by Thia Finn
Shit, he could move on already.
“Yeah, I had a roommate, but he moved to L.A. to pursue his career.”
“But you stayed in the apartment?” He just had to dig.
“I couldn’t afford it. He paid for me to stay for the three months he lived there after the asshat fired me. I had a part-time job in retail, but I made nothing.”
“You’ve moved then? Where to?”
“I’d rather not say.” I laid my head against his chest. I needed this line of questioning to be over with, but I knew he would never let it rest. He glided us around the floor until the song ended and the music stopped. The band walked back onto the stage, so we made our way back to my table.
Jenna turned from the man she chatted with to say, “Oh, hey. The band’s going to play again.” She looked at Hayden. “You’re welcome to join us.”
Daggers shot from my eyes at her for it. He needed to return to his friends.
“Yeah, I think I will. Let me tell my friends. Can I get y’all something else to drink?”
My arm shot out and caught him. “Please don’t feel obligated to sit here because we danced. You probably would rather be with your friend, wouldn’t you?”
“No, but I’ll invite him over here, too. I mean, if that’s okay with you ladies?” He automatically popped that gorgeous grin at the two of us, and how could any female with a pulse turn it down? Damn him for being so hot. The ammunition he used was unfair. He walked back to the bar where he spoke to his friend.
“What the hell, Jenna? I didn’t want him sitting here.” The duo began talking and then singing, ruining the possibility of us having a conversation. She smiled and turned back to the man behind her as he wrapped his arm around the back of her barstool.
The music kept talking down to a minimal which thrilled me. I had time to formulate a plan if only I could come up with one. I thought about going to the restroom and then disappearing, but I couldn’t do that to Jenna.
Who knew what she had going with the man who weaseled his way in closer to her as the music played? Every time I glanced at them, he was whispering in her ear, which progressed to kissing said ear and then down her neck. Oh God, I didn’t need to spy on them anymore. Who was I to cock-block her good time?
Hayden watched the show at our table but never made any attempt to get closer to me. I didn’t know if I should be glad or sad. Maybe he didn’t find me attractive enough to try something or maybe his interest lay elsewhere. Didn’t matter, once he figured out what a loser I was at this point in my life, he’d back off. Even if he wanted to hook up with me, I wouldn’t do it. I had enough going on, and a one-nightstand wasn’t on this month’s life agenda. Survival stood at the top of my to-do list.
I spotted her sitting at a table with her friend and knew I had to talk to her. It might be my only chance to find out what was going on with her living situation. I hadn’t been able to find out anything about that place she went into the other night. It seemed to be a best-kept secret in the city of Austin. I spent time online but came up empty-handed every time.
After dancing and then Halo and Carter’s show winding down with only one more song to sing, I needed to make a move if anything was going to happen.
Leaning over close to her, I whispered, “Why don’t you let me take you home, Timbre? Looks like those two might prefer some time to themselves.” Her head whipped around like I’d startled her. “Why don’t you let me take you home?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m sure Jenna won’t want to leave with him.” The looks passing between the two said anything but that.
“You think that’s not going to lead somewhere else?”
“I don’t believe she’ll ditch me for him.” Her voice didn’t sound as sure as her words.
“Okay, well, the offer is there just in case she does.” I prayed Jenna and this guy made the decision for Timbre. The way they were pawing each other told me exactly where they were headed and taking Timbre home wasn’t on their way.
When Halo and Carter finally said their goodnights to the crowd, the two were so engrossed in each other on the opposite side of our table they were unaware of its ending.
“Hey, Jenna,” Timbre called to her as she climbed down from the tall stool. “Are you ready to go?”
“Oh, Timbre. Right.” Jenna turned to the man. “I have to take her home first.” I knew from the look on both the lovers’ faces taking her home was the last thing on their minds. They both sent messages to Timbre through the looks they gave her of what they wanted, and she wasn’t it.
