by Mary Cope
Mason and I smiled at each other when the principal announced our graduating class. We placed our tassel from the right side to the left as clapping and ear-splitting cries surrounded us. We both laughed and tossed our hats in the air. Seconds later, a sea of silver and blue graduation caps rained down upon us. Mason hugged me tight. I glanced over his shoulder and saw that Melissa was fast approaching. She grabbed us both for a group hug.
“We did it!” She squealed. Mason and I both laughed. She hugged me again and then grabbed my brother for a passionate kiss.
I left their side to go and retrieve my hat. I found one. It wasn’t mine, but I guessed it didn’t matter. I tucked it under my arm and glanced up to the bleachers. A parade of parents and grandparents were making their way to the field. I stood for a minute to take it all in.
A gentle tugging on my gown made me turn around. His blue eyes roamed over my face, gauging my reaction. All I could do was stand there. He picked up my gold cords.
“You always were too smart for me.” His smile was guarded, but beautiful just the same. I exhaled and tried to think of what to say to him, but it didn’t make any difference. Several girls grabbed for his blue robe, pulling him away from me. He tried to resist, but I just walked away. When I glanced back, he was gone.
I turned when I heard Melissa shout my name. She was standing with my parents and Mason, near the exit of the field. “C’mon,” she yelled. “We’re outta here!”
****
Maggie was panting when we made our way through the front door. I had run extra hard that morning, and she seemed to be paying the price for it. Knowing I was going to be practicing with the guys later, I’d felt the need to clear my head.
I unhooked her leash, and she bounded toward her water bowl in the kitchen. I was surprised when I heard Mason’s voice greet her.
“You’re up kinda early. I thought you’d sleep till noon, like you did the last three days.” I reached in the cupboard and grabbed a glass so I could fill it with water from the refrigerator door.
“The guys are coming to practice. Did you forget?”
Mason was waiting for his frozen waffles to pop up from the toaster.
“I thought it was tonight.”
“Spencer can’t make it. Sorry, I thought I told you.” Mason grabbed his waffles, put them on a plate with some syrup, and started cutting into them with a fork. “Are you gonna be able to practice with us?”
I tried not to let my mind question why Spencer couldn’t make it later. “Umm, what time is everyone coming over?”
Mason swallowed a large bite before he answered me. “Eleven.”
I glanced at the microwave oven clock. It was 10:15 a.m. “Yeah, I just need to take a shower.” I drank the rest of my water and hurried up the stairs. I almost didn’t have time to think about Aidan and Spencer coming over… almost.
****
My heart rate picked up when I peeked out the front window. Spencer’s bike. Aidan’s truck. I tried to calm my breathing while I stood at the door that led to the garage. Glancing down at my white beach cover-up made me feel a little better. Knowing Melissa would be coming over and we were going to the beach assured me our practice time wouldn’t take too long. I only had to run through the song a few times. It wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
Mason was chatting with Spencer when I entered the garage. Aidan was tuning his bass. Kyle was scribbling notes on his spiral binder, and Derek was sitting behind his drums. I think he was admiring his newest tattoo. Glancing up, he saw me first.
“Lizzie’s here,” he bellowed.
All eyes focused on me.
“Over here, Liz.” Mason placed me next to Spencer. “You’ve got the words down, right?”
“Yep, I think so.” I turned my attention to Spencer. I glanced up at him through downcast eyelashes. “Are you ready?” I shyly asked.
He took a step toward me and raised my chin to meet his gaze. In that moment, I felt like it was just he and I in the room. His eyes were kind and almost apologetic. His touch was soft and gentle.
“I’m ready.” He gave me an encouraging smile.
When his hand dropped away, I felt a loss from the physical contact.
Mason gestured to Derek to start. The guys all joined in, and I began. Spencer took a sidestep closer to me and sang his part of the song. His look was so heated and sexy I was having a hard time remembering the words. My thoughts kept spiraling back to our night on the driveway together. When I emerged from my hypnotic state, I tore my gaze from Spencer and looked at Aidan. He was staring down Spencer with so much hate in his eyes it was frightening.
Spencer joined me in the chorus and shifted his body so he was directly in front of me. There it was again, that magnetic pull that seemed to be between us. When Spencer finished out the last line of the song, he reached out and stroked my bare shoulder, causing my skin to tingle. I managed to back away before I lost all control and lunged myself at him.
“One more time,” Mason shouted.
Derek tapped out the beat to the song, and we began again.
Melissa drove up and waved as she entered the garage. After she plopped herself on the couch, her eyes ping-ponged from me to Aidan and then to Spencer. Finally her furrowed brow settled on me. I knew that look. Nothing got past her. I could almost see the wheels spinning in her head as she assessed the situation. I tried to keep my distance from Spencer while we finished out the last chorus together, but it was too late. Her raised eyebrow and knowing smile assured me she had figured it out.
When we closed out the song, Melissa stood and glanced at me with the look then made her way toward Mason.
He kissed her forehead then stepped back and looked at her short beach cover-up. He strummed his guitar a few times and crooned, “My baby looks good in blue,” a few times. Mason’s affectionate display distracted her momentarily.
