Endless

by Kaylene Winter

  “I will literally be killed if I miss curfew again, and killed and dismembered if I bring a guy they have never met home at midnight.” Zoey’s sweet voice reminded me where I was.

  “Uh, um, well, I hadn’t thought that far. I sort of panicked when I saw that you were leaving without me getting your deets.” I could not control my own word vomit.

  “You panicked?” Her eyebrows rose high on her forehead.

  “Yeah, I kind of panicked!”

  “Um, okay?”

  The seconds ticked by awkwardly.

  “Zoey, can I get your number?” I blurted out suddenly, thrusting my phone at her.

  “Um. Okay.” She typed in her number quickly and handed it back to me, watching me read what she’d typed.

  “Why Z not Zoey?” I clicked dial and she picked up.

  “You’re clearly gonna be a huge rock star, it won’t be good for your stud reputation to have a bunch of girl’s names in your contacts. Better to be stealth.” She sank back in the seat and saved my number into her own contacts.

  “I’m not that way, I don’t ask for numbers. I can promise you that.” She blinked, her long lashes, dark against her gorgeous hazel eyes. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful this girl was. “God, you’re so fucking gorgeous. Your eyes are amazing.”

  “Wow, thank you. You’re fucking gorgeous too.” The sides of her lips quirked up.

  “Oh, what’s your Instagram? My band’s really into social.” I handed my phone back to her.

  She grasped it in her tiny, perfect hand, nails painted shiny black, and pulled up her Instagram and clicked follow. “Why me? You could have anyone you wanted, you are—”

  “Into you. Big time. I’m pretty sure you’ve ruined me for anyone else,” I cut her off with another cheesy line.

  God I’m so bad at this.

  Trying to recover, I took my phone back and glanced at her Instagram account, which had a fresh post of her with the rock horns.

  “Zoey Pearson, huh? Cute video.” I smiled and reached over to gently tuck a piece of wild blonde hair behind her ear. “How old are you anyway, Zoey Pearson?”

  “Seventeen,” she sighed, sucking on her lower lip, which sent electric currents straight to my groin. “I’ll be eighteen in two weeks. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-one,” I sighed back and inwardly groaned. Damn. She was too young. We sat in silence for a minute.

  “Hmm, that scared look on your face says everything,” she sort of questioned, one eyebrow raised. “You think I’m too young.”

  “Maybe. A little bit. I mean, you’re a lot younger than me. I wouldn’t ever take advantage of you, so I guess we could be friends. I’m not a creeper.”

  Fuck.

  “You want to be friends? Or FWB?” Zoey’s sweet, melodic voice teased. “Seriously, I don’t think you’re a creeper, Ty. My folks will probably be cool, it’s only a couple of weeks and I’m going to college in a couple of months.” She smiled and tentatively reached down and traced the top of my hand. “I’d really like to hang out with you. Do you genuinely want to hang out with me?”

  “I really do.” Staring at where she was tracing, I turned my hand over and marveled at how little she was compared to me, her fingers only reached the first digit of mine. Clasping our fingers together, I held her hand tightly as I sank farther into the seat and grinned like an idiot. As scared as I was earlier, the thing between us was easy and comfortable, yet crackling with electricity. I felt like I had known her for a long time, not just for an hour. “Hopefully once you get to know me, you won’t find me too boring.”

  “Oh my God, are you kidding me? You’re already the least boring person I’ve ever met. I can’t even believe you’re here with me right now. LTZ has thousands of fans because your music is so badass. Exceedingly badass.” She looked at me with that one eyebrow raised again, so adorable. “But, in case I wasn’t clear at the club, I’m not a band groupie type, so if this is some sort of conquest game you’re playing, I’m not your girl.”

  Watching her as she was animatedly speaking, I saw myself through her eyes and I liked being that man for her. Plus, the groupie comment was music to my ears.

  “Zoey, I’m going to confess something to you.” I took a deep breath. “I know I was just on stage, but it’s probably pretty apparent that I’m, well, socially awkward when I’m not singing and playing music.”

  “No way. C’mon, you had so many women waiting for you after the show, you could have had anyone.” Zoey cocked her head, looking at me intently, which should have made me even more nervous, but instead it felt very playful and flirty.

