“Tell me about your week,” he said between mouthfuls. I took the stool beside him, watching as he plowed through his snack. “What really went on with Kim?”
He knew most of it… kind of. It had been hard to talk when Kim and I had been together all week, except for rushed conversations during her showers. And it hadn’t helped when she had asked me not to tell Shane. But knowing how difficult that was for me, she had lifted her request on our way home, knowing he’d be getting Chase’s version soon enough.
“Well, she regretted not breaking up with Chase before our trip. She feels since it’s going to happen anyway, why prolong the inevitable?”
Shane nodded. “In not so many words, Chase felt the same way.” His forehead creased a bit when he added, “If I hadn’t been there, I’m not sure what he would’ve done.” Shane gave me a rundown on the nonsense that Chase had pulled in LA, and how it had continued even once they’d returned to New York.
“Did he cheat on her?” My tone made it quite clear how I felt about that possibility.
“No…” Shane’s eyes sliced away when he added, “But he came so close a few times he may as well have.”
“That idiot.”
“I know.” The way he avoided my gaze worried me, and I suspected there was something he’d held back. I could only guess what those boys had engaged in last weekend. Shane was the only one in a truly committed relationship, and I had a feeling he had to deal with much more than he let on.
When I snuggled against him, he kissed the top of my head. “Maybe it’s Chase’s way of protecting his heart.” Really, it wasn’t much different than what Kim had tried to do on her end.
“Maybe.” Throwing an arm around me, he pulled me closer. “They’ll figure it out.”
“She’s over there right now ending it. I can’t tell you how many times she said she feels guilty ruining our summer.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would she think that?”
“Well, for starters, if you guys play in the city, she doesn’t want to go,” I said, and his brows rose in understanding.
“And without her, you won’t have fun.” It wasn’t a question. Sure, I’d have Harrison’s girlfriend to hang out with, unless he also planned to become single soon. And Ashley was sweet… but she wasn’t Kim.
“I’d be there for you,” I said without hesitation. “It’ll just feel strange.”
“I know it will.” He gripped my chin to force my eyes on him. “This is on them, babe. Although sad, we knew this was coming… and it has nothing to do with us.” He was right. I couldn’t relate to any of it and felt bad for them, but it had nothing to do with me and Shane.
“We have each other, and that’s all that matters.”
“Exactly.” His lips pressed to mine for a long, hard kiss. “We could use some space from all of them. We should spend more time at the beach this summer. My parents are cool with it, and I think if I have a long talk with your dad, then he’ll stop his stupid game of pretending you’re still a virgin.”
“Um… he knows.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No…” I said hesitantly. “He’s just busting you, but I like your idea. What about playing at bars in the city with No Rulz?” I asked, wondering what had changed.
“They aren’t into it, so it’s a waste of my time.”
“But you said the festival went well. Did something else happen?”
“Like I said… I loved every minute of it, and we got a great response from the crowd. But all the guys wanted to do was party afterward with—” His eyes cut away.
“With girls they met?” I filled in the blank. “Even Harrison?”
“Yeah. The three of them. I didn’t stick around and took a cab back to Lori’s place.”
A pang of something squeezed inside my chest. Again… a tiny seed of doubt pinched on whether it was Shane’s way to avoid temptation, and I hated even thinking that. These thoughts that kept popping up had nothing to do with trusting him. For some reason, I couldn’t shake the ever-present feeling he had missed out on so much because of me. The fact that his three best friends were all looking to get laid this summer was bad enough, but come August he would be attending a school in the city he really couldn’t give a crap about attending if it weren’t for me.
“It could’ve been better if we were all there for the same reason,” he went on to say, but one look at me forced a scowl. “Hey, what’s with the frown?”
“No reason.”
My response didn’t convince him. “Liv.”
“Things are changing, that’s all… for all of us. Soon we’ll be in college, and new opportunities will present themselves. We need to stay open minded.”
“Open minded about what?” He cocked his head. “Nothing is changing for you and me. I don’t care what they want or what they do, it has no effect on us,” he claimed, misinterpreting my words. I wasn’t referring to Kim or Chase or anyone else. My concern had all to do with Shane beginning a new phase in his life that he’d been pushed into. Seeing the energy rolling off him by merely talking about that festival hit on my concern that he’d regret committing to NYU.
Still, now wasn’t the time to get into that with him. I hadn’t seen him in a week, and the last thing I wanted was to pick a fight. Ignoring the way his hazel eyes studied me, I kissed him softly. “I missed you.”
He paused before saying, “I missed you too, baby.”
But I knew that he knew something was on my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Shane
Not only had Chase and Kim broken up, but Harrison and Ashley had as well.
That meant my three best friends had a whole new view on how to spend their summer. For several reasons, their plans didn’t mesh with mine. I had no desire to stay in the hot city, bouncing from party to party, or from one underage-friendly bar to another. Alivia mentioned a few times that she’d be fine if I wanted to hang out with them.
I didn’t.
If they focused their energy on No Rulz, I might have entertained it. The only thing those three were interested in was the pussy hunt they’d been on this past week.
I’d rather spend every day I had before starting college with my hot girl on a hot beach, and if possible, finding a new band.
The last one would be tricky. It was summer, and things were quiet on the performing front. Come the first semester, I’d get serious looking for their replacements, a serious group of musicians who had the same goals I had.
My parents kept reminding me of the connections within reach. There might be a time I regretted not using them, but I still wanted to try to pave my own way… try being the operative word.
Meanwhile, I’d been playing with Trey a lot, keeping up with his riffs and coming up with my own on the fly. He said a true bassist needed to be able to create in the moment. I was there because of him. The man had always been my hero, and I his protégé. I couldn’t blame him for being a dick after I began dating his daughter. What man wouldn’t be?