Page 41 of Blue Moon

Chapter 17

Sawyer

The second my plane touched down after practice, I grabbed my phone to text Sol. I was dying to kiss her again. I’d told her we should wait to have sex, but after last night, I didn’t know how much longer I could resist her. Maybe I was overthinking things. Wasn’t it enough that we were dating? If we slept together, it wouldn’t be a one-night stand.

I gathered my gear and changed out of my flight suit into jeans and a T-shirt. My phone’s notification light blinked, indicating I had a message.

Sol: I just got back to the hotel room. I’m going shower and can meet you wherever.

I didn’t want to go to another Instagram-worthy place. Between getting ready for the gala and wearing a suit at the Chinese restaurant, I was over getting dressed up. I just wanted to grab a beer, shoot some pool, chow down on a burger, and hang out with Sol. I thought for a second about what to say to her.

Me: Cool. There’s a great dive bar across the street from the hotel. I can pick you up.

Sol: Let me get ready. I’ll just meet you there.

Me: Sounds good.

Awesome. I sent her a link to the place. Tonight, I wanted to see if she could kick it and just be real.

Declan stood in front of me. “Where you heading?”

“To the bar across from our hotel. Sol will be joining me later. Want to come?”

“Yeah, I’ll hang out for a bit.”

Cool. We drove to the hotel, left the car with the valet, and then walked across the street to the bar. I texted Sol to let her know we’d arrived. She texted back that she’d be joining us in a bit.

A thick haze of smoke and the scent of stale liquor and grease wafted over us as we entered. Yup, just my kind of place. A place to drink and unwind. To dissolve into the crowd. To blend in, not stand out.

Damn, Sol would hate it here.

Declan and I sat at the bar and ordered beers and burgers. The bartender poured our drafts, and I sank into the pleather stool.

Declan punched my arm. “So, what’s happening, Romeo? I’ve never seen you so hung up on a chick.”

I took a swig. “Yeah, I don’t know. Sol’s beautiful, no doubt, but we have nothing in common.”

He laughed. “That’s never mattered before. Remember Miss Cherry? That chick was a goddamn mess. What’s different this time?”

Damn, Miss Cherry was a trip. But I didn’t want to think about her, all I could think about was Sol.

I needed to tell Declan about how I felt about Sol. In all truth, I had no one else who really understood me. Beck was too judgy, too perfect.

“Sol’s a virgin.”

Declan spat out his beer. “Shut the fuck up.”

“No, seriously. I was shocked, too. But she swears she is, and I believe her. And I know it shouldn’t matter, but it does. She wanted to sleep with me, lose her virginity to me, and I told her no.”

“You turned her down? You? Fuck me, Huck? Mr. girl in every city? Love them and leave them? See you next year? Don’t call me, I’ll call you? Are you feeling okay? Too many aerial loops gone to your head?”

Hearing Declan call me out on my bullshit rattled me. He was right. That was who I was, who I’d always been. But I had my reasons. Beck and Declan grew up in stable families and had loving parents. I’d told them both bits and pieces of my past, but I’d always omitted one dark secret. One I’d never share with anyone. Not Beck. Not Declan. And definitely not Sol.

Some secrets were meant to be taken to the grave.

“Yeah me. And, I’m fine. Never better. She’s beautiful and smart. Classy—I find her fascinating. And she stands up to me. Also, if she’s been a virgin this long, I bet she’ll stay faithful to me when I deployed. I know I just met her, but I’ve never felt like this about any woman.”

Declan shook his head. “Well, you’re a mess, but you’ve always known that. And not all women cheat—Beck’s wife never cheated.”