When we get to the bar, Matt drops Amber and me off at the door, then goes to park.
"Seriously?" I say to Amber. "Did you tell him I can't walk?"
"No." She rolls her eyes. "Geez, Kira, he was just being nice. Don't read so much into everything."
"You're right. I'm sorry." I force out a smile, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. That's why I'm crabby. When my leg aches like this, it reminds me of my injury and puts me in a bad mood. But if I'm ever going to get past this and achieve my dream, I need to stay positive, even when I'm in pain. So tonight, I'm going to smile and have a good time and be happy to be here with my best friend.
Matt meets up with us and when we get inside, he pays the cover charge for all three of us. He may be kind of boring but he's a really nice guy. That's probably why Amber likes him.
"It's freezing in here," Amber says, shivering in her sleeveless dress.
Matt puts his arm around her. "You want to go back and get a sweater or something?"
"Could we? I know it's a pain to go all the way back but—"
"It's not a big deal." He kisses her. "I'll go get the car."
"Matt, wait." She turns to me. "Kira, could you stay here and get us a table? "
"Sure. Go ahead."
She hugs me. "Thanks! We won't be long, I swear." She takes off with Matt.
"Sorry," a girl says, bumping into me.
"It's okay." I'm blocking the entrance so I turn and follow everyone into the main section of the bar. It's a big place, and the lights are dim, so it's hard to see. There's a stage up front with equipment set up. The band hasn't started playing yet but club music is pumping through the speakers.
I spot a table in the middle toward the back and make my way over there, sneaking through the crowd.
It's strange being out like this. It seems like forever since I've had an actual night out with people my age. All last year I spent every Saturday night watching TV in my room, listening to my brothers fight with each other while my parents yelled at them to be quiet.
It's good I'm no longer there. It was definitely time for a change. I needed to get out of my parents' house. Out of Michigan. Out of my comfort zone. Maybe living on my own will prove to my parents that I'm not weak and fragile, and that I actually can become the athlete I used to be. And if not, I'll at least prove that to myself. Because miracles do happen. And I'm going to be one of them.
Chapter Three
Austin
There's a big banner over the bar with our name on it. Dylan has a friend who works at a print shop and makes all kinds of promo stuff for us for a really cheap price.
I love seeing that banner. It makes me feel like we're a real band. A band that could actually be something more than just some guys who like playing music together in their free time. We've never talked about it, but I think we should make a demo and send it out to record companies, just to see if anything would happen. It might not, but what the hell? Why not try? We're popular here in Chicago, so why couldn't we be popular elsewhere?
"I love Vandyl!" some girl yells as she looks up at the sign. She's drunk and spilling her drink as her hands wave around. Her friend is just as drunk and yells, "Vandyl!"
Vandyl is the name of our band. It's a combination of Van and Dylan. They started the band and named it before I joined. They needed a guitarist so they put an ad online and that's how I found them. We clicked right away and the rest is history.
"Austin," the bartender says. I turn and see him holding a bottle of water.
I take it from him. "Thanks. What do I owe you?"
"It's on the house. Good luck tonight." He gives me a nod, then goes to take drink orders.
The band always gets free drinks, but I still offer to pay because I don't like to assume. I always stick with water. Van and Dylan do too. We agreed when we formed the band that there's no getting drunk before or during a show. And there's no drugs, period. I'm not hanging around that shit, or around people who are into that, and luckily Van and Dylan feel the same way. They both get drunk after a show, but that's it. Just alcohol, no drugs.
There's a back room at the bar where we can hang out before we play, but as I'm heading over there, I stop when I see a girl. It's her face that catches my eye. She's pretty, but not in that done-up kind of way, like most of the girls here. This girl isn't wearing much makeup, or maybe she's not wearing any at all. It's hard to tell from where I'm at. She has a slight smile on her face as she makes her way through the crowd. She seems to be heading for a table, her eyes focused on it. I wonder if she's with someone. Maybe that's what the smile's for. He's probably waiting for her.
The people in front of me move, allowing me a better look at the girl. Now I can see her body, and damn, she's hot. This girl works out. I can see the definition in her arms. But it's not too much. Some of the girls at the gym work out to the point that they have almost no body fat, leaving them with all muscle. No womanly curves, no softness.
This girl has curves, and yet she still has muscle. My eyes linger on her breasts, and when I lower them, I can see her lean torso. She's wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans that hug her round ass. Shit, she's got a perfect body.
Boyfriend or not, I gotta go say hello to this girl. I reach her just as she approaches the table she was eyeing. Some guys sit down there and her face falls.
"You want that table?" I ask, pointing to it.
"What?" She steps back, like I startled her.
"Did you want that table?"
She stares at me and I stare back. I can't help it. Her face is even prettier up close, and she has these big, deep brown eyes.
"Um, yeah," she says, "but I'll just find another one."
I step up to the table and talk to the guys. "Hey, do you guys mind moving? I was holding this table for a friend."
They nod at me in that way that says they know who I am and are fans.
"No problem," the one guy says. They get up and leave.
I hold out a chair for the girl. "It's all yours."
