Nobody Falls for the Opening Act (Break the Rules Book 2)

Chapter 18

“Uh…” I stutter as Tesla sets the 8-ball down in the rack. “Actually, my friend is just in the bathroom, so we’re full right now.”

Tesla hums as she peeks over her shoulder. “Oh, is she coming back?” she asks, her voice velvety smooth.

“She is, yes.”

“Too bad.” Her lips curl. “I was looking forward to playing with you, Harvey.”

I exhale a split-second laugh. “You— you know my name.”

“Of course I do.” She walks around the table toward me, a pair of stunning black and yellow high-heeled shoes leading the way. I look her over without thinking, admiring her tight black dress and over-sized leather jacket. And fishnets, of course. Can’t miss those. “You’re Harvey Moon.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “And you’re Tesla Kyle.”

“So you do know me?”

“Know you? I love you!”

Her grin widens. “Oh, do you?”

“I mean— I enjoy you.” I chuckle awkwardly as she completes her approach, her stunningly brown eyes level with mine. “Your work. I enjoy your work as a guitarist. You’re very talented. That’s what I meant to say. You do good work.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say, Harvey.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m a big fan of yours, too.”

I blink, surprised and full of doubt. “You are?”

“Of course,” she says. “I’ve had Sideways Serenade stuck in my head all summer. It’s quite good.”

“Oh, uh…” I stutter, utterly tongue-tied. “Thank you. I worked really hard on that one.”

“It shows. Especially the wordplay in the second verse. Very clever.”

I blush. “Oh, uh?—”

“I nearly gave myself a damn blister trying to play the bridge riff. Your fingers are wild.”

“Yeah, they…” I pause as Tesla takes my right hand. “I mean, I try. But you…” I swallow as her fingertips dance across my palm. “Your guitar solo in Ignite the Night is incredible. I mean, talk about blisters. I’ve practiced it so many times, but it’s really hard. To master, I mean. It’s really hard… to master.”

“Well…” Tesla chuckles warmly. “It’s nice to know that somebody on Team Criminal Records has good taste.”

My gut twists with realization.

Tesla Kyle.

Guitarist for The Electrics.

I should not be talking to her right now.

Tesla notices my hesitation. “Don’t worry,” she whispers. “I won’t tell anyone you’re a fan.”

I breathe a laugh. “Oh, no. That’s?—”

“And it’s not like their little feud concerns us,” she adds. “I see no reason why you and I can’t be friends.”

“Their feud?” I ask, a little bit of sense coming back to me. “So you had nothing to do with leaking that video of Harmony to Gossipa? Or the pin in our tire?”

Tesla rolls her eyes. “I play guitar and I make clothes. I don’t have time for cheap tricks.”

“Got plenty of time to hang out in college bars, though.”

“Logan’s got a hate-boner for Knox,” she says. “I think it’s silly. We should all be working together, not tearing each other down.”

“Right! Yes.” I nod. “Exactly. I’ve been saying the same thing.”

“In fact, I’d love to work together with you sometime.”

“Me?”

She nods. “I bet you and I can create some incredible music together. Don’t you?”

“Oh, I… uh…”

Tesla draws little circles along my wrist, sending tickles up my arm. “You’re too good to just be an opening act, Harvey,” she says, her eyes swimming through mine. “You deserve so much better than that.”

“Eh, it’s not so bad,” I say with a shrug. “Everyone starts there. Right?”

“We didn’t.”

“Oh. Well… that’s lucky.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. We know what we’re worth and we accept nothing less.” She shifts closer. Close enough that I can smell the cherry in her lip gloss. “What are you worth, Harvey Moon?”

I take a second to think about it, but my thoughts are a jumbled mess of confused emotions. “I’m…”

Addison.

Her presence tugs at me, the way it always has. I look away from Tesla and meet Addison’s confused gaze at the other end of the table.

Tesla releases my hand. “Oh! Hi, Addison,” she says.

Addison nods. “Tesla.”

“I was just keeping Harvey company while you were away.”

“Thanks,” Addison says, not returning Tesla’s smile.

“I caught the show tonight, by the way,” Tesla says.

Addison arches a brow. “Did you?”

“I thought it was great!” Tesla touches my shoulder. “Especially Harvey’s set.”

I chuckle to fill the tension-fueled silence. And to buy some time to come up with something to say.

But I got nothing.

“I didn’t realize you guys were still in town,” Addison says.

“Oh, just for tonight,” Tesla replies. “We’re heading to Topeka tomorrow.”

“Cool,” I say, finally finding some words. “We’re going to Phoenix next.”

Addison fires a discreet glare at me, but it’s not like our tour schedule isn’t publicly available on the internet.

“Ah, well…” Tesla steps back. “Maybe we’ll catch up in Austin during the festival?” she says to me. “You can buy me a drink and, uh…” She runs a hand across the table felt. “We’ll play.”

I nod politely. “Sounds good.”

Tesla bows her head as she turns away. “I should head back to our motel,” she says. “You two have a good night.”

“Goodnight, Tesla,” I say.

“Bye,” Addison says stiffly.

Tesla walks to the exit, winking at me over her shoulder before passing through it.

And then she’s gone.

But the tension remains.

“What the hell was that?” Addison asks.

I turn to face the table and start racking the remaining billiard balls. “That was Tesla Kyle,” I answer.

“I know who that was,” she says, quickly rounding the table to stand by me. “What the hell were you doing with her?”

“We were talking.”

“You were flirting.”

“No, she was flirting,” I say. “With the subtlety of a bullhorn, I might add.”

Addison glares at the exit doors. “What are they up to now?” she murmurs.

“Nothing,” I say. “She’s not part of the feud.”

“Oh, did she tell you that?” Addison asks, full of doubt.

“She did, actually. In fact, she thinks this battle between the bands is as stupid as I do.”

“Harvey, you know you can’t believe a word she says.”

“Why not? Katrina thinks the feud is wrong, but she’s still part of Criminal Records. Why is it so hard to believe Tesla is the same way?”

“She’s not like Katrina,” she says. “No one is. Also, no matter what she may think, Katrina is loyal. You’d never see her cozying up to Logan Shock in a college bar. There’s no way Tesla’s actually interested in you, Harvey. She’s just messing around.”

“Why?” I stop racking the balls and turn to face her. “Because a woman like that wouldn’t be interested in a guy like me?”

“I’m not saying that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that The Electrics are clearly up to something shitty, and it would make sense for them to seek out our weak links and give them a big tug.”

“So, now I’m weak?”

“No.” Addison hesitates. “No. Harvey, I don’t mean that, I?—”

“You know what, Addison?” I step back, my chest clenching with the hit to my pride. “It’s actually pretty late. I think I’m just gonna head back to the hotel.”

“Wait,” she says, exhaling hard. “Harvey, come on?—”

“It’s fine. Let’s just forget it.”

She steps toward me. “Let me explain.”

“You don’t have to,” I say, easing back. “In fact, you’re probably right. Just a moment of weakness on my part.”

She sighs, her big, pretty eyes full of sympathy. But I don’t want it. “Harvey.”

“You coming with or not?”

Addison clearly wants to say more, but she straightens up and nods. “Yeah,” she says softly. “I’m coming with you.”

I say nothing as we leave the bar.

See? Tonight was just two friends hanging out.

Nothing to get bent out of shape about.