“That’s true. How do you normally celebrate Thanksgiving?” she asked me.
The girl had been giving me a shit ton of attention, and I’d tried to make it clear that nothing was going to happen, but she kept at it. Maybe she was just a friendly chick, who knows. I’d assume Tia would have filled her in that I wasn’t going to bite, especially since she’d dubbed me “the rock star monk” the last couple weeks.
“With my girl,” I said, no hesitation.
Her face dropped. “Oh. I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
Lennon laughed and shook his head as he glared at Tia. “It’s complicated. But he’s definitely unavailable.”
“Hey, I know the dude is a monk these days, but I didn’t think he and Jade were back together.” Tia held her hands up as if she were defending herself. “Thanks for the four-one-one.”
“It’s none of your fucking business,” I hissed.
Yeah, I was sexually frustrated for sure. But I was going to stay the course. Jade and I weren’t dating, but we were together in every sense of the word. She was mine and I was hers. It was just understood. And I was giving her the time she needed, and I sure as shit wasn’t about to fuck that up with a meaningless romp.
Shayna glared at her best friend as if this was the most devastating news. I hadn’t given her even the slightest hint of interest, so she should have been able to piece this shit together.
“Well, I’m fairly certain he hasn’t been laid in months, so I guess I just thought maybe he’d want to have some fun,” Tia said, and everyone turned to look at her. “What? Come on, we’re on tour together. I’d know if he were hooking up.”
“Don’t you have your own shit to worry about? Why are you always in my fucking business?” I snarled.
“You know the quickest way to fix that moody attitude of yours, don’t you?” She wriggled her brows and Zach laughed. He and Tia had something going on, but it didn’t stop her from being nosy as shit with everyone else.
I gave her the bird when my phone vibrated, and I saw a FaceTime call from Jade flash across the screen. I moved to my bedroom and shut the door. Too many people were in my business lately, and there was only one person I actually wanted to talk to. This was a good sign. She was reaching out on her own now. It had been me initiating things these past few months. This was progress. Though I was doing the math in my head and wondering why she was calling at four A.M. We hadn’t talked all that much over the last few weeks, as I was trying to respect that she wanted to be on her own right now, not to mention the time change while we were here.
“Hey,” I said, settling on the bed, and propping my back against the headboard. “Everything okay? It’s early there.”
“Yeah, I fell asleep right after dinner last night, so I’m wide awake now and thought I’d try you. Happy Thanksgiving. Are you getting ready for your show?” she asked, propping herself up on her bed at her dad’s place in Bucktown.
“Yep. Last show. How’s it going there? What time is everyone coming over?”
Jade and her father had a tight group of friends that came to their house every Thanksgiving. I’d spent the last two years with them, and I was definitely missing it today. The normalcy. The comfort.
Jade.
“Everyone’s coming around three o’clock.”
“I’m glad you called. We still haven’t gotten to talk about those lyrics you wrote.” We’d texted about it and the few times we’d spoken had been pretty rushed and I’d wanted to hear about her interview.
“Oh. Well, I’m no songwriter. But it was how I felt.”
“How you felt or how you feel?” I asked.
Her cheeks pinked, and she smiled. “Obviously, it’s how I feel.”
“So, you’re not dating anyone new?” My tone was all tease, but I wanted to see where we stood.
She rolled her eyes. “No. I told you I was just going to be on my own for a while.”
“How’s that going for you?”
“You know, it hasn’t been that bad,” she said with a laugh.
“You’re not missing me as much as I miss you?”
Her face softened and she whispered, “I’m missing you a lot.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too. I can’t wait to see you,” I said.
“I’m excited for your graduation. Only two more weeks. Will you be home for long?”
“Just two days. But things slow down after Christmas. Can I spend those two days with you when I’m home?”
“Yeah, of course. I was hoping I’d get to see you a lot when you’re here.”
“Me too, More Jade. Hey, can I ask you something?” I said.
“Of course.”
“Did you do those silly questions again this year?” I asked, making fun of the questions Jade put under everyone’s plate on Thanksgiving every year. It was my favorite of her wacky traditions.
“They aren’t silly, and yes. Why?”
“Choose one for me. It’ll make me feel like I’m there, having a normal holiday.”
She studied my gaze and tilted her head to the side. “I knew it. You love the questions too.”
I laughed. “Whatever. Hit me with it.”
She set the phone down and I heard her shuffling around her room before she returned with a bowl. She shook it in front of the phone and dipped her hand in. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here. Ah… what do you think is your best quality? I can’t wait to hear this one.”
“Best quality? Well, I could go on and on.” I laughed. “I’d say my best quality is my ability to know when I’ve found something good, and not to give up on it even when I’m incredibly uncomfortable and tortured.”
Her head tipped back with a laugh. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make me laugh even when you’re probably serious.”
“I’m totally serious. Remember when we first met and you told me your dad believed there was one perfect match for each person,” I said, pushing to my feet and changing T-shirts as I heard Luke outside my door calling everyone to get on the bus.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I believe it too. And you’re mine. And I’m not giving up.” I pushed my fingers through my hair and slipped on my combat boots.