“Did you arrange this? Did you ask him to be with me? With us?” The depth of pain in her eyes knotted his gut.
“You should know by now no one makes Elijah do anything he doesn’t want to do.” Their eyes met. “Except Elijah.”
“I know.”
The interior of the car blocked out the noise of the party around them. The engine purred down the driveway. He let the silence sit between them, waiting for her to process whatever she was going through.
“Just so you know,” she said, “I love you.”
He stopped the car and turned to face her, his heart beating erratically. “Did I hear you right?”
“Let’s not make a big deal out of it,” she said, although her mouth curved into a smile. “But I’ve given it some thought, and I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”
“Does this mean we’re not friends anymore?” he asked and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. He’d never seen a smile more beautiful than the one she gave him.
“You’re my best friend,” she replied. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Tasha received the deed to her mother’s house. There was no return address or note inside, but she knew where it came from. The next issue of Rolling Stone featured Elijah on the cover, shirtless and sporting the phoenix tattoo. He mentioned her by name in the interview, and her list of clients expanded exponentially. Gary made her a partner in the tattoo studio. Elijah sent texts and the occasional picture, but after a few months they became fewer and farther apart. Eventually they stopped altogether.
Luke moved into her apartment after Christmas. The best part of her day was finding her best friend in the kitchen each morning with a smile on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand for her.
When she looked back at their summer together, it all seemed like a fantastic daydream. She thought about Elijah whenever she saw a pair of bright blue eyes or heard a funny story. When a Seven Drift song came over the radio, Luke’s eyes would meet hers. They’d both smile, but they never talked about it. It was over, and she’d never share him with anyone again.
Two years later, she was in the kitchen making dinner on a Tuesday when Luke called her into the living room. The evening entertainment show featured a story about Elijah Crowe. His picture flashed across the TV, along with several clips of Seven Drift concerts.
“What happened?” she asked. “Is he okay?” She put a hand on her chest to calm her fluttering pulse. “Turn it up.”
Elijah Crowe, notorious drummer of Seven Drift and winner of eleven Grammys, walked off-stage in the middle of a concert last week amid rumors of contract disputes and hasn’t been heard from since...
Luke’s cellphone dinged with an incoming text. He read the message and handed it to her, a smile on his face. “You’d better lock up the liquor cabinet.”
What’s up, my bitches? Make up the spare bed. I’m coming home.
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