Knot My Band, Part One (Knot My Band #1)

Oli

PACK ‘EM UP GOSSIP COLUMN

ARE THE EDGE AND OLI HART DATING?

May 19th

I strum the guitar with my fingertips. Across from me, Aiden’s fingers dance across the keyboard, teasing out a melody that syncs with my rhythm.

“Try that again,” I suggest, nodding toward a particularly haunting progression he just played. He gives me a shy smile, more at home with his keys than with words, and complies. His shyness is endearing, and I find myself drawn to it, the way he allows himself to get lost in the music, almost as if he’s revealing parts of his soul with each keystroke.

This is our time to really connect.

“Nice,” I say, grinning, and I catch a flicker of pride in his soft brown eyes before he looks down, focusing on the keys again.

The lyrics to this particular song we are working on are sad, and they poured out of both of us without much prompting. I know we are both working through our pasts together.

I’m writing about my ex, Daniel Gates, and he hasn’t told me his inspiration, but a horrible, ugly part of me is jealous that there might be a woman in his life that he loved enough to write songs about.

It’s hypocritical.

“This song is going to make our fans cry,” I say before trying a different note.

“,” he starts, and there’s a tremor in his voice that pulls my attention immediately. He hesitates, his fingers stilling on the keyboard, and suddenly, it’s not just about the music anymore. “I know I mentioned it, but I’m writing this song about my parents.”

The confession hangs between us, raw and unexpected. It’s a jolt, but I don’t miss a beat—I’m all ears and open heart for him. His vulnerability cuts through our session’s casual vibe, and I gently lower my guitar onto my lap, giving him the floor.

“Must’ve been tough,” I say softly, coaxing him to continue.

Aiden nods, swallowing hard, and when he speaks again, there’s a weight to his words that wasn’t there before. “Yeah, it was…lonely before I met my pack.” His admission is a whisper, almost lost in the hum of the bus engine. “But it made me who I am.”

“And I love who you are, Aiden.”

“Really?” Aiden asks, hopeful.

“Of course. You’re kind and considerate. You always take care of the pack’s emotions and keep them from fighting. You’re a wonderful alpha.”

His smile makes me lean forward and kiss him, and I breathe in his chocolate chip scent as I run my hands through his hair.

“Maybe you would like to spend tonight in my nest with me?” I pull back and ask hesitantly, staring into his eyes for any signs of discomfort.

Aiden runs his hand down my arm. “I would love that, sunshine.”

Now, I think I’m blushing.

The bus door swings open with a creak, and the slap of footsteps announces the return of Dax, Chase, and Jack even before I see their familiar outlines in the doorway. My heart does this weird somersault thing.

“Hey, you two,” Chase’s voice ripples through the confined space, his tone as playful as a wink. “You cooking up some magic without us?”

Dax follows close behind, his own curiosity piqued, and his eyes betray nothing of his usual grumpiness. There’s a softness there when he looks our way.

“We are writing music,” Aiden closes his notebook so they can’t see.

I guess only I’m allowed to see his raw work.

“Sounds secretive,” Chase says, smirking while he drums his fingers against his thighs, the perpetual rhythm of his soul refusing to be contained.

“Aiden never shares his music with us before it’s ready. You’re special, ,” Jack says, sitting down on the couch.

Aiden and I exchange a look, and I know it’s the truth.

I turn back to the others. “We do have one song that’s ready.”

“-” Aiden grabs my hand, sounding nervous.

“Not this song, Aiden, but the first duet we wrote.”

“Duet?” Dax asks.

“Pull up a seat, boys,” I say, patting the cushion beside me. My hair is probably a wild mess from how often I run my hands through it when I’m on a creative roll.

Chase races over to the spot I tapped and wraps his arms around me. “I missed you, little rose. ”

I kiss his cheek. “I missed you too.”

Jack and Dax sit as well, waiting for me to explain.

“Aiden and I wrote a duet, and he’s going to sing it with me.”

Dax chokes on air, coughing. “He’s going to sing with you?”

Aiden’s cheeks are bright red.

“Yes, he’s an incredible singer,” I defend him, voice annoyed.

“Dax isn’t surprised because he thinks Aiden is a bad singer. He just refuses to sing unless it’s backup,” Jack explains.

Aiden shrugs. “I’m going to give it a try.”