Timbre received the message loud and clear, thank God. “Oh, right. Uh, that’s okay. I can take an Uber. It’s super cheap and just on the other side of I-35.”
“Or you can let me take you home like I asked you already,” I announced loud enough for all three to hear me.
“That’s a great idea, Timbre. I’m sure Hayden won’t mind dropping you off. It’s right on his way,” Gunner added knowing full well any place east of the freeway would be the opposite of on my way home. He patted my upper back with a hard cuff. “Give the girl a ride, kid.”
I turned and smiled at him. He called me ‘kid’ when he wanted to get a rise out of me. “I volunteered to take her before the show was over. Last time you called me kid, I wanted to beat the shit out of you but you being an old man and all, I took pity on you.” I slugged him on the arm.
“It’d be your one and only time, so you better make that first one count.” He caught me with a slight upper cut to my abdomen. We laughed out loud. I think the guys from AD would think I was a kid at fifty when I wasn’t that much younger than them, and they would still punch on me for fun.
I turned and looked at Timbre, and she stared at us thinking real anger passed between us. “Uh, do you two always joke around like that?”
“Hell, yeah. We give the kid here a hard time every chance we get.” Gunner smiled at her. “Now you gonna let him take you home or you gonna come between true love?” He glanced over at Jenna and her friend who were deep in lust in the crowd trying to exit.
“I guess I’ll let him take me. Who am I to keep ‘true love’ from happening?” She air-quoted Gunner causing him to laugh.
“Glad she’s got a sense of humor, Hayden. She’s gonna need it if she hangs around our bunch very often.” He made his way behind me to stand beside Timbre. “He’s got the manners of a Neanderthal, though. I’m Gunner Powell.” He put his massive hand out to take hers.
“I’m Timbre Simons.” The comical look she gave him as they shook caused me to laugh. I wondered if she did a little fangirl thing over me when we met. Thinking back, though, probably not. I would never be the rock star like the AD guys were.
“Nice to meet you, Timbre. Unusual musical name, I like it.” Yeah, the big guy turned on the charm to all the ladies even with a stunning one at home.
“Yeah, my parents liked music a lot, so they wanted a term from it for my name.”
“Good for them. I’d like to meet them. Always enjoy meeting people who take the time to study music.” He turned and looked at me. “Now that I found you a date, I guess my work is done here. I’m gonna head out.” He winked at Timbre. “Nice meeting you. Hope to see you again sometime.” He walked out the back doors we’d come through where Carter and Halo were.
“Just so you know, Hayden, this isn’t a date. This is you taking me home, and I could still get an Uber.” Timbre didn’t let her hand cool off from shaking Gunner’s before announcing her feelings.
“That’s fine. I just offered a ride, and no… you’ll not be taking an Uber. You’ll be riding with me.” I walked around to her and took her hand to lead her away from the crowd still working their way out the door. “We’ll go this way since my truck’s out here.”
“They’ll let you go back there?”
“Why wouldn’t they? I came that way.”
“But you were with Gunner from the band.”
“I’m from the band, too.”
She
stopped abruptly almost making me walk over her. “You’re what?”
“I’m from the band, too. I play with them some and write a lot of their songs. I’m one of the member’s cousins. Hell, I’ve lived with him and his wife for years.” I continued walking with her hand still in mine causing her to move forward again.
“So, you’re a musician, too?” Her tone let me know she didn’t believe me.
“Yeah, I am. Have been for years.”
“Would I have heard of you? I mean, do you play in a band?”
“No, I write music and play with other bands and work in a studio with bands on albums and stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Yeah, I play several instruments, so I work with bands who record and need me to play instruments for their albums. I’m also learning a lot about producing music, but I’d rather play than produce any day.” We passed the backstage rooms when a door opened, and Carter and Halo walked out carrying their guitar cases.
“Hey, dude.”
“Hey, yourself. I’m glad I caught y’alls show tonight. Sounds great.”
“Been a long time since we’ve visited much. How ya been?” she asked as she eyed Timbre.
