“No fair! I don’t know this song, baby!” she whines, causing a little bit of beer to come shooting out of my mouth. I quickly wipe my chin and sit back on the couch, still in utter disbelief. How can she not know this song? It’s permanently inked on her man’s skin!
“Really?” I blurt out, sounding like a complete bitch.
Olivia shoots daggers at me from her seat on my couch, “Well, I know that it’s a popular song, but I don’t know all of the words,” she says haughtily, settling in even closer to Avery. I just mutter an ‘oh’ and nod, finishing off the last of my beer on that note.
WOW.
“Sorry, Liv, you’re out!” Jesse says so cheerfully that obviously it annoys her. Adam clears his throat.
“That’s too easy for me. I want a new song,” he declares confidently as he presses play on Vic’s iPod. The look on his face when a One Direction song starts to play is priceless.
“Ah, what the fuck is this?” he shouts with a grimace and we all burst out laughing. He rolls his eyes and snatches up his empty beer bottles as he stands up.
“I’m out!” Adam scowls and with that, he walks over to the kitchen.
While we’re all still laughing, Jesse grabs my hand and starts singing along with the boy band song.
“How you ever get laid is a fucking wonder, Bro,” Adam says, shaking his head in disbelief as he sits back down across from us with a few shots of what looks and smells like tequila.
Jesse finishes his verse and smiles at me—one of those sexy, half-upturned, boyish smiles and let’s go of my hand.
Holy hell fire.
Adam has no idea what he’s talking about because that just jump started my libido like nobody’s business. I tear myself away from his smile and snatch up one of Adam’s shots. I hardly ever drink, but being around these boys lately has me drinking like a fish… or whatever the heck that saying is.
I pass my turn with perfection, getting “Barracuda”, and Kennedy ends up getting a country song by Gloriana from Vic’s selection and ends up out of the game. Now, it’s down to just Avery, Jesse, and me.
Avery goes, getting “Have Faith In Me” by A Day To Remember and I swear my head feels like it’s about to explode. I’m hanging onto every lyric as though he’s singing it directly to me, but my head is still ‘tsking at me that I should steer far—far away from this taken man and move on with my heart. Maybe even with the guy that just made a One Direction song get me all hot and bothered…
Jesse takes his turn and sings his heart out to an old school John Denver song. When it’s finally my turn, I press play on Avery’s iPod and the notes that start-up suck all of the air out of the room and my heart becomes so still that I’m not sure it’s sticking around for the rest of the night. I can’t. Not only is my body paralyzed, so is the blood in my veins. I – I can’t. There’s no way in hell I am singing this song. Not now, not ever again. My eyes begin to sting and my lungs start to burn as I try to unravel myself from the massive grip this song has on my heart. Before the first word rings out, Avery stuns me by belting out the familiar rooftop song that I sang to him years ago.
My heart feels even more like a vice and the searing pain in my throat is attacking every part of me. I won’t hold out much longer listening to his beautiful voice as it rips every piece of me to shreds.
“DUDE! NOT YOUR TURN!” Jesse shouts. The dark haired one stops the song and jokingly waves his finger at his blonde friend.
Avery stops singing, his eyes burning a hole through me, and he lets out a strangled sounding laugh.
“My bad,” is all he murmurs.
“It’s ok, I’m gonna call it quits anyway and head to bed,” I force past the aching in my throat as I stand up and walk off so fast I become lightheaded.
“Everyone’s just going to crash here tonight, Melanie. Is that all right?” Vic calls out to me as I hurry toward my bedroom, trying not to look like I’m running away, but even running wouldn’t be fast enough right now.
“Yeah, sure. See y’all in the morning! Goodnight!” I say, and quickly shut myself in my room just in time to cover my mouth as a soft cry escapes my lips.
I lay there in bed, tossing and turning, thinking and crying, fussing and fuming. When the gentle light of morning begins to show through my window, silence finally befalls me.