  “Lovely Zoey, I sang to you the entire show, and you barely even looked at me. You were dancing and into the music, and my God—look at you—I had to meet you, even if I was petrified,” I explained as honestly as I could, hoping I didn’t sound pathetic while she considered what I was saying. “Music is the one thing I can do really well. I’m shit at talking to pretty girls.”

  My mind felt like a rapid-fire machine gun of competing thoughts as I looked at her, my eyes searching hers. Did she feel what I felt? Should I kiss her or abort the mission? God, she smelled amazing.

  I squeezed my eyes closed and took a deep breath. My life depended on being in the recording studio all summer and touring during the fall and winter to build up our fan base. It was the worst timing ever to start something up with Zoey. A friggin’ high school girl. Despite what my head was saying, the unexplained deep gut feeling that I could see into her soul and she could see into mine was so overwhelming and powerful, the next thing I knew my lips were firmly pressed against hers.

  She hummed against my mouth and kissed me back. Holy shit, did she kiss me back. Encouraged, I deepened our kiss and our tongues touched tentatively. I buried my hands in her mane of hair and held her face, my thumbs stroked her cheeks. She opened her mouth farther and we explored, stroked, and tasted each other. Kissing her was everything, and it was like nothing I’d ever experienced. She mewled like a kitten stretching against me, gripping my biceps and then melting fully into my side. I delicately tasted all around her lips, our mouths opening hungrily, tongues colliding again, dancing and swirling until time disappeared.

  A kiss for the ages.

  The Uber arrived at her house, we reluctantly pulled apart, panting. Her eyes opened slowly in a passionate haze. Every one of my body parts was charged, my heart pounded, my jeans were tight with arousal. Her lips were swollen from our passion. With my shit background, not in a million years had I ever believed in love at first sight. At that moment not only did I believe, but I knew I would do anything for her. Anything she ever asked of me.

  Please, don’t let this girl break my heart.

  Chapter 3

  ZOEY

  Not in a million years did I believe in love at first sight, but when Ty kissed me in the Uber, it was all over. He was everything. It was hard to fathom but undeniable. I’d always felt like my soul was older than my physical age, which is why I knew without any question that Ty had been made just for me.

  With little time to lose if I was going to see him as much as possible during the summer, I made a snap decision and invited him inside to meet my parents.

  “Mom, Dad?” I tentatively called out. I led Ty through the front door.

  “Maybe they’re in bed?” Ty whispered, looking around our house, his expression wary.

  “In the kitchen, Zoey. Are you hungry?” Mom peeked her blonde head around the corner, her eyes widening when she saw I had a guest.

  “Mom, I wanted you to meet my new friend, Tyson Rainier. We saw his band Less Than Zero tonight.” I pulled Ty by his big hand into the kitchen, noticing he looked like a deer in headlights.

  I could understand it, my parents were both professionals and looked kind of intimidating. Dad was a high-powered corporate lawyer and my mom’s sales position made her kind of intense. She was still wearing a black business suit at midnight, after flying across country from a pharma confer
ence. They were actually very cool, avid supporters of the Seattle arts community and voracious music lovers. If anything, I was the uncool member of the family.

  “Hello, Tyson, I didn’t expect Zoey to bring a guy home with her,” Dad said in his practical, even-keeled manner. He raised an eyebrow in an attempt to be intimidating and stuck out his hand to Ty. Inwardly, I laughed. He was probably pumped that I’d brought a long-haired rocker home to invade our kitchen at midnight. “But, we are big fans of music.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Pearson. Mrs. Pearson.” Ty was courteous and polite, if not almost painfully shy. He ended up staying and visiting for about an hour. All of us were shocked to find out that Carter Pope, the famous guitar player from the legendary Seattle band, Limelight was not only his bandmate Zane’s dad, but an avid supporter of LTZ. Limelight had always been Dad’s favorite band, and they had been playing the night he met Mom at The Mission. It gave Ty legitimacy. Or something.

  “So, Carter Pope, huh?” I beamed up at Ty while we waited for his Uber. My parents had gone to bed after they were sure that Ty wasn’t going to sneak into my bedroom.

