MELODY

MELODY 42

┏  𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 ┐

She was beautiful.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Not from the way she laughed at what one of the members' jokes, the way she made funny faces eliciting laughter back, and not from the way she smiled when she caught his eyes or the way her face softened when she turned her gaze on Jackson. Sitting against the wall of the studio room, munching on a bag of chips with Jackson next to him, he couldn't help but to wish she just disappeared.

A few chords had him turning his head at Jackson and his eyebrows furrowed staring at the guitar in his lap. Jackson had quietly taken the snacks Leah had bought for him before he shoved it to Bryan, moving them both to sit as far away from her as possible. The woman hadn't made a move to near them either, preferring to stare at him from across the room.

A sigh escaped his lips as he munched on another chip, biting into it harsher than needed.

Jackson snapped his head up to look at him. After a few seconds, he said, "Is it good?"

Bryan raised his eyebrows, shrugging. "It's okay."

Of course it was delicious. He suspected anything Leah touched would taste good. Huffing a breath, he shoved three more chips into his mouth. Jackson nudged his shoulder. Pointing at the bag and then at his mouth, he leaned in closer as if he was waiting for just that. Bryan frowned for a few seconds before his face grew hot.

"No," Brian said, handing the bag to Jackson. "Feed yourself."

"I'm busy," Jackson said, plucking another string. "Feed me."

He stared at the guitarist, a little flustered. A part of him wanted to do it. It wouldn't be like he didn't want to. But the presence of Leah stopped him. Uncomfortable of getting judged, he refrained the part of him that wanted to indulge the man. At the end, he only shook the bag at Jackson, not moving to feed him. Looking straight ahead at nothing but the drums, the guitarist continued to play a tune. A tune that he recognised.

Keep the Distance.

Snapping his head back at the taller man, his breath hitched in his throat when the dark eyes glanced at him and a smirk played on those lips.

He was doing it on purpose.

Just as Bryan opened his mouth to speak, Leah's voice cut him. She stood in front of them both before she crouched down, pressing her knees on the ground. The tune died from next to him.

The cruel part of him wondered what had happened to her staring at them from across the room.

"Hey," she said, her eyes firmly on Jackson.

Jackson looked at her before he leaned against the wall. "Hey."

She had a smile on her face, making her look ten times prettier. He brought his bag of chips to his chest, taking a few to shove into his mouth as the bitterness spread inside of him.

"Well," she said. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

Jackson huffed a breath. "You can speak to him yourself, you know."

"Don't be mean, Jackson," she said, rolling her eyes before she turned her attention on him. He paused, swallowing his chips. Sitting straighter, he ignored the way she briefly flitted her attention to the bag of chips he was holding before meeting his gaze. "Hi, I'm Leah. You are?"