Page 56 of Louder Than Words

How do I know? It’s in the way she carries herself. Her posture’s near perfect, a toothy smile as she strides toward us, but she’s not as intimidating as I thought she’d be. If anything she looks rad as hell. Short brown hair shaved at the sides, hot pink lipstick that practically glows against her brown skin, lightning bolt earrings swinging, and a bloody necklace that saysGet Fucked.

“Jax,” she says, stopping in front of me and holding out her hand.

I take it.

“My name’s Val. Owner of this lovely establishment,” she says, sweeping her arm around... well, everything. “So, have you guys done this sort of thing before?”

I give her a tight-lipped smile and shove my hands into my pockets. “We’ve done a radio show, but for a vlog? First time.”

“Oh!” Her eyes light up. “So, we’re popping your cherry then?” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

I chuckle awkwardly and glance at Gareth and James. “Uh, yeah. Guess you are.”

She laughs and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Alright, if you guys wanna settle in on the couch, we’ll get started!”

James doesn’t even wait a second, he just barrels his way over, claiming his seat right on the end of the couch.

I slink behind as usual, heat crawling up my neck when I notice the only open spot is, of course, right next to Carly.

Sinking down onto the cushions, I keep my eyes straight ahead, trying not to notice as Carly very obviously adjusts her cleavage beside me.

Val flops onto the other side of me, and I almost let out an audiblethank God.

“Okay,” the cameraman says, adjusting his frame. “We’re on in three… two… one…”

He flashes a thumbs-up.

“Alright, Feedback Junkies! We’re back with another interview—but this time, we’re jumping across the pond. That’s right, we’ve got the boys fromBottom Linehere, all the way from Cardiff, Wales. Crazy, right? They just scored a record deal in the heart of Boston after absolutely wrecking it on the Blackout Tour.”

She pauses dramatically and turns toward me. “Here with us is Jax Owens—lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and judging by the comments section, apparently the certified heartthrob of the group.”

She grins and leans forward, holding out the mic. “Tell us, Jax—whatreallybrought Bottom Line together?”

She tilts the mic toward me, and I swear every thought I had dies right there on my tongue.

I clear my throat. “Uh, well… it basically started as a way for James, Gareth, and me to blow off steam. We played in my garage almost every day of the week. Then it was pubs—until they got sick of us—and then…” I shrug. “Decided to try things Stateside.”

“Did you ever think you’d end up here?”

I smile. “To be honest? No.” I let out a quiet chuckle. “We took a massive chance coming over for the Blackout Tour. One of thosefuck itmoments. And now? Can’t imagine where we’d be if we hadn’t gone for it.”

She nods thoughtfully, then raises a brow. “Do you think you guys will ever headline it?”

That one catches me off guard. I glance toward Don, who’s standing just out of frame, arms crossed. He gives a subtle shake of his head, almost like he’s reading my mind.

I turn back to Val with a small, nervous grin. “That... we don’t know.”

“Fair enough, fair enough. Now, something Ihaveto ask…” — she leans in slightly — “where the hell is Casey?” She gestures to where Desmond is seated. “Now, don’t get me wrong, we’re loving Desmond over here, but wasn’t Casey your original drummer? Don’t think I haven’t done my homework.”

I do my best to keep my face neutral, but the name alone is enough to make my jaw tighten. Truth is, I haven’t thought about Casey in so long I sort of forgot he existed.

Before I can figure out what the hell to say, Gareth leans forward, his arm brushing mine. “Yeah, uh… Casey’s a prick. Got himself kicked out. That’s it.”

Then Gareth leans back like all he did was tell the world what he had for lunch—notannounce a major band member’s exit.

Val’s eyebrows shoot toward her hairline. “Woah,” she laughs. “Brutal. So is Desmond just filling in, or is he officially in the band now?”

My eyes find Don again. He shakes his head once.