  “Yeah, I guess he’s kinda like my pseudo-dad.” Ty shifted his weight from foot to foot before flashing a smile in my direction.

  “That’s cool.” I kicked my toe at the ground. “So, are you scared off by a seventeen-year-old high-schooler who lives with her parents yet?”

  Ty reached down, took my hand, and raised it up to his lips. “No, you have such a wonderful family. It’s nice.”

  “I guess.” I shrugged.

  “Zoey, seriously. Thank you for introducing me.” The look he gave me eradicated my initial concern that I would be a one-night conquest. “I’ve never met anyone’s parents before.”

  Gazing at me like I was a precious jewel, he bent down and softly kissed my lips. I nearly got lost in our kisses again, but then the Uber pulled up to the front of the house.

  “You’re the most beautiful butterfly, Zoey.” Ty’s forehead touched mine, his incredible blue eyes peered into my soul.

  I pressed a finger to my lips where his lips had just been, my heart soaring at his words. “I hope you meant it about hanging out, Ty. But, I’ll understand—”

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” Ty tucked a flyaway hair behind my ear and stroked my neck with his rough-padded fingers.

  “Hopefully kissing you some more.”

  Ty cupped my cheek. “Good, because that’s what I was thinking.”

  And that’s how it started.

  Because I was still technically underage, we blew up our phones with texts and calls, but Ty was insistent on “doing the right thing” by me. For the first two weeks of our relationship, he only visited me at home when my parents were around. Ty was so genuinely sweet, polite, and gracious. He seemed to enjoy hanging out with my family when he didn’t have band obligations or line-cook shifts at the popular bistro he worked at. Whether watching TV in the living room or eating dinner with my family, we held hands and sort-of snuggled. Our make-out sessions were PG-rated at best, and only when my parents left us alone, which wasn’t often.

  Holy fucking moly, I adored him. So did my folks, which was a good thing. Their opinion mattered to me.

  Despite his claim that his stage persona was different than real life, Ty was one hundred percent rock god all of the time. Part of what made him completely irresistible was his natural confident and strong demeanor, with the underlying element of innocence and wonder. This inexplicable aura made people take notice of him wherever he was. What made him completely irresistible to me was his obliviousness of how he affected those around him.

  Ty was truly unaware of his power and his presence.

  When my eighteenth birthday finally arrived, Ty joined me and my parents at Aqua, a fancy waterfront restaurant in downtown Seattle. He gave me an intricate and tasteful silver butterfly necklace. My parents presented me with a new Toyota RAV.

  The next day, on our first real, unchaperoned date, Ty and I shared a pint of Molly Moon’s Salted Caramel ice cream on a warm Sunday afternoon at Gasworks Park overlooking the city.

  “Did you have a happy birthday, butterfly?” Ty wiped a drip from my lip with the rough pad of his finger.

  “The best ever.” I tipped my head up for a kiss, not being able to get enough of his soft lips on mine. “I’m never taking my necklace off.”

  Ty lazily explored my mouth with his, raking his fingers through my hair. Lost in our kisses, I felt his big palm cup my cheek, a move which was becoming one of my favorites. When I opened my eyes, he spoke. “So, now that you’re officially an adult, will you officially be my girlfriend?”

  Looking into his blue eyes, I noticed he seemed to be nervously waiting for my response. I was practically stunned stupid, feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. All of my hopes and dreams of having the perfect boyfriend were no longer fantasies. Like the true geek that I was, I word-vomited my reply.

  “OMG, Ty! Yes! I’d love to be your girlfriend. So, can I call you my boyfriend?”

  “I hope so.” Ty laughed heartily before kissing my nose and touching his forehead to mine, which was another favorite thing he did. “You make me so happy, I wasn’t sure what you’d say. What your parents will say.”

  “You make me happier.” I poked his flat, muscled stomach playfully, longing to caress his whole sexy body but still too shy to initiate. “They like you a lot. Dad said he has no problem with us hanging out this summer as long as I don’t change my college plans.”

