by Grace James
There was a beat of silence while we all absorbed that, then Mel yelled, “YOU watched The Wedding Planner?! Oh my God, that’s hilarious.”
Derren looked stricken, like he’d just been caught with his hand down his pants. “Well – like – not intentionally. Hayley made me watch it.”
“I’ve never seen that movie,” Hayley said, shaking her head emphatically, totally throwing him to the wolves.
Derren hung his head. “Ah, fuck…”
Hayley, Mel and I dissolved into loud giggles.
“Did you cry at the end? I hear chick flicks are a bitch for that. Those sappy endings get you every time.”
“No,” Derren groaned.
“I think it’s cute you watched it, babe,” Hayley said.
“Me too,” I agreed, but I couldn’t resist adding, “Did you and the guys all sit around on the tour bus one night with popcorn and slushies?”
Derren pointed a finger at me, blurting, “Don’t you – if you tell them –” his finger moved to Hayley “– not a word! They’ll never let me live it down.”
Our laughter echoed through the house.
“We’ll keep your secret, Derren,” Mel said craftily. “But first you have to do something for us.”
“And that is…?”
“Send us videos of Hayley trying to train peacocks, because that stuff is gonna be comedy gold.”
I giggled, and then covered my mouth with my hand when Hayley shot me a look. “Sorry.”
“Deal,” Derren said. “No way I wouldn’t be filming that anyway.”
Hayley’s glare turned on him.
“Okay, I have to go,” I said as I got to my feet. “I have another meeting.”
“Who with this time?” Hayley asked.
“A potential client who wants to book The Academy out for a charity Rock Night.”
“That sounds cool,” Derren commented.
“Yeah, it is. They were going to book Dystopia, but since your show everyone seems to be coming to us – so thank you.” I doubted I’d ever be able to bring myself to thank Blake for showing up and springing that show on me, but thanking Derren came easily. Probably because he wasn’t an asshole.
Derren grinned. “You’re welcome.”
I smiled back before turning away and heading out. “Okay, I’ll see you all soon.”
As I reached the front door and started to pull it open, I heard Mel say, “So, have you started interviewing peacocks? You can’t just have any old bird turn up at your wedding.”
I looked back over my shoulder to see Hayley flip her off. Laughing – and still not looking where I was going – I stepped outside and immediately slammed into a hard, solid object.
Shock crackled through me at the same time as the scent of him surrounded me; that familiar spicy musk with a hint of deodorant.
Blake.
15
He still smelled exactly the same as I remembered.
How is that even possible? Surely, he uses fancy cologne now instead of whatever he used before?
“Woah, hey, you okay?” I felt the rumble of Blake’s words against my cheek and palms, which were flat against his powerful chest. My eyes travelled upwards, over the ink that emerged from the neckline of his shirt, to his strong jaw covered with dark stubble. I pushed back enough to see piercing blue eyes looking down at me in bemused surprise.
Four days had passed since he showed up at The Academy and he was still in Vegas – obviously. Hayley (and social media) had told me that he and Derren had been gambling up a storm on the Strip all weekend, so running into him at some point had been sort of inevitable. But, for some reason, it still came as a shock.
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I wasn’t looking,” I muttered, feeling myself start to flush as I took a step back and pulled my hands away from his chest. It was only then that I registered that he was gently holding my upper arms…and that felt nice. Instantly, I stepped back further and he dropped his arms to his sides. “What – um, what are you doing here?” I asked.
One side of his mouth slid up. “You gonna ask me that every time I see you?” When I didn’t answer right away, he continued, “I came to see Derren –” his voice took on a slightly teasing tone “– see, we’re in this band together, and sometimes we hang out.”
Okay, I got it. Dumb question.
For a few seconds, we both just kind of stood there, an awkward silence crystalizing around us.
I bit my lip and looked away. “Okay, well…see you around.” I dodged around him and started to walk towards my car. I’d just fumbled my keys from my purse when I heard him speak.
“Princess?”
I looked back over my shoulder to see him watching me, an inscrutable expression on his face. “…yeah?”
“Look, I get that you’re mad, but I’m back now and we got the same friends. You’re gonna be at Kane’s party Wednesday night, right?”
Kane’s ‘Back in Town’ parties were legendary. Every time he came home to Vegas after he’d been away for an extended period, he threw a huge one. Kane had gone on vacation to Thailand as soon as Sons of Sinners’ tour ended a few weeks before, so Wednesday would be the first time he’d been back to Vegas in well over six months. Clearly, he wasn’t even planning to give himself time to recover from the jetlag before he got the party started.
“Yeah, I’m going,” I told him. I’d never missed one of Kane’s parties and I wasn’t about to start now just because I’d rather avoid Blake.
“Well, see? Same friends. Shouldn’t we at least try to get along?”
He sounded so reasonable, how could I do anything other than agree? “Yeah, we probably should. For Hayley and Derren and the wedding, at least.”
“Yeah.” He nodded and then his brows pinched together in a small frown. “Hey, did you know that the Best Man and the Maid of Honor are supposed to walk down the aisle together?”
