and Jude stood, both looking more confused than they should. I sighed. "No, neither of you is giving me a ride, I've got an Uber. See you tomorrow!" I hurried out of the studio before they could follow me. I dashed up the stairs and stripped before undoing my hair and taking a quick shower.

I tossed my hair into a messy bun with hairsticks, then put on black leggings with a wide waistband and a cropped black cami. Placing my glasses back on, and slipping on a pair of bunny slippers, I ran back downstairs and out to the studio. I wanted my damn pizza. I was not expecting the autumn chill to be as strong as it was. Damn. Ugh. I was braless, and my nips were hard as rocks. I slipped inside.

I could hear the boys talking.

"Dude, you need to chill the f**k out." Ash was saying. "I'm not interested in Grace or Violetta like that."

"Could have fooled me Ash." Jude sniped back. He thinks Ash has a thing for me? Wait, why does that even matter?

"Guys come on. This argument is going nowhere. Ash is going to do s**t that pisses you off, it's his joy in life. Besides, you're not dating my sister for real. Or is there something I need to know, Jude?" There was dead silence. Probably tons being said silently that I couldn't see from the foyer. I heard Eli suck in a sharp breath. "I hope you know what you're doing, man." Was all he said. Ash just laughed.

"Of course he doesn't. That's why he's a wreck." Ash quipped, then groaned because Jude probably smacked him. I opened the door loudly as if I were just entering.

"Hey guys." I called loudly. "I came to grab my pizza." Jude was the first to pop his head into the hallway. He grinned.

"Hey, baby." I blinked. He looked me up and down, then cleared his throat. "I'll get it for you, wait here, okay?" He disappeared for a moment.

"Dude why won't you let us say hi? It's weird." I could hear Ash protesting. Jude reappeared, pizza box and a beer in hand.

"I'll walk you back." He insisted, then leaned over to where I stood by the door. "You look cold." He whispered, eyes dropping to my chest. I crossed my arms and he grinned, his eyes back on mine. "I could warm you up, you know?" He continued his whispering. I smacked his arm.

"Don't be a jerk, even if it's fake, hmm?" I growled, walking the path to the house. And yeah, I swung my hips a little extra just for him. Payback's a b***h. He followed me all the way to my room. Somewhere he'd never been. He eyed the dance area and my eclectic Gothic Victorian decor, in mostly shades of black and burgundy. Bet he thought I liked pink. He set the pizza down on the small table in my loungeeading corner. He seemed to be waiting for something. "Did you need something?" He sighed.

"I was hoping we could sit and talk." He said, blushing.

"Maybe another time, I'm pretty tired." I said. His shoulders sagged.

"I get it, sorry." He mumbled. I couldn't help it, I hugged him. It might have been a mistake on my part, but I forgot all the reasons why I shouldn't get too attached the moment he hugged me tightly to him and buried his face in my neck.

"Are you... okay?" I whispered.