Spencer pulled his cell phone from his pocket and checked the time. He glanced at Mason, who was now sitting on the couch with Melissa on his lap.
“I need to take off, Mason, but I think we’re good.” Spencer took a step toward me.
“How do you feel, Elizabeth?”
How do I feel? I feel like I want to wrap myself in your arms. I feel like I want to run my hands in your hair and feel your perfect full lips against mine. “I feel good.” I looked away from his perfect face and cast my eyes downward.
Spencer crouched down so he could look into my eyes. “I’m glad you feel good.” His lips curved into a smile. “I feel good too.” He backed away and walked out of the garage. As I watched him leave, my mind was plagued with thoughts of why he had to leave so early, where he was going, and if he had a date with Kara. I flinched when I felt the sensation of warm lips near my ear.
“You used to look at me like that,” Aidan angrily whispered.
I whipped my head around to meet his gaze. His eyes were ice cold. “Don’t even start with me, Aidan. You’re the one that messed us up, not me!” I started to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back.
“Seriously, Liz?”
“Don’t twist this around and make it my fault.” I jerked my arm from his grasp just before Melissa approached us.
“Ready to go?” she asked. I was thankful she hadn’t heard my exchange with Aidan.
“Yep, just let me get my bag.” I stepped away from Aidan, dismissing the twinge of guilt I felt for the feelings I had for Spencer. I knew I had tried with Aidan, and he had hurt me more times than I cared to count.
****
After we grabbed a couple of beach chairs, Melissa closed her trunk, and we made our way down to the sand. I was expecting her to bombard me with questions about Spencer on the drive, but she was preoccupied talking about how sweet my brother was. I thought I was off the hook, but the minute we set up our chairs, she started in.
“What’s going on with you and Mr. Smokin’ Hot Music Man?” She was grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
&
nbsp; I just shook my head. “Actually, nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing. You guys seemed pretty steamy!”
“Melissa!”
“Seriously, Liz, what’s going on?”
I contemplated what I should say to Melissa. I had always been more of a, figure everything out yourself and hold it in type of girl. After a few minutes, I exhaled and turned my eyes to hers.
“I started to feel something for Spencer when I was with Aidan, but I thought it was just an infatuation. Ya know, ‘cuz he’s so good looking. I kept thinking I’d get over it.” I stopped talking. Everything had been bottled up too long. My feelings began to overwhelm me.
Melissa’s grin was gone. Her curiosity spiked, she shifted her chair and moved in closer. “Did anything happen? While you were with Aidan?” She held my gaze with the look of concerned concentration.
When the words started to flow, so did my emotions. I felt like a dam had burst as the truth finally spilled from my lips.
“Nothing ever happened. I mean, he never kissed me or anything.” The driveway memory flashed through my mind. “And it wasn’t like that… not at the beginning anyway. At first it was just us singing together. He knew I had a boyfriend, so it was easy for us to become friends. But the more I got to know him and watch him, be around him, things started to change. For me anyway.”
For once Melissa didn’t have anything to say. She was so absorbed in my confession, she was silent. After a few moments of nothing but the sea air flowing between us, she managed to say two words.
“Go on.”
I rubbed my hands over my face before I began again. “I felt like we connected, more than I ever had with Aidan.” When the words left my lips, tears sprang from my eyes. “I wanted to love Aidan… I cared for him. I still care for him. He was so sweet in the beginning but then got so possessive, and that’s not love.” I was sobbing now. “I tried with him… over and over I tried.”
Melissa reached out and clasped my hand. Her touch sent me over the edge.
I pulled my hand away and cried into them. “He cheated on me.”
The warmth of Melissa’s arms was instantly around me. The tears continued to fall as my best friend tried to comfort me. I felt her body tense when she whispered, “That jerk.”
I backed away, horrified, and realized what I had confessed.
“Please don’t tell Mason. Please.” My tears stopped as I contemplated what my brother would do to Aidan.
“Why are you protecting him? Liz! He cheated on you!” Melissa’s anger was palpable.
“I know, Melissa, but he was good. A part of him was good. I think he wants to change… he just doesn’t know how.”
“Oh, Liz.” Melissa hugged me again. Her body went from tense to slack. “You’re too sweet.”
“No, I just think he deserves a chance.” I shifted back and wiped my face with the back of my hand.
“Do you want to talk about what happened… when you caught him?”
“Not right now.” I was surprised Melissa didn’t push for more information. That was so out of her character.
“Okay, then, tell me more about Spencer.”
“At first it was just his looks, but his heart… he’s so good and kind. He encourages me. Makes me laugh. Makes me feel safe, special. I’ve never felt the way I feel when I am with him.” I wondered if I should confess my true feelings for Spencer, but I didn’t have to. Melissa said the words I feared to utter.
“You’re in love with him.”
All I could do was nod.
Melissa couldn’t hide her excitement. “Liz, I’m so happy for you.”
“He has a girlfriend.” My words halted her enthusiasm.
“What? Are you sure? But, the way he was looking at you…”
“I’m sure.” I interrupted her. “Remember that girl we saw him with in the restaurant?”
