by J. L. Ostle
We wait five minutes until we see a black van with “Dark Players” sprayed across it. Cory takes my hand and guides me to the van where we see that a bald-headed Louie is driving. The doors slide open and I see Sebastian sitting in the middle. Cara moves across so she is sitting next to the window. I climb in next, sitting next to him, and Cory sits opposite me.
Sebastian looks amazing, wearing just a black vest with black jeans that are hugging his thighs. I realise that I’m checking him out so I quickly look away. My stomach seems to tighten when I listen to Cara flirting with him as his thigh is pressed against mine. I can’t help feeling a little jealous how he engages with her but is starting to ignore me more and more each passing day.
We park up near the back exit of Randi’s. We all climb out and the guys start taking out their instruments. I watch as Sebastian walks through the entrance first and already a few girls move to get closer to him and he smiles at each one of them.
Sebastian walks back and his eyes connect with mine until he looks away and grabs Cara’s hand, guiding her to a booth where she sits obediently. He taps her nose, causing her to smile and leaves. So I guess he is telling us this is where we are sitting tonight. We have a good view of the stage.
“I will quickly grab us some drinks,” Cory says and I give him a thumbs-up before heading to Cara and sit opposite her.
She still has that goofy smile on her face. “This is going to be a good night, I can tell.”
I look towards the bar and see Cory talking to Sean, smiling and laughing. I notice a few girls step close to Cory but he keeps a good amount of space between them.
“I really think he likes you,” Cara gushes and I look at the table holding my hands.
“I like him too,” I tell her. I really do. Cory is amazing, sweet, comforting, but there’s something missing.
“Then why don’t you give him a break?”
I turn my head and see Sebastian with a bottle of beer talking to Louie, and like he senses me, he looks up, looking at me intently before looking away.
He is the reason.
“I guess I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
She nods in understanding.
Cory joins us and smiles at me and kisses my cheek. I smile back at him and when I look at Cara, she is smiling at us. He sits closer to me as we make conversation. When we hear that Sebastian and his band will be playing soon, a few girls yell and Cara sits up at attention. I watch as Sebastian introduces himself and his band and starts playing the first song.
Like the first time I saw him on stage, I can feel his voice run through me. His voice is amazing and I really do think he and his band will go far. He grabs the attention of everyone here. I continue listening and watching him and smile at the girls who try to get noticed.
He starts up another song and it’s slower—sexier—and I feel like it’s hitting my very core. I feel like his voice is touching my body. Cory grabs my hand, leading me to the dance floor, and we start to move. My body is close to his and when I look up onto the stage, my eyes lock on Sebastian’s. I feel like he’s singing to me.
I move my body even closer to Cory’s, fisting his hair as my eyes stay on Sebastian. I feel like everyone around us has faded away and it’s him who I’m dancing with. I feel Cory’s hands fall on my hips and I gasp at the contact. My body is vibrating with want and need. We continue swaying to the music and not once do Sebastian’s eyes leave mine.
I look away, pulling my head back to look into Cory’s eyes where I can see warmth, want, and lust, but I can also see that he cares for me. Before I think twice, I finally make a decision. I lean forward and press my lips to his and kiss him with everything I have until our breaths are coming in fast.
“Where did that come from?” He pulls back, smiling at me, and I smile back.
“I guess I am willing to give us a chance.”
He kisses me again, and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. The more I kiss him, the more my mind forgets about Sebastian. The more I kiss him, the more I can no longer hear Sebastian’s voice, and the more I kiss him, the more I move on.
Cory holds my hand and takes us back to the booth after the song ends, and now Anna and Calvin are sitting there. Cara cheers as Calvin whistles, and when I look at Anna, she doesn’t look happy.
“So, I guess you wanted more.” Cara claps her hands.
“Well, are you dating both the guys, Iris?” Anna asks me.
“No, I am just staying with one brother.” I look at him to make sure he knows that I’m not being shared. My life is complicated enough and I don’t need to add a third guy to the mix.
