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“Don’t use flirting to try and change the subject. You can’t just blurt out that you plan on buying a one-way ticket out of Dodge and then flirt with me like you want to kiss me or something.”
Rhys took a step toward Shay, letting the heat he felt in his body show in his eyes. “I do want to kiss you, Shay. I want to touch you so bad that it hurts.”
She swallowed hard, angling her head up and it would have been so easy for Rhys to close the distance, to crush his lips to hers and finally taste her like he’d wanted to since the first moment their eyes had clashed across the room. He wanted to feel her gasp as his tongue explored her mouth and feel her body pressed against him, connecting in all the right places.
He was thinking about getting Shay naked and he almost missed it when she replied. “I want you to kiss me too.”
Rhys was about to tell her that his ninety days would be up in a few short weeks and then he would kiss her, but Shay took another step back and shook her head. “I want you to kiss me, but not if it means we have to say goodbye. It would be cruel to both of us and we don’t deserve that pain. So even though I want you to kiss me, unless you plan on hanging round to see if we could have something. We’ll have to just be happy with being friends.”
Shay turned around and walked out of the park, leaving Rhys alone, a heaviness in his chest as he watched Shay walk away and realized just how much it hurt him to let her go. It was like a bolt of lightning to the chest, like the ground was shifting beneath his feet as Rhys began to understand exactly what falling in love meant for the first time in his life.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Rhys
Rhys had mulledover what Shay had said for a few days and contemplated all of the things he had discovered. Falling in love was not something Rhys ever considered would happen to him, but now that he knew he was falling for Shay, it had offered him some clarity about the things that had often sent him into a spiral.
He’d spent a lot of his life afraid. Afraid that Declan had been pretending to be his friend. Afraid that he wasn’t good enough to be part of the band. Afraid he wasn’t smart enough. Afraid that everyone around him was moving on with their lives and would one day forget about him and leave him all alone.
Afraid. Afraid. Afraid.
But Rhys was tired of being afraid and he was fucking sick to death of trading his happiness to protect himself from getting hurt. He used to convince himself he was okay with being alone, but that was another goddamn lie. Rhys knew he had spent his entire life mistreating himself because deep down, he felt like this was what he deserved.
After years of being untrue to himself...it had taken a gorgeous tattoo artist to call him on his bullshit, and the thought of losing her made Rhys consider that it was time for him to fight through his fears, in the hope that his life could be better.
And so today he decided it was time to start making amends for all the pain he had caused. He had already decided that he was staying in Ireland, even if he couldn’t get back the lease on his place, and maybe that was for the best...a fresh slate.
Rhys let himself into Declan’s place in the afternoon, then keyed in the code for the studio. The moment he entered he heard the unmistakable sound of Declan playing his acoustic guitar. It wasn’t a melody that Rhys had heard before but it instantly made him start to hear the piano arrangement that could accompany it, could hear the drumbeat that Luna would kill on. He smiled at how easy Jameson would take the acoustic sound and riff it on his own guitar.
“Rhys.”
Andi’s voice dragged him from his thoughts and he offered his sister a genuine smile as she watched him warily.
“What are you doing here?”
There was a tightness in her tone, like she was expecting Rhys to cause a scene and Andi was preparing to put herself between her brother and her lover. Rhys looked at his sister, really looked at her, and noticed the weight loss and the tiredness behind her eyes. The only other time he’d seen his sister in such a state was after the gala dinner, when he’d punched Declan.
“I’m not here to cause trouble, Andi.” Rhys tried to reassure her, striding into the centre of the room. “I just came to talk to Dec.”
Andi glanced over her shoulder, then back at Rhys. “Declan’s just working on some stuff. Maybe you could come back later, and we can have dinner and talk.”
Rhys smiled, disappointed that Andi really wasn’t going to let him speak to Declan, and yet, he didn’t blame her at all. It made sense that Andi would not only be protecting the man she loved, but hopefully, she also saw the brother who realized he had been a complete and utter asshole and was ready to try and make amends.
“Sure. That sounds good. I just wanted to let you and him know that I decided to stay in Ireland. Can’t keep running from my problems or shit will never get resolved.”
Andi’s eyes widened and she came forward. “You’re staying?”
Rhys shrugged, snorting slightly. “Ya, well, if I can find a new gaff to stay in. Landlord already had someone ready to move into mine and I don’t really fancy moving in with the parents. Not really the rockstar look, is it?”
He barely had time to brace himself before Andi lunged forward, engulfing Rhys in a bear hug. Letting loose a sigh, Rhys wrapped his arms around Andi and just held her, trying to ignore the wetness on his tee as Andi cried. He tried to peel her off so he could leave, and she kept her arms wrapped tightly around him.
“Hey, don’t cry. I’m sorry I’ve been a dick. I’m sorry for being so messed up. But you know I love ya, right sis?”
Andi finally let him go, sweeping at her eyes. “I love you too, Rhys.”
“Listen, I’ll head out and I can meet up with Declan another day. No need to disturb him while he’s got something good going. I need to look for a new place anyways.”
“Rhys.”