I’m a mess. This isn’t how I want to be, and it surely wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I didn’t know how to stop feeling the way I felt about Avery, but I had to stop doing this to myself and making everyone around me think I was a raving lunatic all of the time. Calmly, I take in a few deep breaths and try to exhale all of the anxiety from my body.
Unable to get any sleep at all, I decide to get up. I find a pair of shorts and a ratty old Goonies t-shirt. I figure I should make myself useful and cook breakfast for everyone.
I start quietly getting everything out I need to cook a huge meal for the group as a few of them lay sleeping around the room. Once I have everything going on the stove and the biscuits in the oven, I turn to find Avery stretching beside the fridge in his wrinkly jeans from the night before. Without my permission, my eyes travel the rest of him, instantly noticing that his black button up shirt is undone all the way down to the last button.
Have mercy…
“Good morning,” he says sleepily, his hair all mused up in a way that only he can pull off all day long.
I smile shyly, “Hey.”
He pulls up a stool at our small two-seater bar and wearily rubs his face before turning his attention back to me. Keeping my back to him, I pay particular attention to the pancakes I’m making, hoping that he’s brave enough to say something because I’m so much a chicken right now that the eggs I’m cooking could have come from me.
“Smells incredible,” he finally breaks the silence, twirling one of the thick silver bands around his thumb.
I flash him an over the shoulder smile. “Thanks. Hope you guys like eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage gravy, and biscuits. Oh, and coffee and juice.”
“If it tastes half as good as it smells, the guys won’t care what it is,” he says warmly.
Just say it, Chase. Stop being such a coward. Remember, no more hot mess.
“So, uh, thanks. For last night, I mean. The game and all. I don’t know what my problem was—” I manage to stutter out so elegantly, yeah right, but Avery slowly stands up from the stool and walks toward me.
“It’s ok. You don’t have to say anything else,” Avery begins, taking a spatula from the counter and aimlessly starts stirring one of the many pans on the stove,” but you know, I do remember.”
My stomach does a somersault as I look up, finding him looking down at me, playing with that damned lip ring. I swallow roughly, oh yeah, trust me, I remember all too well, too.
I break my longing gaze, and manage to push out an uncomfortable chuckle.
Change the subject! Change the subject!
“So, tell me what you think!” I exclaim, immediately grabbing some syrup and dumping it onto a nearby plate with a few pancakes on it. I cut a huge piece and shove a rather ridiculous size bite into his mouth.
He laughs as he tries to take in the enormous mouthful of pancakes I just shoved in there. Chewing, he raises his eyebrows and nods.
“Mhhpphhhhhmmmmphhhhh,” he mumbles, causing me to laugh. I hand him a nearby cup of coffee and he takes a huge sip, washing down the mouthful of food.
“Those were delicious, but that is not how you do it,” he says, grabbing the fork out of my hand. He leans past me, and cuts a small wedge off one of the pancakes and brings it up to my mouth. I raise my eyebrow to him, and he laughs and waves the fork around until I smile and give in; he ever so slowly feeds me the bite.
Something about the way he’s watching me is starting to get a little too intense. His eyes follow my tongue as I lick my lips and I swear I catch a hint of hunger flickering back at me, and it’s not for the dang pancakes. When his thumb gently grazes the corner of my mouth, wiping away
some syrup, I about melt.
“We can do this, right?” he breathes far too close to my lips than he should. He ought to know that I cannot be held accountable for the things my body does, even against my own will.
“Do what?” I ask softly, the beating in my chest starting up like a marching band.
He smiles almost sheepishly, and as if he reads my mind, he steps back.
“The whole friend thing.”
His words detonate like a bomb and blow that whole marching band to smithereens.
I force a half sad smile and nod, knowing that you aren’t supposed to think about throwing your friends down on top of a plate of bacon and licking syrup off his perfectly sculpted abs, but this is what’s best. At least, it’s what I was telling myself last night.
“I know none of this is exactly normal or easy, but if you’re not angry with me anymore, I don’t see why we can’t just be friends. I told you then that you’re amazing and I still think you are, so we should be able to be a part of each other’s lives.”