  “Your folks are so cool.” Ty feathered kisses along my hairline. “I can’t believe you got a brand-new car.”

  “They want me to be safe when I’m at school.”

  Ty threaded his fingers through mine and squeezed. “You know I’d never ask you to change your plans for school. You should pursue your dream.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wish I knew what it was.” Ty’s next six months with the band was planned out and I had no clue what I wanted to do, other than something that involved social justice. Whatever that turned out to be.

  It was hard to think about the future when Ty made me feel worshipped in the present. Our lives clicked into place. Neither of us were into playing relationship games, we wanted to spend every waking minute in each other’s company, so being together was easy. We were consumed in our young, intense love.

  Unfortunately, that left Alex out a lot of the time. She supported my new romance, but part of me felt terrible about breaking our summer plans to spend all of my time with Ty. Knowing it would be so much easier if my worlds collided, I tried to play matchmaker. “Does Jace have a girlfriend?” I asked innocently one night while wrapped in Ty’s arms watching a movie.

  “Kind of?” Ty looked up to the ceiling as though he was trying to find the right words. “Um. He seems to regularly hook up with this girl Cassie.”

  “Oh,” I said dejectedly.

  “Should I be worried?” Ty suckled on my earlobe, causing zaps of energy to ignite my nipples to my pussy. Body parts that had never experienced such zaps before.

  “I was thinking about Alex, we were supposed to spend our summer together.” I burrowed into him, breathing in his grapefruity scent. “I’m being a bad friend, but I only want to be with you.”

  “Well, let’s include her as much as possible. I don’t know if Jace is into her, but I want you to be happy, butterfly.” Ty squeezed me tight against him. “Let’s make this summer epic.”

  A couple of weeks later, Ty helped my parents surprise both me and Alex with a fabulous joint graduation LTZ acoustic show at my house for just our friends and family. I felt like I was on a balloon floating above and observing my fairy-tale life. Hanging out in my own backyard with my best friend, my family, and my rocker boyfriend, I couldn’t believe that things were so perfect.

  “So, are you psyched to go off to college?” Alex nudged me as we grooved to the gorgeous rockers. Ty’s eyes never strayed far from mine, I was in so deep
with this man.

  “No, but at the same time I want to just get through it as quickly as possible. I’m going to miss him so much.” I made a kissy face at Ty.

  “Is it that serious?” Alex poked me, forcing my attention on her. “You’ve been MIA lately.

  “I’m sorry! I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had a real boyfriend until now. I can’t get enough of him.”

  “Which leaves me high and dry.” Alex scowled. “God, wouldn’t it be perfect if Jace wanted to date me? All our evil masterminded plans would be in place. Tragically, he won’t even look at me. I’m not sure why.”

  “I’m sorry, I hate being such a bad friend. If it’s any consolation, I get the impression that Jace isn’t psyched about Ty having a girlfriend, it’s not rawk.” I flashed her some rock horns. “He just does hookups, I guess.”

  “Well, if we are both going to lose our v-cards before you leave for college, I need to make a move or move on.” Alex brightened up.

  “Why don’t you talk to him about social media and your account, he’s a total geek for that stuff.” I pointed my finger at the sky like I had the most brilliant idea in the universe. “Maybe we’ll be planning our double wedding yet!”

  After the performance, Alex approached Jace, and soon they were deep in conversation about all things social media. Connor and Zane were talking to my parents. Satisfied, I turned around and bumped into the object of my own affection.

  “Hey.” Ty smiled down at me. “Happy Graduation.”

  “I can’t believe you surprised me with a show, you guys killed it. I could listen to you sing all day long—” Ty interrupted me by leaning in and brushing his lips on mine, so softly that it barely registered as a kiss. But it was everything to me, I could feel it through my body, all the way to my pink-tipped toes.

  Pressing my lips to his, I took it one step further by sucking on his lower lip until he groaned. Threading his fingers through my hair, Ty tilted my head to meet him and began a warm, lazy exploration of my mouth. In the middle of my backyard, we nuzzled and suckled each other’s lips, going deeper then backing off. Lost in a haze of desire, our hands explored our necks, cheeks, backs, and arms while our tongues slid together in a slow rhythm.