I almost smiled at the way he said that, like he was imparting some strange knowledge that he didn’t fully understand. “Yeah, I did.”
“Oh…well, sure you did. Girly shit an all that.” He grinned a little at my annoyed huff. “Anyway, it’d be nice if we could do that without me worrying the whole time that you’re gonna knife me in the back or something, y’know?”
“Actually, I think it’s way more fun that way,” I said dryly.
His grin got wider. “Yeah, for you, maybe.”
I smiled a tiny bit in return.
Blake shoved his hands in his pockets and took a few slow steps towards me. “You should probably know that this isn’t me giving up. This is just me giving you time.”
“…what do you mean?”
“Me and you. It’s not over.”
My stomach flipped. “Um…we are the definition of over!”
His grin didn’t falter. “Nah.”
That was it. Just “Nah”?
I squinted at him, at a loss for words, which he seemed to find amusing. His gravelly chuckle simultaneously made my breath catch and made me want to slap him.
“You still wanna stab me, and I still wanna strangle you,” he said by way of an explanation.
“Excuse me?!” I hissed.
His chuckle turned into a full-on laugh. “See?! That’s what I mean right there. You still care enough to get mad, so it’s not over.”
I scoffed. “There’s something seriously wrong with you if you think me yelling at you and slamming the door in your face equates to me still having feelings for you.”
He studied me for a second, his smile dimming. Half a second later, it was back again. “Quit lying to yourself, Princess.” With that, he walked backwards a few paces, keeping his gaze locked on mine, before turning abruptly and entering the house.
I just stood there, next to my car, wondering what the hell just happened.
16
Kane’s house looked like a giant ice cube. There was glass everywhere, and where there wasn’t glass there were vast expanses of white. It was ultra-modern, minima
list, and possibly the cleanest place I had ever set foot in. Or at least it was before he opened his doors and declared his place Party Central.
There were speakers set up all over the vast patio and a DJ was busy on the decks, pumping out rock music at a deafening volume. There were a couple of bars set up on either side of the aqua blue, sickle shaped pool and servers were walking around with trays of canapés, champagne, and what looked like a selection of Jello shots. There were three huge barbecues sizzling away, tended to by professional chefs.
The party may have been casual, but it was organized, staffed, catered, and a million miles away from the first party that I had been to at Kane and Blake’s place almost four years before, where Sons of Sinners had performed in their backyard.
A lot of the guests were the same though – people from local bands and friends from the old neighborhood – only now there were celebrities in the mix too. I spotted a couple of basketball players, and there was another guy who I recognized as an MMA fighter from the TV – Evan something-or-other, the one with creepy, dead eyes – who was probably in town for the fights that week. And I was almost positive I saw Brandon Flowers, which, I’m a little embarrassed to say, made me squeak like a fan girl.
As I walked across the crowded patio with Hayley and Derren at my side, I pulled the hem of my dress down for what seemed like the thousandth time since I’d climbed out of the cab a few minutes before. I’d been chicken, not wanting to turn up alone – and possibly face Blake alone – so I’d gotten ready at Hayley and Derren’s so that we could all go together.
“Will you stop,” Hayley said, nudging me with her hip. “You look hot, that dress looks great on you, so…just…stop.”
“Yeah,” Derren agreed. “You look like a disco ball – but in a good way.”
“Thanks,” I said with a small laugh, and started to make a conscious effort to ignore how short my dress was. It was one of Hayley’s. A silver bodycon, embellished with silver sequins. It hit just above mid-thigh, with a low neckline and small cap sleeves. It was very Hayley – over the top and gorgeous – but it was more revealing than I was used to and I felt a little self-conscious.
Hayley was wearing an electric blue dress, which hugged her curves like a second skin. She wore it like she was born in it, completely naturally. I was hoping the champagne that she and I plucked from the tray of a passing server was going to help me emulate that.
“Hey, stranger!” The shout came from behind me and I whirled to see Kane moving through the crowd toward us. His hazel eyes were, as always, friendly and warm – in complete contrast to his powerful, stocky frame and tough-guy buzz cut.
I broke into a big grin at the sight of him. “Hey, yourself!”
When he got close enough, he gave me a big bear hug. Kane’s hugs were the best. When he released me, he gave Hayley the same treatment, then bro-hugged Derren.
“How was Thailand?” I asked.
“Aw, man.” He laughed. “You would not believe the shit I’ve seen, Amy. Thought I’d seen everything after we toured Europe last year – Eastern European fans are on another level – but Thailand?” He let out a low whistle and shook his head.
“And here was me thinking you went out there for the culture,” I teased.
“Those pictures you sent made it look like you were pretty fuckin’ immersed in the culture,” Derren said, grinning evilly at his friend.
Hayley shuddered. “Stop! Even I don’t wanna know!”
“Give us the PG summary,” I said. “Leave out the stuff that’ll make us gag.”
Kane jabbed Derren in the ribs. “He’s making it sound worse than it was.”
“Picture speaks a thousand words, man,” Derren muttered.
Kane ignored him and started telling us all about what he’d gotten up to in Thailand – rainforest hikes, tuk-tuks and sea planes included. It sounded like an incredibly beautiful place to visit. While he was talking, I finished the glass of champagne that I had been sipping from, and looked around, hoping that I could snag another without having to go to the bar.
