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“Yeah, Jennifer moved in with Julian, and Eve took her spot the same afternoon. She’d been evicted because the owner was an assholes.”
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“Well, she’s gorgeous,” Viv said with a pout.
Blaire laughed. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“She’d be so down if she were here.”
“Your loss,” Santi said, pointing his thumb at himself, “my gain.”
Good for Santi. He was king of make the best of a bad situation, and if he was hooking up with Eve, then he’d help keep the rest of the band happy, too. I hoped Eve could handle it. It sounded like she’d been through hell. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“You’re being careful?” I asked Santi.
He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t need the condom lecture.”
Blaire took a big gulp of her water at that statement and said nothing.
“With her heart.”
Santi held his hands up. “She was the one who said she just wanted a good time. I didn’t even have to say anything.”
“That sounds like Eve,” Blaire admitted.
I was glad because I hadn’t been careful with the heart of the girl back home. I’d let her get hurt. If I could save one more person from what I’d done to Blaire, then I would.
Michael abruptly stood and held up his phone. “I have a call.”
Then, he left the restaurant. We all watched him answer a call outside.
“Wifey,” Viv said with an arched eyebrow.
“Problem,” Yorke corrected.
“It’ll be fine. Virginia understands.” I hoped.
By the skeptical looks on the rest of the band members’ faces, I wasn’t sure they were any more confident than I was. At least this was par for the course as far as Michael was concerned. He was always curmudgeonly. The only time I’d seen him happy was one section of the tour when Virginia and Maisie had shown up for a few stops.
The rest of lunch went off without a hitch. Michael returned, looking happier after speaking with his wife. We discussed the new songs and what Blaire had planned for videos while we worked.
“A documentary?” Viv asked, looking thoughtful.
“Of sorts,” Blaire confirmed. “Like a behind the scenes of the making of the album sort of thing.”
“Bobby would say yes,” Santi pointed out.
“Bobby isn’t here,” I said. “Obviously, we’d have to work out compensation, but what do you think?”
“Yes,” Yorke said.
Santi nodded. “Dude, I’m game.”
Viv agreed.
And Michael just shrugged. “Sure. How is it different than anything else we’ve done? Now, we’ll be filmed in Lubbock instead of all over the world.”
He had a point, but Blaire flushed at the comment, and I didn’t like that she looked smaller for it.
“It’s just an idea,” she said. “We’ll do video content first, and I’ll just be recording while you’re working otherwise. We’ll see what we get.”
They all agreed that was good enough and then headed back to the studio. Blaire hung back with me as I paid the entire bill. She protested. Though no one else had. But I ignored her anyway.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she told me as we walked out of Dirk’s.
“I wanted to.”
“Well, thank you.” She ruffled her bangs and looked up at me. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Her phone beeped, and she glanced at it. She rolled her eyes. “Honey.”
“She seems invested.”
“She is. I gave her stuff to do, but I think she wanted to come to the studio with me. I told her that y’all needed your privacy.”
“She could swing by.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“If you want. I want whatever makes you happy and your life easier.”
“Oh,” she said, returning her eyes to her phone. “She’s just used to having more of my time.”
“And now, I’m monopolizing it?” I asked, stopping in front of the studio.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“Can I monopolize it?” I shot her a smile when her head popped back up to look at me in surprise.
“I…”
“Go out with me.”
She blinked, her mouth slightly agape.
“And no, I’m not kidding.”
I was pushing too much. I knew it and yet couldn’t stop myself. She wouldn’t even go to lunch with just me. After the rooftop, why would I think she wanted more from me? To date me? And yet my mouth didn’t seem to care about that at all. I wanted to go out with her. I wanted her in my arms again. I wanted her.
She looked down and then back up at my face. She had to see how earnest I was. That I was sincere in all of this. It wasn’t the same as we’d been when I last asked.
“Okay,” she finally said.
I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Really?”
She laughed softly. “Really.”
“I didn’t think you’d agree.”
“Then, why did you ask?”
“Because I couldn’t help myself,” I admitted. “When I’m with you, all I want is to be closer to you. It’s like I got one single taste, and it will never be enough. I tried to leave you alone. I tried so fucking hard. Now that you’re here and you’re in my orbit again, I can’t just let you go. I can’t let you walk away.”
