Encore (Stereo Hearts Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

them, without a second glance? Have we met? What have you done with my Yoshi?”
    Yoshi muttered something, kicking his black Chucks on the ground, hands shoved in his pockets.
    Aria’s voice lowered. “Something’s going on. You started acting strange during the drive up here. Quiet.”
    “It’s all good.” His smooth voice broke, going hoarse in the middle of his sentence the way it often did, similar to the dark clouds impeding the moon above. That fracture in his bedroom voice often emerged when he sang, and in Aria’s opinion, it was what made his voice so different—so special.
    “It’s all good,” she mimicked, deepening her voice. She reached out and shoved him. He stumbled but recovered quickly. “Get the fuck outta here.”
    “Why’re you so violent?” he accused.
    “I’m only violent when you bullshit me. How do you not know by now? I’ve always got my eye on you…” She cocked her good eye at him, glaring with it. “I only have one, but I can still see you. And it knows something’s off. You were fine on the bus a few hours ago. What’s up?”
    “Look…” He chuckled. “Truth is… I do have to tell you something, and it’s getting harder to avoid. It’s eating me up a little bit.”
    “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. When you’re in a club and not bouncing off the walls, being loud as hell and assaulting every hot woman in sight, I already know something is wrong.”
    He hesitated, took a deep breath. “Remember that Sony exec I told you about? The one I performed two songs for way back?”
    She nodded. “Yeah, you said you put your whole foot in it, but he never called.”
    “Well, he called, and I think this is it. He wants to sit down and talk about a solo contract. I’m flying to LA after tomorrow night’s show, since we’ll have a couple days off.”
    “You’re flying to LA? Secretly?”
    He pushed his hands deeper into the pockets of his tapered jeans. He came out with a red lighter, flicking the flame on and off as he nodded. “Secretly.”
    “So, you’re leaving The White Keys?”
    “Nothing’s finalized. But if and when something is finalized, no, I’m not leaving the Keys.” He stepped forward and cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, searching her gaze. “ We’re leaving the Keys.”
    “But…” Aria stepped back, breaking their connection. “ Adam. ”
    Yoshi watched her retreat, keeping his body open to hers even as she backed away. “I know.”
    “He saved our lives.”
    “I know.”
    “Dragged us out of the trenches.”
    “I know.”
    “We didn’t have shit.”
    “I know, Bo. Damn. You think I don’t know?”
    “Would you really feel right going behind his back? Doing it all in secret?”
    “The exec says it has to be on the low.” He took a moment to drink in the look on her face then held his tattooed arms out at his sides, showing his lean frame. “Does my life stop because I play drums for Adam? Do I stop going after what I want? My dreams, my passion, my happiness? Do I put everything I want on the back burner, just because his feelings might get hurt?”
    Aria sputtered.
    “When we ran away together… I promised you I’d be a star. That I’d take care of you forever.”
    “You have taken care of me .” Her jaw went slack. “Yosh, we’ve traveled the world, playing shows, painting every town blood red, and having the time of our lives. We’re living those same dreams we whispered to the moon every night on that rooftop—dreams that seemed so far away it actually made us laugh to even speak them out loud. But now it’s real. Eighty cities, ninety shows, three hundred days. You’ve done more than take care of me—you changed my life. Both our lives.”
    “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life rotting away behind a drum set. I want to be seen, Bo. Seen… Heard….”
    “Loved?”
    Yoshi straightened. A lump moved down his throat before he turned away and faced the balcony