I stare down into my pan of gravy and then look up at him as I nod slowly; maybe this is exactly what needs to happen. If I can form just a friendship with him and leave out the rest of the messy stuff then maybe it’ll work. Maybe I’ll be able to get over the past if we can build something new together now that has nothing to do with… rooftops. That makes sense, right?
My silent nod must have been enough of an answer for him because he wraps his arm around my shoulder and squeezes me close for a moment before he steals a piece of bacon and eats the whole thing in one bite. He arches an eyebrow, gives me a devious grin, and licks his lips. That one act alone is enough that I may need to go change my panties.
Yeah, friends. Sure, I think to myself as I turn my back to him and bite my lip. This may not make any sense after all. I turn back to Avery, but his devilish look is long gone. I can tell he’s lost somewhere inside his head. I take advantage of the awkward moment and busy myself around the kitchen, praying for someone to wake up.
“Do I fucking smell bacon?” a muffled, tired voice calls out from somewhere in the living room among the pillows, blankets, and sleeping bodies.
I turn around and laugh, glad for the distraction from my sexy blonde ‘friend’. Not sure of who the question came from, “Yeah, are ya hungry?” I call out, my southern accent a little too thick for my liking.
I hear a soft laugh beside me and I turn to see Avery smiling at me. Before I can ask him what’s so funny, I hear an extremely loud groan from our living room area and I turn back to see Adam stretching out and roaring like a giant grizzly bear.
“Dude. You. Are. Such. A. Loud. Asshole,” Jesse mumbles from his place on the couch. I watch as Adam steps around the coffee table, snatching the blanket off Jesse, causing him to groan and curse a few undecipherable things.
“Bro, there’s bacon,” Adam says in a low, gruff voice before walking our way with eyes wide.
Turning my attention back to the breakfast I’ve been cooking, I remember to pull the biscuits out of the oven.
“Adam, do you want anything other than bacon?” I ask with a sleepy giggle as I grab a plate and start piling it up with the crispy pork product.
“I’ll eat anything you put on that plate, Beautiful,” he says, taking one of the cups of black coffee I’ve set out. I place a full plate in front of him and he just stares at it. A moment passes before he looks back up at me with a ridiculous smile. I slowly raise an eyebrow at him.
“What’s wrong?”
He just shakes his head while grabbing a fork off the counter.
“Nothing, I’ve just never had thoughts about doing unnatural things to a woman with breakfast food until just now,” he says with a smirk.
I roll my eyes as Avery pipes up, “Really, Adam? Already? Didn’t you just wake up less than two minutes ago?”
With a mouth full of eggs and bacon, he just gives us both a huge grin. I can’t help but laugh.
“Are you really that surprised?” a rough, morning voice says from across the room. My eyes instantly rise to find a sleepy, shirtless Jesse wandering across the living room toward us.
While his body isn’t as big as Avery’s is, he is still lean and muscular, with a toned, tattooed stomach that I can admit my eyes are practically glued to him.
He must have noticed because his tired eyes shift as a small smirk spread across his face.
“Good morning, Melanie,” Jesse says, leaning across the counter and planting a kiss on my cheek. With so many damn muscular men around, I know I’m blushing.
“Good mornin’,” I answer unsteadily, trying to pry my gaze away from the tribal tattoo that wraps around half of his stomach and chest.
“Someone needs to tie her up right now,” Adam says through a mouthful of food. “She’s coming with us everywhere we go and cooking me breakfast every day.”
I let out a loud laugh, and before I realize it, Jesse bounds around the counter and hoists me over his shoulder. I reach down, trying to grab at something to hold on to, but instead I keep grabbing handfuls of bare skin and muscle…
“GOT HER! Where do you keep the ropes around here, darlin’?” Jesse says, badly mocking my southern accent. The guys all start laughing.
Giggling, I lift my head up, and figure I’ll try to get a rise out of them.