“Way to go, man.” Calvin fist bumps with Cory and he pulls me in for a hug. I feel like I made a good choice.
We drink a few more rounds by the time Sebastian sits next to Cara and starts talking to everyone, but once again he avoids looking at me or interacting when I’m talking. Cory’s hand is in mine on the table as he plays with my fingers, and it feels so soothing that it brings my thoughts to just him. I head to the bar to grab another round when I feel my arm being tugged and I’m being pulled and dragged away into a corner, where I’m face-to-face with Sebastian.
“What do you think you are doing?” he hisses at me and I just glare at him.
“What are you talking about?” I spit at him.
“I saw you on that dance floor. Your eyes wanted me and I bet you were imagining it was me you were dancing with, and the next thing I know you are kissing him and Cara tells me you are dating each other now.” He presses his body against mine.
My eyes train on his. “Move away from me,” I order him.
“I don’t think you want me to,” he smirks at me and starts grinding himself against me.
“Move away from me,” I tell him again but he pushes in harder again and I almost gasp while he just keeps smiling at me.
“I know it’s me you want, flower. I can feel when you want me.” His hand starts to glide down my body and my eyes close for a second until I push him away.
“You do not get to ignore me, pretend I don’t exist, and once you think you can’t have me, start to do this.” I push him from me and start to move away when he grabs my hand and pulls me into him.
“I know I can have you,” he says.
I go on my tiptoes so I am closer to his face so he can see the seriousness in my eyes. “No, you can’t. You can’t have me and never will. Now get that through your thick head.”
He squeezes my hand and pulls me in closer. “Tell that to your body, love.” He releases and pushes me away. “Have fun with Cory. Try not to think of me when your body is against his.”
I start to walk away and turn my head. “That’s the good thing when I’m with him—I do forget you’re there. You don’t even pop in my head. You just start to fade,” I tell him and head back to the bar with my heart beating like a drum. I look over to our booth and watch as everyone is laughing. I feel a tear in my eye as I wish I was that carefree.
“You okay?” I hear Sean’s voice, so I turn, pasting on a smile.
“Yeah, I just can’t believe how settled I am here now.” It’s almost the truth.
“Well, you are one of us now.” He gives an evil laugh and I nudge his shoulder, placing my order in. I grab everyone’s drinks, putting them on a tray and head back to the table where I notice Sebastian looks pissed off.
I look at Cory and he stands when he sees me to help me pass everyone their drinks. Once again his hand connects with mine and I sigh. He is like a drug; it’s the only way I can explain it. I press my lips to his again, and just like before, my brain switches off. No worries enter my head—my mind goes blank. I lean towards him more when I hear whistles and realise where I am.
“God, you two are going to be sickly, aren’t you?” Calvin jokes.
“I think it’s cute,” Cara says.
“I think it’s gross,” Anna adds.
“Here, here,” Sebastian says, downing the rest of hi
s beer.
“Well, I like kissing him—it makes me forget everything,” I say and Sebastian’s eyes narrow in on me. I look away and grab Cory’s hand—anchoring myself.
“I like kissing you too,” Cory whispers in my ear, but the rest hear it as well and aw and groan.
I am leaning my head against Cory’s shoulder when Louie and Colin ask to join us, so we move over to let them sit, and they start talking about doing more gigs. I am looking at the two bandmates. Louie has the more hard-core rocker look, with his bald head and tattoos covering his arms and body, than Colin, who has more piercings than tattoos. But they are both attractive in their own way.
Sebastian and Cara start talking and I hear her giggling so I keep my eyes away. I make conversation with everyone else—talking to Louie about his drums and the tempo he prefers and asking questions about Colin’s base guitar.
“How do you know about music?” Colin asks me.
I just shrug. “I have always had an interest in music.”
He laughs. “Do you want to marry me? I have never had such an interesting conversation with a girl about music before.” He flutters his eyelashes at me, causing me to laugh.
