Love in the Mix (Love in the Mix #1)

Chapter 5

five

SEBASTIAN

T he soft hum of equipment fills our home studio as I begin to power everything up. The glow of the computer screen illuminates my face as I settle into my favorite chair, the worn leather molding to my body like an old friend. I stretch my arms above my head, feeling the satisfying pop of my spine as I prepare to dive into our latest track. My fingers dance across the keyboard, tweaking levels and adjusting bass lines as the backbeat continues to loop.

I glance at the empty chair beside me, knowing Xavier will join me soon. I take in the quiet moment, realizing just how far two kids from opposite backgrounds, abandoned and forgotten by their families, have come. Here I am, with the man that I love, in a home that we built together.

Growing up, “home” was just another four letter word. My folks? Ghosts with cigarettes. I still catch myself sniffing my shirt sometimes, paranoid I smell like that hellhole. I remember walking the hallways in school, being poked at by other students, bullied by teachers who didn’t think I could amount to anything. Just to be sent home to parents who were more interested in their next fix than raising a kid.

They did the bare minimum, enough to get by undetected by anyone who would’ve given a shit about me. They kept the abuse off my body, and destroyed my self worth instead. Love was a foreign concept, discipline a game.

But then, like a light at the end of a never-ending tunnel, came Xavier’s parents. At thirteen, I finally got a golden ticket to a real family. My birth parents ditched me faster than you can say “good riddance.” Overnight, I had actual adults giving a damn about me. For the first time, I felt seen. Valued. I had people who believed in me.

Falling for Xavier? Totally not the plan. But hey, spend enough time with your best friend and fake brother, and things get complicated. When his parents found out? Cue the dramatic music. It was like getting drop-kicked back to my old life. The shit they said, that we said, still gives me nightmares.

We chose each other, with no hesitation.

Things were hard at first, sure. But now? Now we’re living our dream. Our music is taking off, we have this beautiful home, and most importantly, we have each other.

I hear Xavier coming and can’t help grinning. Swiveling around like a Bond villain, I watch him shuffle in, nose buried in his phone, typing away at a message, only to erase all of it. His chair groans as he settles in the oversized seat. The sound of his typing begins to get on my nerves before he lets out a frustrated sigh, and I hear the swoosh of a message sent. He locks his phone and slams it down on our workstation.

“Wanna talk about it, big guy?”

Xavier runs a hand across his curls, messing them up in that adorably disheveled way. “I did it. I messaged her.”

“Oh, you did, did you?” I say, raising my eyebrow, grin widening. “The world didn’t end? Is your pride and ego still intact?”

He shoots me a glare, full of heat and just a little bit of vulnerability. “Shut up, man. You’re not funny.”

“Actually, I’m hilarious.” I roll my chair towards him, grabbing the arms of his chair, and pull him closer. “The great DJ Xav, master of the turntables, brought to his knees by a simple DM. What would your adoring fans say?”

Xavier groans, burying his face in his hands. “They’d probably tell me to get wrecked, and ask her for her number instead of mine.”

I can’t help but laugh at that. “Nah, you're still the prettiest DJ in my book.” I reach out and ruffle his hair, earning a half-hearted swat in return.

“You're fucking impossible,” he mutters, but I can see the tension releasing from his shoulders.

“So, what did you say to her? ‘Hey baby, wanna spin my records?’” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively.

Xavier’s face flushes red. “God, no. I just… asked her to join us. Like a normal person.”

“Boring,” I drawl, spinning in my chair. “You should have gone with my line. Guaranteed success.”

“Yeah, guaranteed restraining order maybe,” Xavier retorts, a smile finally cracking through his nervousness.

“I might’ve offered for us to be her dates, though,” he whispers. I stop spinning right as I face Xavier, my eyes widening in shock.

“What did she say?”

“Nothing yet, I just sent it. You literally sat here and watched me do it.” His loud laugh bounces off the walls of our studio. God, I love the way his laugh fills a room.

I reach across the console and grab his hand, squeezing tight. He finally looks at me. “I’m proud of you for taking the first step. But enough mushy stuff. We’ve got a track to produce. Unless you’re too lovesick to focus?”

Xavier rolls his eyes, but I can see the excitement returning to them. “In your dreams. Let’s do this.”

As we turn to our equipment, the familiar energy of creation buzzing between us, I can't help but feel a surge of gratitude for this man. My best friend, my partner, my everything. No matter what happens at the Valentine’s Day show, we will still have this. I honestly cannot wait to see what kind of trouble we might find ourselves in.