not going to kiss me again, are you?” I whispered.
“No. That didn’t work out so well, did it?”
“Not really.”
“Tell me what you were going to say before.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“This isn’t a good look on you.”
“I don’t care.”
“You already know what it is,” I said. “You just want me to say it.”
“Maybe.”
“Fine. You said we kept in touch but didn’t. That’s half true. I kept in touch with you. I kind of have a little bit of everything from your career.”
“You bought albums?”
“Albums. Shirts. I have a few pictures and magazine articles. Everything is online now. I didn’t print any of that. I’m not wasting good ink on you, Sab.”
“Fuck, babe,” he said. “I love you. I hope you know that. That means a lot to me that you did that. I’m sorry I never kept up with you. I should’ve asked more questions. I just…” He shook his head. He kissed my forehead and opened the door for me. “Ready for this?”
“I’m a little tipsy, so I’m ready for anything,” I said.
Sab smiled.
I swallowed hard.
I really needed to be careful with my words.
I had to remind myself this guy was no longer Sebastian.
He was Sab.
Sebastian was my friend.
But I wasn’t sure who Sab was yet.
The inside of the place was absolutely amazing.
There were instruments everywhere.
The walls were painted a comfortable dark color with pictures, posters and what looked like blankets, hung up everywhere.
It partially looked like a rock star dump. But… it was organized chaos for the band.
Complete with tables, couches, a couple TVs…
“What do you think?” Sab whispered to me.
“I don’t know what I think,” I said.
“You write the fucking lyrics, not me,” a voice said.
Sab stuck his hand out. “Jay. Nash. Come here.”
I knew who the band was.
They didn’t know who I was.
“Is this her?” Jay asked.
Or maybe they do know me?
“This is the girl that’s had our drummer’s head twisted in a knot?” Nash asked.
“Fuck off,” Sab growled.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Sab said.
“Oh, come on,” Jay said. He lifted his hands and wiggled his thumbs. “Texting you all the time. I swear, he could have the hottest stripper in the city on her knees, showing off a magic trick that involves her mouth and his dick, and he would be texting you instead of enjoying it.”
I looked at Sab. “Wow. Is that true?”
“No, no, no,” Sab said. “I’m going to fucking kill you, Jay.”
“Everyone relax,” Nash said. He offered his hand to me. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Even though I never got your name.”
“Bree,” I said.
“Bree,” Jay said. He had an evil grin and a wink to match. “Bree, Bree, Bree…”
“I’ll get him out of the way,” Nash said as he grabbed Jay’s shirt. “Liv is over there if you want to introduce Bree to her. We need to get writing.”
Nash dragged Jay away and he kept staring at me.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” Sab said to me.
“No, I have a question,” I said. I put my hand to Sab’s chest. “Have you ever texted me while someone was… you know?”
Sab curled his lip. “No.”
“And I’m supposed to believe you?”
“Yes,” he said.
Sab grabbed my hand.
He was pissed.
I laughed.
I met the rest of the band, along with Liv and Abby.
They were at a table.
Liv was drinking coffee.
Abby had whiskey.
I sat down and Sab walked toward the small stage with the rest of the band.
“Don’t mind me,” Liv said. “I told the band I would write about their practices and all the stuff leading up to the show for Mitchy.”
“She’s also a famous author,” Abby said. “And you’re the one who got away, right? I think Sab has been talking about you since day one.”
“You’ve been around that long?” I asked.
“Kind of,” Abby said. “In the beginning, yeah. The middle, not so much. But now I’m back. Long story. I should have Liv write a book about it.”
“I am not writing about you and Reed,” Liv said.
“Why not?” Abby asked. “Too afraid of the sex scenes?”
I smiled. “I hate to sound like a tourist, but I can’t believe I’m here.”
“Star struck?” Liv asked.
“No,” I said. “It’s just nice to hang out with Sab again. Although… I always knew him as Sebastian.”
They both laughed.
“You probably have some good stories,” Liv said.
“Tons,” I said.
Abby slid her whiskey glass toward me. “Drink and spill. You’re my new best friend.”
I grabbed the glass and drank from it. “Cheers to that.”
I sat in awe and watched Sab play.
I had never seen Filthy Line live in concert before. I also had