Read Love Evolution for Free Online Page A

ear.
    Marcus chimed in right away, in a falsetto voice, “ Oh Dwight, you are soo hot. Can you strum your bass for me? ” The two brothers burst into laughter, obviously highly amused by each other ’ s antics.
    JR rolled his eyes. “ You guys are such dweebs. Couldn ’ t you spare poor Avery here? ”
    Having lived in an apartment with two guys, Avery had seen this kind of humor before. It usually revolved around potty jokes or body parts. She smiled as the brothers continued their two man comedy act with batting eyes and fake kissing.
    “ Someone please, just shoot me now, ” JR groaned.
    Still chuckling, Marcus told Avery, “ Seriously, we ’ ve been here a while and have already warmed up. Take whatever time you need to get ready. ”
    She nodded and turned to unpack her black Ibanez, plugging it into the Marshall amps. Her gaze was repeatedly drawn to the brothers as they continued interacting playfully.
    Marcus noticed Avery watching them. The guy ’ s expression was wistful, and he kept twisting around the black band he wore on his wrist. He ’ d bet money that wristband had belonged to his twin. Now that Marcus knew the story, he understood Avery ’ s earlier emotions. It was tough to see the kid looking so lost and alone.
    “ Just a second. ” He raised a hand, cutting Dwight off. Puzzled, Dwight watched his brother cross the room. With a sidelong glance from underneath her long bangs, Avery saw Marcus coming towards her, and tensed up.
    “ Hey. ” He bumped her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile.
    “ Hey. ”  
    “ Stephen told me about your brother. I don ’ t know what to say, man. I just wanted you to know that I know … If something happened to Dwight, I don ’ t know … what I mean is. I ’ m sorry.  I wish …”
    “ Thanks, ” she interrupted, rescuing him from his floundering attempt to comfort her. His concern deeply touched her, though, and she rewarded him with a tremulous smile.  Avery was starting to wonder if this guy was something different than the media made him out to be. Looking down, she made some final adjustments to her tuning and gave him a nod to let him know she was ready.
    Marcus ’ sympathetic eyes met hers. “ No pressure, Avery. We already know you can play. We just want to run through a couple of tunes, see how we all sound together, you know. ” He turned to his drummer. “ JR, take us through ‘ Streets of Fire. ’”
    JR nodded and counted off, “ 1, 2, 3 . ” Tapping his sticks together to give the beat, he cued Marcus and Avery. The two began the raucous heavy metal song singing together with Avery ’ s riffs punctuating the lyrics like musical exclamation points. During the chorus, she echoed the last words of each line that Marcus sang. 
    Dwight nodded approvingly. The kid wasn ’ t just a pretty face. He ’ d done his homework.
    The band sounded like they had all been playing together forever, no one missing a beat. After the final chorus, Avery improvised a frenzied solo, her fingers a blur as she tested the limits of her instrument. When it was over, JR gaped at Avery in astonishment.
    Dwight threw his brother a knowing look, Marcus having filled him in before the session. He hadn ’ t oversold Avery at all. “ Rockin ’ ! ” Dwight shouted while walking over to give Avery a celebratory high five.
    “ Yeah, way cool, ” JR concurred, reaching over to do the same.
    “ Ok, ok, ” Marcus said, trying to suppress a smile. The kid was a prodigy but he didn ’ t want him to get a swelled head. “ Let ’ s see what he can do with ‘ Moon Rising. ’”  
    After jamming for a couple of hours, no one had any doubts about Marcus ’ choice for their new lead guitarist. Each additional song they played had only further solidified the decision in everyone ’ s mind. Finally, Dwight shook his head and told Avery, “ Dude, you are an ace. ” JR and Marcus echoed that sentiment as Trevor and Stephen wandered in. Stephen made eye