“Sorry, man, she is with me.” Cory places his arm around my shoulders.
“You are a lucky man.”
I look at Cory and he smiles so adoringly at me.
“I know.” He presses his lips against mine and once again, my mind clears.
I wake up the next morning feeling a little drained but okay. My mouth is a little dry and I turn over to stretch when I feel a body lying next to me. I turn my head to see a smiling Cory. Sitting up fast as lightning, I wonder if we had sex, but he is fully dressed and I’m in my vest top and shorts. I remember that I asked him to stay over and cuddle next to me.
“I think I can get used to this just you and me waking up in the morning thing.” His smile is so big that I can’t help but smile with him.
“Oh, yeah?” He nods, and I lie on my side, resting my head on my hand as I look at him. “So, this is better than waking up with your brother next to me as well?”
He chuckles and tucks a stray hair over my ear. “I like not sharing you, I guess. I never realized what it was like to have something that’s just mine.”
I place my other hand on his and entwine our fingers. “Well, you have me.”
He smiles at me again and lies down, moving me in closer so my head rests on his chest.
“You really do have a hard-toned body.” We both chuckle and it just feels so nice us being here. We stay there, just basking in this comfort, when I hear my phone ringing and ask Cory to answer for me.
“Hello?” I hear him say. “Yeah, hold on Cara.” He passes the phone to me.
“Hi, Cousin, how are you?” I hear her scream. “You had Cory spend the night? Oh, my God, you have to tell me everything. Was he good? Are all the rumors true that he is huge and goes at it for hours?” she asks in a rush. I feel Cory’s body vibrating as he quietly laughs, so I’m guessing he can hear her too.
“Cara, calm down,” I giggle. “Yeah, Cory spent the night.” I hear her tell someone and I am hoping it’s not Anna. “Cara, please don’t tell Anna,” I groan.
“Oh, no, I’m not. I’m telling Sebastian.”
I feel my body tense up and I know Cory notices as he plays with my hair, making me look up. He mouths if I’m okay. I just nod.
“Please don’t tell me you did something stupid last night.” I don’t mean to but I guess I feel a little bit jealous if she did sleep with him. It’s stupid and crazy and he keeps making moves on me, but if he slept with her last night it will feel like a slap in the face.
“No, nothing stupid. After Cory took you home in the cab, Sebastian and I stayed a while longer, talking. We went back to his place to have a few more drinks and we both passed out. Party animals or what?” She laughs and I join her.
“Yeah, sounds like we both had fun last night.” I start to feel my body relax as Cory keeps playing with my hair.
“Well, I really called to make sure you are okay and see if maybe you and Cory would like to join us up here later to watch a movie or something?”
I look at Cory and he shrugs. “Yeah, that sounds fun. We will come up after we wake ourselves up.”
“No rush, just come up when you’re ready.” We say our goodbyes and hang up.
“Well, this will be fun,” Cory jokes and I sit up and hit his stomach. “How many times do I have to tell you I bruise like a peach?” he jokes, grabbing my arms so I’m lying on the bed and he pins me down with his body.
“I don’t know, as many times as it takes until I remember.” I stick my tongue out at him and he gives me a devilish smile. He leans down and takes my tongue in his mouth and sucks on it. He leans back and looks into my eyes, then leans forward again and kisses me hard. I wrap my legs around him, deepening the kiss, when my door bangs open.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you had company.” I hear my mum’s voice and then the door closing.
I groan into Cory’s chest and then push him off me. I open the door and head to the living room where she is sitting down.
“Mum, we are fully dressed—we were just making out.” I feel my face turning bright red.
“You don’t need to explain yourself. You are a grown woman and I know you will have boyfriends, etcetera.”
I can see her face heating up too. “I should have told you he was staying, leaving you a note or something, but I didn’t think,” I apologise.
