My footsteps echo as I race down the stairs, too impatient to wait for an elevator to bring me to the lobby. By the time I reach the ground floor, I'm out of breath and panting. Still, I straighten as the three figures make their way across the room toward me.

"So this is where you've been hidden away, huh?" Cliff asks in place of a greeting, flashing me a smirk. 

"Uh, yeah. I guess." My eyes drift from him to the two boys behind him. All three are staring at me as they step closer. "What... What are you guys doing here?"

"We need to talk," Cliff continues, crossing his arms. "Is there a meeting room or somewhere private we can go?"

"There's probably a conference room down the hall."

"Perfect. Let's head there, then. We'll follow you."

I narrow my eyes but fall silent, nodding. It takes some wandering, but the four of us eventually locate one of the two conference rooms the hotel offers. I let the others enter first, following close behind and shutting the door most of the way, leaving it open by a narrow crack. A long, rectangular table makes up most of the room, faux-leather office chairs lining its length. I watch as the other three choose their seats before sinking into a chair at one end of the table.

"So." I prompt, letting my gaze slide between my bandmates.

"We were wrong to doubt you," Cliff finally speaks, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips. "You make some amazing shit, dude."

"What are you..."

"I mean, that song you sent us last night? It's far from our usual style, I'll admit, but it's such a fresh take. The idea of equating falling in love to falling from a cliff... Sure, it's not all that original, but there's something genuine in the way you wrote it. Your voice seems to perfectly portray the struggle of admitting you like someone, and that metaphor of a butterfly... Cheesy, sure, but... We all agreed that we really liked it. It's a good first step to get us going again. Well done, Axel."

"The song I sent last night..." I echo in a hoarse whisper, staring down at the table beneath my hands. Too full of shock to fathom Cliff's words, it takes me a moment to realize what he's referring to.That song was supposed to be for Nikolas. I suck in a breath. I sent it to the wrong person. Suddenly, the boy's confusion makes sense. Of course he didn't know what I was talking about. He never heard the song.

"It was really good," Gavin agrees, sweeping a lock of black hair out of his eyes. "Honestly... It was better than what any of us could write—better than what we've tried to write."

"That song reminded us of why you're a part of this band," Cliff adds. "We wanted to say that we're sorry for making you seem like you're replaceable. We'll happily give you another chance if you'd like. You can be a part of the band again, if you still want to be."

I hesitate, tracing a knot in the wood of the table's surface. They... Want me back. And to think that, not so long ago, I was afraid they were going to kick me out of the band. I glance up, meeting each of my bandmates' eyes in turn. But they're not going to. I have a place here. I belong here; I'm a part of The Kissing Teeth. A meaningful one.

Cliff flashes me a grin, but I still find myself unsure. 

"That song wasn't for you," I find myself whispering. "I didn't write that song for the band. It was purely an accident that I sent it to you in the first place, when it was supposed to be for..."

Nikolas. As I stare at Cliff's furrowed brow, I find myself picturing the brown-haired boy. I find myself picturing more than the soft, almost fond expression I saw on his face less than an hour ago, but the rage and frustration he'd shown me when I'd first arrived at the hotel. I find myself thinking back on why he'd worn such an expression to begin with: the boy with dirty blond hair sitting in front of me, his sneer very much asking, why say no to an offer like this?

I shake my head. "That song was supposed to be for Nikolas."

Cliff barks out a laugh. "Nikolas? What the hell, dude? Surely you can't mean that dork from high school."

I suck in a breath. "What?"

"Are you seriously not over that weirdo? We're your friends, Axel. Your real ones. Nikolas, Elaine, whatever the hell that nerd's name is... Why would you possibly want to write a song about them, let alone a love song? You have us, dude. You have all the fame and fortune you could possibly want, and we're only going to get better the longer we're a band. What could that good-for-nothing possibly have to offer you? You're better than that, Axel. If you don't see it, just... Believe me."

I open my mouth to reply, hesitant. It takes a moment for me to eventually decide on a response. "Look, man, I don't want to lose this band. We've done great things together. I don't doubt your judgment. I just..."

A soft gasp makes me whip my head toward the doorway before I can continue. A pair of all-too-familiar brown eyes, blown wide with shock, peeks through the open slit. I stumble to standing, shoving my chair away from the table, but the boy has already heard enough. I can do little but watch as Nikolas races away, his hiccuping sobs echoing behind him.