AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He grins at my addition. “Exactly. Just us and an adventure I wouldn’t want to share with anyone but you.”
I sigh and lean into him, still looking up at his chiseled face, clean shaven as always. “I wouldn’t want you sharing it with anyone else.”
He pecks my lips quickly and then walks away. Only he pauses in the doorway to answer his phone.
“Reed.”
As he continues walking away, I grab an armful of clothes and move them from the closet to the bed. We only have a few days left on our lease, and the day after, we’re to report to Philadelphia for our flight.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and then the funeral march begins playing.
My parents.
Dramatic, maybe, but it fits oh so well.
I stare at it for a few seconds before I swipe to decline the call. Instantly, the tension in my shoulders eases. My parents, while well-meaning, tend to be overbearing when it comes to my life choices. Which might mean they haven’t been privy to my upcoming trip. Three days before I leave.
Time to cancel my last appointment with my therapist.
I’m hauling over another load of clothes to the bed when Archer returns. He stops in the doorway, bracing his arms above him on the frame. I drop the clothes in a messy pile and plant my hands on my hips when he gives me a cautious grin. Last time I saw it was when he told me about our amazing opportunity.
“A few of the people going with us are having some paperwork issues. They’ve decided to push back our departure date until they get everyone sorted.”
I stand there with my clothes, a chill from the cold winter air somehow making it through the window and cutting through me so that I want to put on the coat and gloves I dreaded parting with.
“So what does that mean? We wait an extra day or two?”
“They have no idea how long. Anywhere from a week to a month. They’re dealing with multiple governments so who knows how backed up things could get. We’ll likely only get a few days’ notice before we leave.”
I nod, still processing how this affects us and our plans. Our lease, what we put in storage right away.
“You still with me on this adventure?” Archer crosses the room toward me and hugs me to his chest, his chin resting on my head.
“I wouldn’t want you sharing it with anyone else,” I tell him.
He kisses the top of my head and then says, “That’s why I love you, Charlie.”
It’s the first time he’s called me anything but Charlotte, and for some reason, when I hear it, my chest tightens. Those rocks sink lower. I only wish I knew why.
CHAPTER 2
BENJI
The applause and thrumming in the air as the band finishes their set nearly makes me miss the feel of my phone going off in my pocket. Every person on the floor is having the time of their fucking life, and as much as I miss being on the stage, being the one they scream for, watching All for You feels just as fucking incredible.
Who would have thought the grungy lead singer of Beta Void would give it up to manage the groups he once was set on being.
Jordan shoves me in the shoulder. “The nostalgia is coming out of your eyes.”
I turn to look at him and shout over the crowd, “You feel it too, man. Remember that rush?”
My best friend and former lead guitar nods, his stare moving back to the stage. I’m not the only one to sell out over the past couple of years. Even though we still meet up with our drummer and bass player to jam once a month, we haven’t played a show in over a year. Jordan’s balls deep in law school, and I’ve been busting my ass to prove myself at JR Management. Besides All for You, the indie rock band burning up the stage, I have The Forest Nymphs—an all-girl punk group—and I just signed Brana, a solo-artist, who if my instincts prove right, will take the entire world over in the next few years.
So long as I can deal with his attitude.
“You want a beer?” Jordan asks as the band starts their next song.
I nod and then jut my chin toward the back door. “Going to play phone simulator,” I tell him.