"Thank you." She smiles, and this time it's a full smile. She has a beautiful smile.
She sits down and I take the seat next to hers. I have a few minutes before I have to go meet up with Van and Dylan.
"So are you waiting for someone?" I ask.
"Yeah. My friend and her boyfriend."
She didn't mention having a boyfriend of her own. Maybe she doesn't.
Her eyes do a quick glance of my body before returning to my face. I'm used to it. I spend hours in the gym and it shows, so I'm used to girls checking me out. But I don't spend all those hours in the gym to get girls. Working out is just something I like to do. I like the way it makes me feel. And I do a job that requires physical labor, so staying in shape makes me less likely to get injured.
"I'm Austin," I tell her, but I'm sure she already knows that. If she's here to see the band, she knows who I am.
"I'm Kira." She smiles again. "I hear this band is pretty good."
So I guess she doesn't know who I am. This almost never happens. The band is pretty well known, at least locally. And I'm known because I'm a Wheeler. Girls in Chicago know who the Wheeler brothers are because my brother, Jake, was named Chicago's most eligible bachelor last year. He was dating Ivy at the time so that title didn't last, but it boosted girls' interest in the rest of us. But even before then, people knew who we were because we'd hit the clubs together, and four guys as big and tall as us tend to draw attention.
"You came to hear the band?" I ask. I'm not going to tell her who I am. She'll find out soon enough.
"Not really. I've never heard of them. I just came because my friend asked me to, but I love live bands so I'm glad I came."
"You've never heard of Vandyl?"
She shakes her head. "No. Why? Are they popular?"
I shrug. "They're pretty popular here in Chicago."
"So you've heard them play before?"
I almost laugh, but stop myself. "Yeah. I go to every one of their con
certs."
"Wow, you're really a fan."
"You could say that." I smile. "Are you new to Chicago?"
"Yeah. I'm from Michigan. I'm starting college next week."
Shit, she's a freshman? She must have used a fake ID to get in here.
"I'm starting late," she says, noticing the questioning look on my face. "I just turned 21, but I took a couple years off before starting college."
I nod. "Got it."
I should ask her out. This is my chance to finally be the one to ask instead of it being the other way around. She doesn't know who I am, and I have a feeling if she did, she wouldn't care. And for some reason, I like that.
"You need someone to show you around the city?" I ask. "I've lived here my whole life. I know all the best places to go."
"Thanks, but my roommate's going to show me around. She promised to give me a tour of the city some weekend."
"Is she from here?"
"No. She's a friend of mine from back home. We grew up together. She's just here for college, like me."
"No offense to your friend, but she won't be as good a tour guide as me. I know things only the locals know."
"Oh, really?" She turns toward me more and smiles. "Like what?"
"Best pizza places. Best bars. Best clubs. Best movie theaters."
"I could probably find that stuff out online."
Damn, she's really making me work here. I thought I was feeling some chemistry between us but maybe it's all one-sided. There's no doubt I'm attracted to this girl. And although I just met her, I already like her. I like that she showed up in jeans and a t-shirt when every other girl here is dressed up. It shows she's confident enough to wear what she wants instead of trying to match everyone else. I also like that she smiles a lot. I'm tired of girls that always have a pout on their face. They think it's sexy but it just makes them look like they're mad. And what guy wants to look at that all night?
And the other reason I like her? Because she turned me down. I think it's a Wheeler trait. My brothers and I tend to be attracted to girls who turn us down. Nash spent weeks trying to get Callie to go out with him, and it took Jake months to convince Ivy to go on a date. They were the only two girls who ever turned them down. They had to work hard just to get dates with them, but their efforts paid off and now they're in love.
I'm not looking to fall in love, but I do want this girl to go out with me.
"You can't trust what you read online," I say. "So what do you say? Can I take you out?"
"No, but thanks for offering."
She still said no? Guess she has no interest in me. I finally find a girl I really like and she won't even go on a date with me.
I hold up my phone. "Will you at least take my number? That way you can call me if you have any questions."
"What questions would I have?" She still has a smile on her face. She has this whole time, so does that mean she's interested? But she turned me down, and she doesn't seem to want my number.
"Austin!" some girl yells. I don't know her but she's got her eye on me as she stumbles through the crowd. She's drunk, and I try to avoid drunk fans before a concert.
"I need to go," I say to Kira. "It was nice meeting you." I offer her my hand.
"You too." She shakes my hand. Her hands are soft and small but she has a good, firm handshake.
"Enjoy the show," I tell her, then quickly get up from the table before the drunk girl reaches me.
I hurry off to the back room. Van is leaned back in his chair, twirling his drumsticks around while Dylan paces the floor.
"Where you been?" Van asks.
"Out talking to some girl."
He chuckles. "I told you not to go out there. Let them attack you after the show, not before."
"This girl didn't attack me. She had no interest in me. She didn't even know who I was."
Dylan stops pacing. "Did you tell her you're a Wheeler?"
"No, but it wouldn't matter if I did. She's not from Chicago. She's never heard of me or the band."
"Why were you talking to her?"
"Because she's cute. And hot. Really hot. You should see this girl's body. She's tight, like she works out a lot."