Chase’s smile is enormous. “That’s great! Let’s go test it out. We have time before sound check!”

Their excitement is a tangible force, wrapping around Aiden’s and my tentative hope and bolstering it into something stronger. It’s the kind of unity that can only come from shared passion and respect.

The kind of thing a proper pack should provide.

We push through the half-full building to the stage that’s set up for our sound check. A few crew members are still out there and look surprised to see us.

“Trying out a new song,” Jack explains. “Could you give us a little time to do that?”

He’s kind and respectful, so the crew smiles and agrees before leaving.

I flick a glance at Aiden. His fingers are poised above the keyboard, the soft brown of his eyes locked with mine.

Walking my way over Aiden, I smile and say, “I have an idea.”

I come to stand next to him in front of the keyboard.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

I bump his shoulder. “I’ll sing here, next to you. It will be like all the other times we worked on the song.”

He takes a deep breath. “Only if you play with me.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I never play on stage.”

“And I never sing,” he counters.

With a sigh, I put my fingers on the keyboard and try not to let them shake. My managers have never let me play while on stage and even though it’s just the five of us, this feels big for me too.

I join Aiden on the intro and start singing into the microphone, propped up on a stand. Aiden usually uses it for backup vocals, but today, it’ll be our main one.

Aiden’s vocals join mine, and it’s hesitant at first before it becomes a rich undercurrent that gives depth to the melody.

The other guys play with us with very few mistakes, even though they’re just seeing the sheet music for the first time.

Aiden’s shyness melts away as he sings, replaced by an intensity that I love.

“Chasing dreams beneath the sun,” we harmonize, and it feels like our hearts are laid bare. The lyrics tell tales of our broken pasts yet hopeful futures. The notes float up, filling the gaps between us all, stitching us closer together.

Dax’s foot taps in rhythm, and I catch the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. Jack’s leaning back, eyes closed, lost in the music we’re creating, while Chase can’t help but bounce slightly in his seat, a spark of excitement lighting up his features.

The song finishes, and my stomach fills with butterflies as we wait for their opinions.

“Damn, , Aiden, this is… this is more than good,” Jack murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. I let out the breath I was holding .

“Feels right, doesn’t it?” I grin, already high on the buzz zipping around us like electricity. “We’ve got something special here.”

“Special’s an understatement,” Chase chimes in, his usual flirtatious tone tinged with awe.

“We should hit the venue early before all the shows and learn it,” Dax interjects. “Run it till it’s perfect so we can add it to the set.”

“Really? Add it to the set?” Aiden asks.

They all come over and touch him in some way with back pats or hugs.

“We have to, Aiden. It’s that good,” Jack says.

“Alright, then!” I clap my hands together, standing up to stretch. “It’s settled. We are putting out a song that’s truly all of ours. The fans will love it.”

“And I’ll be singing it?” Aiden clarifies.

I grab his hands and stare into his eyes. “Aiden, May poisoned your mind, but you’re an incredible singer! We are all honest when it comes to music, and no one would let you embarrass yourself. When this tour is over, you could be The Edge’s lead singer.”

My stomach twists at the idea of them continuing without me, but this isn’t permanent, and I need to accept that.

“-” Jack and Aiden say together with urgency, but we are interrupted.

“Did you still need a sound check? We are hoping to get on,” someone says hesitantly from the sides.

I turn to see Hailey from the opener band on the edge of the stage next to a crew member.

“I’m so sorry! We didn’t realize how long we were on here! Get out here. Actually, I would love to watch if that’s okay? ”

The Storm all come out with their instruments, swapping them with ours, where they will be put away until the transition to our act.

“Absolutely, ! We are just so grateful to be here.”

I hug Hailey before moving back to watch. The guys surround me, and Jack grabs my arm and leans in. “We will talk about this later.”

“Sure,” I whisper back.

My focus is on The Storm as they perform their first song. They’re incredible, and I’m so lucky they agreed to perform with me.

I might not have been able to secure an all-girl band for myself, but I made sure my opener was. I want to support my fellow female performers. I have my childhood friend, Anders, in my corner since he’s risen up at Alpha Surge Records, but not everyone has someone like that.

With the way things have gone, I can’t regret being combined with The Edge. They’ve brought a warmth to my life that I didn’t realize I was missing.