“Been great and the two of you?”
“Oh, we’re good. Just busy making music, you know.” Halo’s slow smile drifted to Timbre.
I pulled Timbre up beside me. “This is Timbre Simons. Timbre this is Carter and Halo.” I looked down at her, and she stood staring at them. “Don’t let her stare go to your head, Carter. She did the same thing to Gunner.”
He laughed and put his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Timbre.”
“I’m so sorry. It’s just that I can’t believe I’m getting to meet members of Assured Distraction, one of my favorite bands. Or I guess I should say, a former member.” She shook both of their hands. “It’s awesome being able to stand in the same room with you two. Your show rocked.” Now that she found her voice, she was having a hard time shutting it down or letting go of Halo’s hand.
“Timbre, you can let go now,” I whispered as I took her arm and pulled it away from Halo’s. When she realized she’d gone all fangirling on them, her face turned a perfect shade of red. Damn, if she didn’t get cuter at every turn.
“I’m so sorry, I’ve never met stars before.” Timbre’s face still had a red glow to it.
“Honey, we’re no different from you. Especially this one.” She poked Carter in the ribs. “He eats and sleeps and whines just like most men.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.” Carter pulled Halo into his side. “I know something I do better than anyone else, though, sweets.” His eyebrows wiggled at his girl.
“That’s good, Carter. We don’t need any details.” I stopped his description knowing exactly where his mind would go and how descriptive he could be when it came to describing their sex life. The guy never held anything back as much as it embarrassed Halo.
“We’re heading out,” I told them and took Timbre’s elbow.
“Okay, we see how it is,” Carter said. “Can’t wait to get her to yourself.”
“It’s not like that,” Timbre added. “Not like that at all.”
Hmm. Maybe she wasn’t into me then. I felt like we’d had a moment on the dance floor. She seemed to enjoy being wrapped in my arms. Maybe not.
Carter and I exchanged glances. “So, great to see you both. Come by sometime when y’all are in town. You’d be shocked at Crew. He’s grown so much. Pretty soon he’ll be looking eye-to-eye with me.”
“Is that right? Damn, we gotta get out there then. We need to see him and Tucker both. We’ve been on the road around Texas too much. Need to take a break from it all and spend some time around here.” He glanced down at Halo, and she nodded.
“We’ll get by there soon. I promise,” Halo added.
“Hey, y’all should come out for one of their football games. The boys are the best two on the team,” I informed them.
“Yeah, that’s what all dads say,” Carter said with a laugh.
“No, I’m speaking the truth here, Carter. Ask Ryan,” I informed him.
“Oh, you mean the other dad? I get it. Two proud dads. Yeah, it sounds like we need to. I’ll call Peri and get the schedule. That’ll be fun watching the two of you in the stands acting all adult like.” We all laughed at Carter’s comment.
“You do that. We’ll see y’all then soon,” I ended the conversation.
“See you soon… and Timbre, nice to meet you,” Carter smiled at her as he said it.
“Yes, it was great meeting you both,” Timbre called over her shoulder as I led her out into the cool fall night air.
I opened the door, and she climbed in with only a little help and that cute little ass of hers wiggling in front of me. Guess those thoughts can go out the window since she didn’t seem interested. I rounded the truck and climbed in preparing to leave.
“Thank you for introducing me to all of your friends. I had no idea.” She turned in her seat to look at me as I pulled out into the downtown traffic.
“I thought you knew we were all together the night I saw you at the bar.” My mind replayed that night over again. How did she not know I was friends with them?
“That was not my best night. I’d just started working that day, and I’ve never been a cocktail waitress before so I had a little overload going on. Then I see you, and I didn’t know what to think.”
Hmm. Maybe there might be some hope.
Timbre kept her real beauty hidden most of the time from what I could tell. I mean, she looked beautiful, but she didn’t do much to try to attract attention to herself. The day I ruined her clothes, she wore a simple dark suit. Things about her didn’t add up in my mind.