“It’s fine, we are all grown-ups, so why don’t you go back to your … ummm … your room and I am going to make a strong cup of coffee.” She stands and heads to the kitchen and I head back to my room. Cory is still lying on the bed and when he sees me, he bursts out laughing.
“This is not funny.” I jump on my bed and hit him with my pillow.
“I’m sorry, but it is a little funny.” He grabs me so I’m straddling him and he sits up, hugging me and I hug him back. “I am going to head back to my place to grab a shower and change clothes and I will be back in about half an hour. Just head on up to Cara and I will join you soon.” He kisses my lips. I take his hand as we walk to the door.
“Sorry about this morning, Mrs. Hart,” he politely says to my mum.
“Don’t worry about it. We will probably laugh about it one day.”
Well, he did after two minutes, I think in my head. I open the door and he kisses my lips softly and then I watch as he gets into the elevator and leaves.
“You do look happy,” Mum says as I close the door.
“I am happy.” I sit down next to her.
“But what about the guy from upstairs?”
“I think he only wants me because he can’t have me. He has been ignoring me and then got all in my face as soon as I kissed Cory. I do have this pull to him, Mum, but he’s no good for me.”
She nods and holds my hand. “Well, I hope Cory makes you happy.”
I smile and cuddle into her side. “Yeah, I hope so too. The funny thing is Cara stayed over at Sebastian’s last night.”
Mum moves back and looks at me.
“They didn’t have sex,” I reassure her.
“Okay, just checking.”
“She has invited me and Cory to come up later to hang out.”
“And you’re going to go?”
“Cory seemed fine with it and I need to start acting like I’m fine it with it too. I’m with Cory now, Mum, and Cara is hanging with Sebastian and wants to hang with me too. It will be fine.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I just want to make sure you’re happy. This Sebastian boy seems like a whole lot of trouble and drama.”
“Yeah, you are telling me. Well, I am going to take a shower and get ready. Thanks for not judging me.” I give her a tight hug.
“You know I will never judge.” She kisses my forehead and I start to get ready for my sort of double date.
I shower, have something quick to eat, and get ready, d
ressing in black yoga pants and a long baggy black top. As I sit here on my bed, playing with my fingers, I know I’m not really comfortable enough to head upstairs. I just keep thinking about what Sebastian will do.
Will he ignore me, or will he find moments to get in my personal space?
I don’t know which is worse.
I message Cory that I want to wait for him, and when he replies, “That’s fine,” I feel relieved. Cara did say to come whenever we were ready. I lie down on my bed, looking at the ceiling, wondering what Sebastian and her talk about. Whenever he is around me he is either a dick or a horny ass.
I sit up when I hear knocking on the front door and when I open it up, I see Cory smiling at me, and all my worries vanish. Looking at him in his blue jeans and white T-shirt that fits him like a glove, I realise how attractive he really is. I lean forward and press my lips to his and smile knowing how comfortable it is. How nice it is.
“Hi,” I say, taking a step back.
“Hi,” he replies and it feels natural for him to hold my hand as we head upstairs in the elevator. I entwine our fingers as I want to be as close to him as possible, and when Cara opens the door, I plaster on a sweet smile and head on in.
“You both look so cute. I am so happy you two got together. I did see it coming, FYI.” She winks at us as she guides us to the couch and we all sit down. I look around, wondering where Sebastian is.
“Thank you, Cara, that is sweet of you,” Cory adds in and he looks at me and I see so much warmth in his eyes that I start to get lost in them.
“Stop it you two or I’m going to get jealous,” Cara chuckles. I look back at her and I notice that Sebastian is standing behind her, glaring at me.
When did he get here?
“Sorry,” I say, looking at my fingers that are still entwined with Cory’s.
“It’s fine, you should be loved up. I was even telling Sebastian last night that you deserve happiness, especially after all the crap you have gone through.”
I look at her and back at Sebastian, then back at her again. “Please don’t tell me you told him about my past?” I ask her. It’s my business and I will decide who I want to share my past with.