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"Any plans for the week?" Jeremiah asks.
"I'm travelling actually. I have to go audition some bands for the charity event."
"Flying?" Ezekiel questions.
"Driving. It's only a three-hour ride. And one thing you should know about me, I love a good ride where I can blast my playlist for a few hours."
"Hmm. Noted," Ezekiel quietly states. "When are you leaving?"
"Tuesday, early so I can avoid traffic. I come back on Friday."
He and Jeremiah share a look, and Jeremiah nods.
"You guys have too many internal conversations."
Jeremiah laughs. "At one point, we tried to convince our mother that we could read each other's minds when we were younger. Rehearsed this whole performance where we told the other to write a word on paper and hand it to our mom. Then, the other would guess the word. We thought we had her fooled, but she told us a few days later she knew exactly what we were doing."
I throw my head back in laughter. "I feel like your mother really had her hands full with you guys."
"She did," Ezekiel agrees. "Not because we were bad, but we were loud as hell, had way too much energy. In high school, we played damn near every sport, and she was at every game. In hindsight, we kinda took over every bit of her time, so we definitely make sure to pay her back for all of it now. She is doted on and then some."
"And she never remarried?"
Ezekiel just took a bite so he can only shake his head. Jeremiah answers. "She said marrying my father was enough to show her she never wanted to be married again."
"Yikes."
"Yeah." Ezekiel chuckles.
"Have you ever seen or spoken to him again, after he disappeared from your lives?"
"Hell, no." Jeremiah scoffs. "Don't want to, either. What about your father?
"Don't know anything about him more than his name, and that he was the love of my mother's life at one point, as were so many other men. He left while she was still pregnant with me. My mother was onto a new love by the time I was born."
"Interesting," Ezekiel says, and I chuckle, knowing that's about the kindest thing he can say to that.
"When you get home, can we expect an I miss you text so we can come over again?" Jeremiah asks, smirk in place.
I arch a brow at him. "Maybe my absence will have me getting that text from you guys."
"Oh, I know I'll miss you," he so easily says.
I shouldn't do it. I know, but my head is turning anyway, to look at Ezekiel as I ask, "Will you?"
It's almost as if I can feel Jeremiah at my back, anxious for Ezekiel to say the right thing. So am I. I want him to say yes, that he'll miss me, he'll think of me, he'll yearn for me like I know I will him and Jeremiah. Ezekiel doesn't speak at first, his eyes going back and forth between mine. Then, they steady, staring straight into mine. I hear his swallow, and the nerves in it. Ican tell a decision has been made, and I await it with a racing, desperate heart.
"I will," he says low, then clears his throat. "I will miss you, Lexa."
And my heart takes flight. I don't even try to stop it.
Chapter 8
"Thank you," I say, shaking the hand of the lead singer. "I will let you know by the end of the week if I'll be booking you."
"I look forward to hearing from you."
I watch the band leave and practically drop into the chair beside Heather. "How many more?"