“Hey, where am I going?” I asked as I turned to make my way down Red River.
“Oh, right. Uh, just head back toward the freeway. I live on the other side of it. It’s not far at all.” She seemed nervous giving me the information. I knew where we were going. She would have to come clean about where she lived now.
“Great. There’s so much changing down on that side of I-35. You like living over there?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s okay. I can afford it, at least.”
As I made my way through the questionable housing, I could see her becoming more uneasy. What the hell was going on? I pulled up to Pleasant Valley in the midst of all the apartment complexes, which were still a few miles from where I followed her and Jenna to after work.
“Okay, this is me. Let me out here, and I’ll walk into the complex. It’s tight in there and will be hard for you to get this monster turned around.” She said it all so fast, I wondered if she thought she sounded convincing because she sure as shit did not.
“It’s no big deal. I probably can go out the other side.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watched how she reacted.
“No. No, you can’t. It’s one way in and out. It’s even hard for Jenna to do it in her car when people park around the edges of the lots.” She had one hand on the handle like she might bolt the second I stopped.
“I’m sure I can get through somehow.” I watched her shoulders drop in defeat. She had to confess sooner or later.
“Okay, it’s this building here.” She opened the door before I could put it in park. “Thanks so much for the ride. I appreciate it.” With that, her feet hit the pavement in a dark parking lot of a sketchy apartment complex.
I threw it in park and jumped out rounding the front of the truck. “Wait, Timbre. Wait.” I caught her before she reached the sidewalk. “Why are you running away? Am I that repulsive to you?”
She spun around when I grabbed her arm. “What? No, no. Why would you say that?”
“You’re practically running away from me. I’m not going to molest you or anything.” This stopped her dead in her tracks.
“I never thought that, Hayden. I…” she hesitated, “… I didn’t want you to have to come to the door or anything.” The wheels of her brain turned as she spoke. She kept adding t
o the lies she spun.
“I’ve never let a girl walk to the door alone even if it’s not a date. Something could happen to you.” I looked around at the condition of the place. The complex looked like student housing or what used to be. It wasn’t the worst place I’d seen students live in this city, but certainly not the best. Either way, it didn’t matter since I knew she didn’t live here.
“Oh, it’s fine. I come and go all the time by myself. Lots of students live here, so they come and go at all hours.” She gave a fake laugh. “You know college kids. They don’t run normal hours.” The smile she plastered on fooled no one, especially not me.
“What’s going on here, Timbre?” She had the chance to own up to her lie.
“Nothing. Why do you think something’s going on?” Her voice rose in pitch with each word.
“So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” She could keep her lies. I didn’t do lies. Ever.
“I don’t know what you mean, Hayden, and I don’t like the way you’re talking to me.” She turned her face up to me with a look of determination on it.
“Okay.” I let her arm go and turned to walk away. “See you around, Timbre.” I kept walking. When I stepped into my truck, I looked over to see her watching me. I waved and drove off. If she wanted to lie her way through life, that was all on her. I would not be a part of it.
“What the fuck have I done?” I said out loud to no one but myself. Following his truck’s movement, I waited until it disappeared on the other side of one of the buildings. The dark shadows from lack of good lighting around this complex made me uneasy, but I needed to wait until he disappeared before I made a move. A bus stop stood just outside the gate, which was why I chose this complex. I could ride it to the shelter.
He pulled out onto the road and then started back the way he drove in. Walking down the center of the road inside the fence seemed safer until I reached the gate where the bus stop waited for me. Several interesting people sat waiting, and I prayed the bus would be there quickly.
I chose a seat close to the driver hoping it would be safe. Public transportation in the middle of the night probably rated up there with the worst idea ever. When he stopped at the next stop, several older teenage boys got on and sat directly behind me. They spoke in broken English and Spanish. I didn’t have a clue what they were saying, but they kept laughing and looking at me. They had to be talking about me.