“In my bedroom,” I reply, trying my best to sound sultry. The guys’ laughter suddenly halts, and Adam stops mid bite.
“Christ, woman!” Jesse mutters, noticeably tightening his grip on my legs.
“I’m starting to understand your obsession with Texas now, Avery. Although, if this is how the women are down south, you guys would have had to find a new drummer,” Adam jests with another laugh and another mouthful.
I swallowed hard, hoping no one would notice my sudden rigid mood shift from atop Jesse’s shoulder. An uncomfortable laugh comes from the blonde’s direction.
“I should probably wake everyone else up so they can eat while it’s still hot,” Avery changes the subject before exiting the kitchen.
I want to say something, but I don’t. Friends, remember! Let the past go, Chase! I sigh, because it’s all I can really do.
Sliding back, my body starts to slowly slip down the front of Jesse, causing me to momentarily forget to breathe until my feet are firmly on the floor.
“Thanks,” I whisper, embarrassingly breathy. He just smiles and leans in toward me. “Trust me, if this breakfast didn’t smell so good, we’d be in your bedroom hunting for those ropes.”
I know my eyes nearly fall out of my head.
“So, are we going back to the studio to finish up that song today, Jes?” Adam asks, coffee cup in hand.
He nods at his band mate and then turns to me, “You better get to eating too so you can get ready.”
A puzzled look takes over my face as he walks passed me and starts to pile food onto a plate.
I frown, “Ready for what?”
He grabs a biscuit and takes a huge bite out of it, then pushes his dark locks out of his face as he turns back to me.
“You’re coming with us, Sweetheart, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
I managed to escape the breakfast scene once Avery returned with a very sour faced Olivia, who, by the way, is so not a morning person by the looks of it.
Couldn’t help that smile.
With all the talk about ropes and studio time, my stomach couldn’t handle a single bite of food.
Jesse and ropes… ropes and Jesse… being in an actual studio for the first time… with Avery there…
Nope, no food for me. After excusing myself, I quickly make my way down our hall and nearly ran over a fully dressed, frowning Kennedy. He nodded at me, mumbling good morning, as I briefly smile and turn the knob to the bathroom, slipping in as quickly as possible. What was he scowling about so early in the morning, especially after just walking out of Victoria’s room? I’d been living with the girl for years now, and I was no stranger to her escapad
es, unfortunately!
Turning the latch to lock the door, I flip the switch and nearly jump out of my skin as I hear a groan come from behind me. Spinning around, I find my roommate, bundled up in her comforter, half asleep in our bathtub.
That poor thing always seems to be on the receiving end of our drama.
“Uh, Vic? What’s going on here?”
“Can’t ya dim that damn thing?” she grumbles, pulling the comforter up and over her head, snuggling herself even deeper into our old-fashioned tub.
I try to choke back a laugh, but it comes out anyway.
“That would be a no. Did you—did you sleep in here?” I ask bravely.
Another groan comes from underneath the comforter. I lift up the piece of her blanket and peek down at her. Her amber-colored brown eyes gaze back up at me. She winces and frowns again.
“Hardly,” she scowls.
“Why didn’t you come into my room?”
“Don’t you come in here with your judgey-ness and… and… and look at me with your judgey eyes! You didn’t get any of that mess from me when you went all bipolar last night, fleeing the room like you’d been caught in the middle of a Dexter murder scene.”
I hold my hands up defensively, stifling another laugh.
“No judging! Cross my heart! What happened?”
“O.M.G., Chase, I don’t even know where to start.”
I suck in my bottom lip to keep from smiling.
“Well, why don’t we start with why Kennedy just left your room without you being in it with him,” I say sweetly, trying to be comforting without laughing at my clearly frustrated, hung over, burrito-wrapped bathtub friend.
Sitting up, she pushes her blanket down, and flops her arms into her lap. Pausing, as if to think of how to start she just shakes her head and throws it back.
“Celibate,” she utters so quickly that I almost miss it. My eyebrows raise almost as high as my hairline.
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