"Well, there's something you have in common," Van says with a hint of annoyance. He thinks I work out too much, but that's because he's someone who hates working out. He only does it to keep his body in good enough shape to attract girls.
"There was something else about her," I say. "I don't know how to describe it. She was different. Different than what I'm used to."
Dylan starts pacing again. "Are you going out with her?"
"I asked her, but she turned me down."
Dylan stops in his tracks, and Van sits completely still for what might be the first time ever.
"Yeah, I know," I say addressing the shock on their faces. "And she didn't say she had a boyfriend. So I guess she's just not interested."
"No freaking way," Van says, and then he laughs. "Austin Wheeler got turned down? Wait—maybe she's blind. Did she have a seeing eye dog with her?"
"Shut up. She's not blind. Not every girl likes me. Just like I don't like every girl."
"Yeah, but you like this one," Dylan says. "I can tell by the way you seem all nervous and shit."
"I'm not nervous. What the hell are you talking about?"
Van points to me. "You're fidgety. You keep rubbing your hand over your jaw. You never do that."
I drop my hand back by my side. "There. Is that better? You two are just giving me shit." I go over to my guitar. "You ready to do this?"
"Dylan's not," Van says. "He's freaking out."
I go over to him. "Seriously, dude, you gotta relax. It's one song. Big deal. And stop worrying that people won't like it. They're gonna love it."
He nods. "Let's go." He picks up his guitar and we head to the stage.
Girls yell out our names when they see us. We have mostly female fans. At least twenty of them have gathered right in front of the stage, making me unable to see the table where Kira is sitting.
When we take our break, I'm going to go find her and see if she'll reconsider going out with me. It doesn't even have to be a date. We could just go have coffee. I just need to see her again.
Chapter Four
Kira
"Sorry we took so long," Amber says as she sets her purse on the table. A thin white cardigan now covers her arms. "Sounds like the band's warming up." She glances at the stage but we can't see anything because girls are lined up in front of it. "Matt's getting drinks. What do you want?"
"Rum and Coke."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
While she's gone, I watch as more girls line up by the stage. Band groupies. What's with girls going crazy over guys in bands? I've never dated a guy in a band, but I do admire their talent. I'm not at all musically gifted, so I'm amazed by anyone who can sing or make actual music come out of an instrument. I think I'm not attracted to musicians because they're usually small and skinny, which is not at all my type. I like big guys. Tall. Muscular. Like the guy who was over here earlier.
Holy crap he was hot. I was trying to be cool and not give away the fact that my heart was beating faster just being near him. I haven't felt that way since...well, since never. My high school boyfriend was a big, tall linebacker, and I was definitely attracted to him, but he didn't make me breathless like this guy just did. I hope he didn't notice. I tried to hide it by not saying much.
Austin. That was his name. I didn't get a last name. If I had, I could've looked him up online. I'm sure if I did, I'd find out he has a girlfriend. There's no way someone that hot wouldn't have a girlfriend. But he asked me out, so maybe he doesn't have a girlfriend.
But did he really ask me out or was he just being friendly? He offered to show me around the city so is that considered a date? I'm so out of it when it comes to dating. This past year, all my time has been spent getting my leg better. I haven't been on a date since before the accident. I'm out of practice. I'm going
to have to ask Amber for dating advice, not that I'll be going on any dates. I'm not looking for a boyfriend. But I guess I could still go on a date. So why did I turn that guy down? Probably because he made me nervous. I don't generally get nervous around guys, but that guy had my body reacting in ways that surprised even me. Maybe I wasn't nervous. Maybe I was just turned on.
"Here you go." Amber hands me my drink and sits down beside me. "They still haven't started?" She leans up to try to see the stage.
Matt sits next to her as a loud tapping sound comes over the speakers. "Sounds like they're having issues with the mic."
"Thanks for getting the table," Amber says to me.
"I almost didn't get it. It was one of the last open tables and some guys took it before I got over here."
"Then how'd you get it?"
"This other guy asked them to leave so I could have the table."
She smiles. "Some guy did that for you? So where is this guy?"
"I don't know. He took off."
"Kira!" She swats at me. "That guy was hitting on you! Why'd you let him leave?"
"He wasn't hitting on me." It's a lie but Amber tends to overreact to these things so I'm downplaying it. "He was just getting me a table."
She turns to Matt. "Was that guy flirting or not?"
"He was flirting," he says, then takes a swig of his drink.
She whips her head back to me. "See? I told you. So then what happened?"
"He sat down and we talked for a few minutes and then he left."
"What did you talk about?"
"Chicago. I told him I just moved here and he offered to show me around."
She grabs my arm. "He asked you out? And what did you say?"
"I told him I didn't need him to show me around because my best friend already offered to do it." I smile, knowing that'll make her crazy.
Amber lives for this stuff. Getting people together. Setting them up. She's majoring in communications but she should really be a professional matchmaker. She's obsessed with dating shows, and I swear she's seen every romantic movie ever made, which is why I don't get why she's with Matt. There's just something missing between those two, and I can't imagine Amber settling for someone who isn't her perfect match. But maybe I'm wrong.
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