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No, I hadn’t missed any of that. And as much as my palm still stung from slapping the shit out of Lachlan, I couldn’t imagine how he sat on that tape right up until that point.
Why hadn’t he turned him in sooner?
I shuddered, then dragged my attention to the screen. Jonas sat with me all evening, but bless him for not pressing any questions. He even hopped up to let Aubrey in. Forrest was with her, but he didn’t come inside. Instead, Aubrey just crawled onto the sofa with me and curled up under my blanket.
Then it was the three of us watching the show. We were almost out of episodes, but it definitely helped. I even managed a slice of pizza before Aubrey and I went to bed. When she insisted on staying, I didn’t argue. We even talked to Yvette for a little while before sleep swallowed me whole.
The next morning, I started working on a plan. After graduation, the girls and I were going to write another album if they were both still in. If they wanted to keep up with the break, maybe I’d work on a solo album. The last couple of years had already been hard, and I didn’t know what they wanted to do yet, but we’d figure it out.
Normal life?
Yeah, I think I’d rather go back to knowing where all the knives were and that trusting people was a mistake. At least there, I knew what to expect.
* * *
“I forgot you evenhadthis dress,” Aubrey said, with a wild note of admiration. I glanced at her over my shoulder. She’d just finished zipping it up for me and I glanced down again. Ice blue, the dress went with my hair really well. The one-shoulder style with side ruching was actually one of my favorite dresses.
When we’d been nominated for a Grammy, I wore it to the ceremony. The hammered satin was fully lined and fit like a glove. It would leave my arms bare and on display, but school party or not, I didn’t give a crap.
The dress felt good to wear and looked good, too. Pivoting, I faced Aubrey, who grinned. “Definitely the hottest ice ever.”
“Let it go,” I deadpanned. Her whole expression transformed as her eyes widened and a laugh exploded out of her.
“You did not.”
I spread my arms. “Sure, I did. Besides…I’m feeling very empowered.”
“You look empowered.” Her soft laughter gave way to a teasing smile. “But for real, you look amazing.”
She’d helped me with my hair, fashioning it into an updo that hid the missing chunks.
A pair of silver drop earrings and a bracelet were my only accessories along with a pair of pale white ankle boots.
“So do you!” She was done up in a red dress that looked smashing with her darker coloring, not to mention she had a ruby red lipstick I didn’t have a hope in hell of carrying off. “Forrest coming too?”
“Yes,” she said as she slid her heels back on. “We’re sticking with you and Jonas tonight.” Before I could protest, she ducked into the bathroom to check her cosmetics. “And don’t argue with me. I swear, every single time I take my eyes off you, something goes fucking screwy.”
“I wasn’t going to argue,” I said and her skeptical look made me laugh. “I wasn’t, I’m just glad Forrest will be there so I can interrogate him, too.” With a wink, I pivoted to head for the sitting room with Aubrey hurrying after me. “Don’t you dare…”
Jonas and Forrest were waiting for us in the sitting room, both in suits, and I did a double-take at Jonas. He was in an actual suit. It was white on white and looked…amazing. There was even an ice-blue tie that he fidgeted with.
The guys hadn’t been talking. If anything, it looked like they’d just been waiting in silence. Forrest whistled as Aubrey sauntered over to him after shooting me alook,and I bit back a smile that turned into a full blown grin when Jonas held out a single blue rose.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “You don’t have to take it with you but—I thought you should have one tonight.”
I pressed the soft velvet of the blue rose to my nose and took a breath. The perfume was light and sweet. “I’ll put it in water.” It was so perfect as it was, I didn’t want anything to happen to it. When I caught Aubrey’s eye she gave me an indulgent smile and I crossed my eyes at her which in turn made her stick out her tongue.
The guys both chuckled and I hummed my way over to put the rose in a glass with some water. It looked perfect next to the coffee maker. I checked the trembling in my fingers as I turned back to find Jonas waiting for me.
“Is it okay if I tell you I like the dress?” The question pulled another smile from me.
“Yes,” I told him. “Wolf whistles are also acceptable.”
He nodded.
“I really like your suit, too. You clean up nice, Dekkar.” If I hadn’t been watching him, I might have missed the hint of red that touched his ears as he raked a hand through his hair. As sweet as that was, I gave him some privacy to glance at Aubrey and Forrest.