Melissa nodded.
“Well, that’s her, Kara.” I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples.
Melissa seemed crushed. “Are they serious?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I have no idea. That’s the one thing we don’t talk about. In fact, he still thinks I’m with Aidan.”
“What? Why?”
“Just makes things easier.”
Melissa seemed to ponder my words. “I guess,” she finally answered. “But, I think you should tell him, maybe if he knew you didn’t have a—”
I cut her off mid-sentence. “No, Melissa, I don’t want to get in the way. I hate to admit it, but Kara’s sweet. They’d be good together, and even though it hurts, I want him to be happy. He deserves that.”
Melissa’s eyes glazed over. She sat silent for a few moments, a tear fell from her cheek. “If that isn’t love I don’t know what is.” She sniffed. Seeing my matter-of-fact friend show such unbridled emotion shocked me.
“Melissa.” I reached out and hugged her. Together our tears turned to laughter as we sat back in our chairs.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Melissa held my gaze while I maneuvered through the crowded venue. The band was in full swing, and Mason crooned in the background. The regulars were packed in tight. I was jostled on my way toward our table. I heard a chuckle as I brushed past someone in the crowd. My heart sank — Nina. The sight of her made me ill.
I made my way as fast as I could to the open seat and sat next to Melissa.
“I can’t believe she’s here.” Melissa scowled.
A few days after my beach confession, Melissa had ambushed me in my room. She hadn’t been able to wait any longer. She’d wanted details about my break-up with Aidan, so now she knew everything, and, true to her word, she’d kept it from my brother.
I glanced back at Nina. She was as close to Aidan as she could get without actually being on stage with him.
“I can’t think about her. I’m gonna be singing soon.”
Melissa looked me up and down. “Well, my friend, you look fabulous.”
Spencer and I weren’t supposed to go on until the second set, which worked out in my favor. I was so nervous I had tried on at least six different outfits before I settled on my black birthday dress. The fact was I liked the dress, and pushing all the memories aside, it was what I wanted to wear.
“Have you seen Spencer?”
Melissa nodded, and her eyes shifted to a table off to the side, near the back. My heart dropped like it was on the decline from the highest point of a rollercoaster. There he was… and there she was. Witnessing the striking couple sitting side by side made my already fragile heart ache all the more.
I glanced at Melissa and could see the pain reflected in her eyes. I tried to smile, but I just couldn’t and thankfully, I didn’t have to fake it anymore, at least not with Melissa.
My eyes darted around at the commotion behind me. Seconds later, I was swallowed up in arms of the young boy I had come to adore.
“Lizzie!”
“Simon! What are you doing here?” I reached around and hugged him tight.
“We came to see you and Spencer sing.” I glanced around, but I didn’t see anyone else.
Then my eyes caught sight of the people surrounding Spencer’s table. Simon was chatting in my ear, but my mind tuned him out when Spencer glanced my way. Seconds later, his family was headed to our table.
Shawn made it to our table first. “Hey, Shawn,” I said.
“Hey.”
“This is my friend, Melissa.”
Shawn responded with the teenage head nod. Spencer pulled up a couple of chairs and placed them at our table.
“Do you mind?” he asked.
“Ahh, no… not at all.” I stammered as I stood up.
“Elizabeth, I’d like you to meet my mother, Sharon.” Spencer backed away while his mother approached me.
“Hi.” I reached out to give her my hand, but she wrapped me in her arms instead.
“Oh, Elizabeth, I’ve heard so much about you. I feel like I know you.” She squeezed me tight. “My boy
s have raved about you, all of them.” She pulled back to look me in the eyes. “And the way you took care of Spencer when he was sick, you’re just a dear, dear girl.”
I was taken aback by the onslaught of affection and a bit surprised by it. I glanced at Kara, who was now seated at our table. Her reaction was similar to the way Melissa would handle things. So confident, not a shred of jealousy crossed her face as Spencer’s mom showered me with affection.
“Thank you,” I responded. Melissa raised an eyebrow to me before she lifted her hand to greet Spencer’s mother.
Sharon took a seat next to Kara while Simon and Shawn went looking for a few extra chairs.
“You remember Kara?” Spencer questioned.
“Yes. Hi, Kara, this is my friend Melissa.”
My faithful best friend looked Kara over before she gave a curt “Hello.”
The boys soon returned with the chairs, and the awkward introductions were over. Spencer pulled out a chair next to Kara and sat down. Our table was cozy, to say the least.
My cell phone was face down on the table when it vibrated. I picked it up and Melissa’s name flashed across the screen. I glanced down at it and almost laughed out loud when I read the words.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
I closed my cell phone and shot her the look to be nice. I stuffed my cell in my purse and focused my attention toward our boisterous table. Between Spencer’s mom, Simon, Kara, and Melissa, it was a wonder we could still hear Mason singing on stage.
Spencer leaned in close.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.” My eyes scanned the packed bar area and dance floor.
Spencer reached his hand to mine. “Don’t do that,” he demanded.
“Do what?”
“Over think. You’re amazing.” His thumb swept back and forth over my hand.