Go On And Light A Cigarette

The question hung in the air as Jonas tried to figure out the words to form the answer.

Jonas was different than a lot of producers. He was still the youngest signed to Cake Records, for one. He was also making more money than the rest of the producers. He had the most clients since he was still the first producer most new artists worked with and he consistently brought in artists that ended up being successful. Maybe he had a leg up by being married to a big name in music, but the quality of his work held up.

Another difference was that he tended to be easier to get along with. Jonas found that it was easy to explain the business to artists that didn't understand because they had the desire to learn. He made the source material as easy to understand as possible. His goal was to seem more like a friend than a businessman.

Some of his colleagues didn't have that same mission and it made Cake's money issues in the past make a lot more sense. Hey Everybody's earnings were enough to pull Cake Records out of their deficit and even turnover some profit. When they finally started getting royalties from Rowan's album and New York Panic's new album, they could cut back on studio fees and really focus on music. And Jonas was more than willing to make things less expensive for artists. A lot of times, he found himself footing the bills for people he knew would do well.

But in being the clients' friend, he struggled with the line between professionalism and friendship. He'd heard some things that were definitely not okay with producer Jonas, but were perfectly fine with friend Jonas. Personally, Jonas didn't have a problem with smoking or drinking in a healthy manner, but producer Jonas was advised to coach people against those behaviors. He was also supposed to only spend time with clients in the office, but he did business outside his office all the time. Like today.

He and Mykie were recording that day, but they needed fresh air and lunch, so they went into the city to grab food. They weren't on a time crunch and it was nice to be stress-free. They could chit chat in peace and they were off the clock, so it didn't even have to be music related.

So, of course, it wasn't. They shared band stories and talked about the latest celebrity scandals. They talked about bands they had worked with and their friends. And somehow, Rowan came up.

So what's going on between her and Adam anyway? Mykie had asked, and Jonas simply didn't know how to respond.

He saw something there, but he couldn't get Rowan to spill any information. It felt juvenile to ask Parker to ask Adam about Rowan. It reminded him of the whole, ask your friend to ask their friend if they like me bit that happened a lot in his school days and Jonas couldn't be bothered. Rowan and Adam were adults and could sort out their relationship, or lack thereof.

"I couldn't tell you," he replied with a shrug.

It seems like they were close. I didn't know if they were friends or not.

"They're definitely friends," Jonas replied. "They hit it off last year when I hired Rowan to work for me. They've been almost inseparable since."

Do they date? Mykie asked, innocently sipping on her iced tea.

He snorted, both at the idea of either of his friends dating each other and the fact that the guitarist tried to play it off. "God no. Neither of them dates. Rowan likes to pick up and move and Adam likes to... I don't know. Goof off, I guess," Jonas replied, giving her a serious answer. "The incoming baby has made him much more responsible, but I doubt he's ready to settle down. Hey Everybody is just getting started, really. Six years isn't very long when compared to the big picture."

Mykie nodded. New York Panic has been around for eleven and it still feels like we're just getting started. I'm almost thirty. The guys are younger and in steady relationships and I'm... I don't know. Living the adventure of a lifetime.

It seemed he was right about Mykie being like Rowan. "I think they're the same way."

She nodded again and wiped her fingers on her napkin.

"I feel like I tell Rowan this all the time, but settling down doesn't mean the end of the adventure. I mean, if Parker bored me, I wouldn't have married him," Jonas said with a shrug. "And I'm not trying to hold him back. If he wants to move to Antarctica and sing to the penguins, whatever. I'll tell him he's lost his mind, but I'll support it."

The guitarist giggled. I guess that's true.

Jonas tried to think of a way to explain how he felt about finding "the one" in a way that made sense to musicians, but the words weren't coming so easily. He took a sip of his drink very deliberately, and the words seemed obvious after that.

"The feeling I get when I'm with Parker is the same I get when I play bass. It's the same as when I hear one of my clients on the radio and I smile because I have those memories of being in the studio at four in the morning, hyped up on coffee, while my equipment takes its time to warm up. It's the same feeling as performing with Hey Everybody when I was eighteen. It's the same as writing songs as a fourteen-year-old. It's the same as going to a concert or listening to my favorite songs."

Parker makes you feel the same way music does.

Jonas nodded. "The only difference is that music doesn't press its cold feet against me at night," he replied. "If Adam reminds you of music, I say ask him out. The worst he can say is no."

Mykie giggled again. I'm not gonna ask Adam out. It seemed like I was stepping on toes in the first place and I'd rather not make an artist I like hate me. I was just on the fence.

"I'm sure the toes involved appreciate it, if there are toes. Also, as your producer, I'm actually supposed to advise you against dating a coworker. Really no one has listened since Parker proposed to me, but if anyone asks, we did have this talk," he joked. Sleeping with a client was generally frowned upon, but in his defense, he was sleeping with Parker before he was Hey Everybody's producer.

She smiled. Of course, Jonas.

He still wasn't convinced that Rowan liked Adam, but he wasn't not convinced either. And now that he was thinking about it, he hoped Rowan and Adam were something. They could be good for each other. Maybe not perfect, but good.