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“You’re not the only one who talks to Barry.”
“What do you mean?”
“He has other friends that are girls.” She squinted at me. “Why should that matter? You’re with Collin.”
But it did matter.
“Barry only has one best friend.” I pointed to myself. “Me.”
“Currently only you.” She cocked her head. “But you do realize he has girlfriends, right?”
“He has girls he hooks up with.”
She nodded. “But keep in mind that things change. One of those could end up being a girlfriend.”
Frowning, I thought that over for a moment. “Why are you telling me this?”
“In case you’re not as sure about Collin as you think you are.”
“I’m sure.”
Aren’t I?
Collin wasn’t like Barry. I mean, he knew me, but he didn’t get me like Barry did. We weren’t two sides of the same coin, but that was the point. With Collin as a boyfriend, I was able keep hidden the deeper parts, the vulnerable parts he might reject. Those were the sides of me I only shared with my best friend.
“Smooth out your brow.” Rachel turned me and did it for me with her thumbs.
“Then don’t make me doubt my new hot boyfriend.”
“That’s not it.” She pursed her lips. “I just don’t want you to get so tunnel-visioned about Collin and the band or anything else that you miss out on something good, okay?”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek, the non-bruised side. With ABCR soon to debut, I was glad the bruise wasn’t as noticeable. Hopefully with some makeup, it wouldn’t even show.
“So, you’ll wear what I picked out for you?” Rachel asked.
“Of course I’ll wear it,” I said. “I’m representing the best new band in Seattle. But it’s not my image that really matters. It’s the music. ABCR’s music.”
Armed with a stack of newly printed flyers, I stepped out of Andy’s van onto the curb in a fancy neighborhood full of mansions, manicured lawns, and gated entrances that were nothing like Southside and beyond what I could have imagined.
“Babe. Addy. Hey,” Collin said to get my attention, and I turned to look at him where he sat in the front passenger seat. A swath of his black hair hung low over one of his eyes, giving him a roguish appearance. Those silvery eyes gleaming intently, he crooked his ringed finger. “Come here.”
“I can do this on my own,” I said firmly.
“Know you can,” he said, though for some reason he’d wanted to call and speak to Miranda before I did. “I just want a kiss before you go.”
“Okay.” I smiled.
“You’re so beautiful.” He reached through the open window as I leaned in. Framing my face in his capable hands, he kissed me.
From the driver’s seat, Andy huffed out a frustrated breath. “Hurry it up, man. I wanna get out of here. My old beater sticks out in this fucking fancy neighborhood.”
Collin ignored him, making me melty, repeatedly stroking my tongue with his. My heart was racing when he released me. Standing beside the van, I gulped in the crisp autumn air to cool down.
“You can go now,” Collin said to his friend, grinning with masculine satisfaction. “We’ll put up some flyers around the university. Call on your new cell phone when you’re ready to be picked up.”
“Okay,” I said, then waited until the van disappeared to turn back around.
Miranda’s house was a huge mansion, like all the rest but modern. Video cameras were perched high on both sides of the wrought-iron gate that stretched across the driveway. Locating the intercom box beside it, I pushed the button like Miranda had told me to.
