Kit shoots Joel a really? look.
Joel nods, really. "You should chime in about how Piper is perfect. You really think her older brothers are going to disagree?"
Mal clears his throat. He shoots the other guys a stern look. That's enough to get them to shift back into their seats.
They look to me.
"Go on, Lacey," Mal says.
I do. I explain the second concept—Mal chasing a woman through a series of to be determined locations, then finding out she's a ghost, then realizing he's a ghost too. The guys like the idea. Well, they like that they don't necessarily have to participate. But they're still lacking that fire in their eyes.
Okay.
Concept three is the best one by far.
They need to love this.
I need to convince them.
I don't wait for any more commentary. I launch into an explanation of the idea—the guys coming out of the ocean as sea monsters, terrifying the crowd until they get close enough to the Dangerous Noise concert that everyone can happily party together.
This time, their eyes light up.
Joel starts bouncing with the frantic energy I often see in drummers.
Ethan too.
Kit's dark eyes get brighter. He half-smiles.
They like it.
No, they love it.
I tap my fingers against my thighs. "What do you think?" My heart pounds against my chest. It's loud, my heart. It's loud enough to drown out my thoughts.
"We should be naked for real," Joel says.
Ethan shoots him an incredulous look. "You really need more people to see your cock? You've been through what, two thousand women?"
"Still less than you," Joel says. "I want my wife to have something fun to watch."
Ethan teases back. "We know her name is Bella. You don't always have to call her your wife every time you bring her up."
"Nobody is stopping you from marrying Valentine if you're jealous." Joel shrugs with a take that.
"I'm not in a rush," Ethan says.
"Or you can't commit. It's been four years of dating now," Joel says.
"Five," Ethan says.
"With a two year break in the middle," Mal adds.
"His fault," Joel says.
Mal nods probably but there's concern in his eyes.
"I don't want my decision to get married fueled by beer," Ethan says.