And that’s when I saw Blake standing on the other side of the pool.
As soon as my eyes landed on him, my heart stuttered in my chest and my skin tingled. My body didn’t care what my brain had to say on the subject, it just reacted.
In faded jeans, boots, and an old, weathered, Beastie Boys t-shirt, he looked like a walking fantasy. He was standing on the other side of the pool, bottle of beer in hand. His dark, messy hair looked like someone had just run their hands through it – and maybe they had because, although he was standing with a couple of guys that I recognized as friends of his from years ago, they were also surrounded by about five women, all of whom were drooling over him like he was dessert.
I looked away instantly, pulling my eyes back to my friends.
“Aw, shit, man! That’s gross!” Derren exclaimed, grimacing.
I registered that Kane was talking about some crazy street food – possibly rat – that he’d tasted in Bangkok.
Somehow, without me even consciously realizing it at first, my treacherous eyes sought out Blake again.
At that moment, one of the women he was standing with – a really pretty brunette with curves everywhere – placed her hand on his chest and said something to him. I could tell by the way she batted her eyelashes and pouted her lips that whatever she said was supposed to be seductive. I saw him smirk and say something back to her. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty funny, because the whole group burst into laughter. The brunette giggled along with everyone else, but she narrowed her eyes in what looked like mock anger and lightly smacked his chest flirtatiously.
When he leant over to whisper something into her ear, I felt like my stomach had been injected with lead.
“Amy, come do karaoke with me?”
I blinked and turned to see Hayley grinning at me.
“Pretty please?” she begged.
I looked at Kane, raising my eyebrows. “You have karaoke set up?! You hate karaoke almost as much as I do!”
He scratched his stubbly head, looking a little confused. “I know, but she started saying how she was the bride and I had to do what she said.”
“She pulls that crap with me too!” I exclaimed.
“And me,” muttered Derren.
“And I’m about to pull it again, come inside with me and sing – you have to, it’s your Maid of Honor duty to do what the bride says!”
I groaned despite the smile on my face. “You know I have a No Singing in Public rule. Cats get turned on when I sing, it’s that bad!”
Derren burst out laughing. “That should be the name of our next album – Cats Get Turned on When I Sing!”
Kane snorted. “Could you imagine Aiden’s face if we suggested that?”
“Yes, actually,” I spoke up. “I can imagine it would be exactly like the look he gives me every time he sees me, like I’m a hangnail that just won’t go away.”
The guys kept laughing, not contradicting me.
“Come on.” Hayley tugged at my arm. “Karaoke? Pleeeeease?”
I was saved from answering her when someone tapped my shoulder.
Blake.
The name tore through my head like a hurricane. I pulled in a steadying breath as I turned around –
But it wasn’t him.
It was a bassist I knew who played for a local electro rock band called Simu and The Bandit. He was older, maybe forty, and reminded me a little of Gavin Rossdale.
I felt a jolt of disappointment that it was him and not Blake.
Don’t be an idiot! You’re RELIEVED – that’s what that feeling is.
“Hey, Gary,” I greeted him when I saw his wide smile. “How’s it going?”
“Really good, Amy. You?”
“Great.” I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back across the pool, seeking out Blake. He was still deep in intimate conversation with Sexy Brunette.
That lead in my stomach turned into molten lava.
“…so, waddaya say?”
It took me a second to register that Gary had been talking.
“Uh, what?” I asked, looking back at him.
He grinned good naturedly and glanced across the pool; his eyes took on a knowing glint before he looked back at me. “I said can you put us on at The Academy again sometime soon? It’s been too long.”
“Yeah, sure. Of course.” Simu and The Bandit always went down well. They were tight and very professional even though the band was just a hobby for them. “Text me some dates and I’ll see what I have.”
“Cool, I will. Thanks, Amy.”
Before Gary had even turned away, my eyes were back on Blake, like a mentally challenged moth to a blistering flame. I saw him take a long pull from the beer bottle in his hand. Then, as he pulled the bottle away from his mouth, his gaze flicked to mine.
My heart rammed against my ribs. Adrenaline spiked through my veins, leaving my skin prickling. The deepest parts of me flared to life – all because he was looking my way.
God, I was so screwed.
And I hated him for that.
Our eyes held for a moment, and then he offered me a small smile and a little nod of his head. It was polite and courteous, like we were strangers.
Which should’ve been a good thing.
But it made my heart sink.
Then Sexy Brunette stepped close to him and touched his bicep as she said something. Blake’s gaze slid back to her before he threw his head back and laughed his ass off.
And I felt…sad.
And jealous too, obviously.
But mainly sad.
Because he was right there in front of me. The man that I had wanted for so long. The man that I had dreamed about, fantasized about, missed to the point of torture, was right in front of me…yet still a million miles away.
Why do I care? I’m so STUPID to care!
I turned abruptly back to Hayley. “New deal – you sing karaoke, I’ll drink tequila.”
She did a little jump, clapping her hands. “This party just got awesome!”
At least one of us was having fun.