since high school, and it’s a come one, come all situation. He even invites the cops, which is a big help when he wants them to look the other way for noise complaints and illicit activity.
Everyone goes to Malek’s Open Crib parties. Good kids, bad kids, and all in between.
I leave my guitar in Sebastian’s car and we walk inside, where country pop is blasting.
Some guys are playing beer pong in the kitchen, and a number of people are in the pool out back.
Rose offers me a beer, which I take. Then I head outside by myself to get some air.
The raucousness of the party reflects the heat of high summer. Someone yells “Cannonball!” and then jumps off the diving board. I swear, there are kids who’ve barely graduated college up until, well, older than our group. People who are still trying to relive those glory days.
And then I see Zach.
Just looking at the man causes my heart to hammer.
He sits on a brick ledge twelve feet up, overlooking the party. In his hand is a rocks glass filled with a brown liquid.
He’s wearing sunglasses, as dark as it is, and I wonder why. I still feel bad about how he got dismissed from our group back at The Hungry Burger. I understand Cole’s and Sebastian’s protective instincts, though, especially as I stare at Zach from across the pool.
He looks exactly like the guy you’d tell your sister or girlfriend to stay away from.
Zach sits shirtless, his tattoos in full view, covering his muscled body. They’re tribal, covering most of an arm and his chest. His jaw is clenched, and he looks to be in some serious thought.
I hear the water splash at my feet, and I see Rose’s former college roommate, Liz, get out of the water.
She grins as she wraps a towel around her body and stands next to me.
She follows my line of vision to Zach and looks back at me.
“Don’t,” she says, squeezing the water out from her hair.
“Don’t what?” I retort.
She rolls her eyes. “Just whatever you’re thinking about Zach, don’t do it.”
I swallow a lump in my throat. “Excuse me?”
She shakes her head and sighs. “You seem like a nice girl. He’s not . . . nice.” She puts a hand on my arm. “Is he one of the hottest guys here? Yes. But he’ll break your heart. That’s what he does.”
“How do you know? Did you—”
“Date? No. We didn’t.”
I squint. “Why are you being so weird?”
“You’re a nice girl, Harmony.” She touches my arm. I get the bad kind of chills the way she emphasizes the word nice. “You are a sweetie pie, actually. I just wouldn’t want you hurt. That’s all. Anyway, I’m going inside. You need another drink?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine.”
She leaves, and my heart flutters. I try to calm it down, but it’s no use.
Somewhere deep inside me, I want a piece of him. Or something. I just want to get to know him.
But it’d be too awkward if I just walked up and told him the truth.
How I’d been thinking about that ride home on his bike all week. The note he left me felt like it was a live organism in my room, trying to break out. How it took all of the self-control I had not to open the note. How I’d been hoping all week he’d come to my show. Semi-wishing Sebastian wouldn’t be able to give me a ride so that Zach could give me a ride home again and maybe we could get some more alone time.
I run through words he’d said to me. You played it better than the original. You played it like it was yours. It didn’t even sound like a cover.
How did he pick that song out of all the ones I played in my hour-long set?
He gets me. That’s all there is to it.
So why do I have to go and put up an invisible wall between us? Or at least, why can’t I stand up to Cole and Sebastian who are being all white knight protective of me? I want to know for myself what’s so dangerous about Zach. Sure, he might have some rough edges, but don’t we all?
I play on repeat the words he said to me once we were all alone.
If I something were to happen to you, I’d never forgive myself. I can’t in good conscience do anything but take you home.
If he’s dangerous, he’s also got a helluva protective streak in