and raises his hand. His palm hovers over my cheek and instinctively I lean in. At the last second, his eyes soften and his hand closes into a fist. He drops it to his side and turns to open the car door. “Have a safe trip home.”
Suddenly, I want to ask him to touch me. To do what he wanted to do, but I’m too thrown off; confused, because for a second, I wanted him. And the feeling of wanting someone like that, with such desire, scares me just a little bit. Perhaps the safest and smartest thing for me to do is just get in the car. To say good-bye to Zack, and remember this weekend as the first weekend I’ve had fun since the death of my family.
I look at him one last time before climbing into the back of a very sleek Mercedes sedan. Mia crawls in after and I raise my hand, just briefly, before Zack closes the door.
***
Zack
“What’s your deal, man?” Chase asks me as soon as Darren drives away.
I have no idea. I don’t pick up girls on my tours. I learned the hard way on the last one when some random chick I brought on the bus showed up at another concert a few weeks later claiming she was pregnant and the baby was mine.
Like hell it was. I was safe, and she was stupid to think that I’d fall for her lies. It took weeks of my lawyer refusing to give her any money to ‘help care for the child’ before we learned the whole thing was a scam. The whole experience sobered me up pretty quickly and I stopped being such a dumbass.
There’s something about this one though that I can’t stop thinking about. It could be her eyes and when she smiles, little lines crinkle around them but the blue color inside never changes. They’re expressionless but she isn’t at all, not when she’s talking about her job or laughing with her friend, Mia. Or even when she tolerates Jake flirting with her.
I wanted to punch him when he got out of the dressing room first and waited for her in the hallway. I can never be mad at Jake, even though he gets some sick joy in giving me shit, but tonight it pissed me off.
It could just be her amazing legs and how they looked in those damn red heeled shoes the other night.
She’s hot as hell and doesn’t show it off in half-dressed clothes like most of the women who try to get our attention, and somehow it makes her even better looking.
I need to get a grip and have a drink and forget all about Nicole. She has me twisted in a dozen ways and I’ve only seen her twice.
“You’re so screwed man,” Chase says and slaps me on the shoulder.
I growl at him. “What are you talking about?”
He laughs and lights up a cigarette. When he blows smoke rings on the exhale he’s got some smart ass grin on his face. My friends suck. “You watched that car leave tonight like you just lost your favorite puppy dog.”
I don’t even like dogs, but I get his point. “Whatever. You didn’t seem too keen on getting rid of Mia.”
He shrugs and takes another puff. “Yeah, but I’m going to see her in L.A. when we get done with this tour.”
“Seriously?”
“She doesn’t do relationships; I don’t do relationships…I offered to hook up when she comes out for work and she didn’t turn me down.”
Maybe that’s what I need, one hook up with Nicole and I can get her out of my system. Except I don’t think that’ll work as well. Every time I move to touch her, she flinches just a little bit and her eyes widen like I’m going to hurt her. I want to know what the hell it is that hurt her so bad.
Why? I have no idea. But I do.
I turn to Chase. “You get Mia’s number?”
He smiles and nods and makes absolutely no movement toward his phone to actually let me have it. The shit won’t give it to me. I’ll probably have to steal his phone while he’s sleeping. And then maybe stick his hand in a bowl of water just because I can.
“She’s not like Rachel, you know.” I glare at Chase wondering what in the hell he means, but I already know. Rachel’s someone who is nice to have around when you need someone for the night. Unfortunately, things