see each other in person again and I was getting anxious about it. What if we never progressed beyond text bantering? The sweeping disappointment brought on by that thought was a lot stronger than I felt it should be. I wanted to see him again. Like, right now.
So it was with great glee that I read his text Wednesday evening.
Jonas: So, when can I see you again?
Me: I’m free most evenings.
Jonas: How about tomorrow?
I went to type “great!” But then stopped. I was busy tomorrow evening. Sean had invited me to get together with him. I was hoping he would apologize and we could talk—really talk—while he was sober and there weren’t fans throwing themselves at him.
Me: Tomorrow is the one day I already have plans. What about Friday?
Jonas: Friday is good. Are your plans tomorrow something I could tag along on? I like a good high school choir concert…
Was this guy for real? He was offering to attend a high school performance just so that he could hang out in my vicinity? If that wasn’t swoon-worthy, nothing was.
Me: I wish, but no. Sean (my friend who makes poor decisions) asked if we can get together tomorrow. I’m hopeful it will be more positive than most of our recent interactions.
Jonas: I’ll cross my fingers for you.
Me: Thanks.
Jonas: So…Friday?
Me: Yes! What did you have in mind?
Jonas: Roy’s has live music and dancing. You up for that?
Me: Sounds great.
CHAPTER FOUR
As I headed to Sean’s house, I tried to carefully put away all the feelings that I associated with this day, unsure about how Sean would react to it. Maybe he’d invited me over today on purpose. He might have even requested these two days off. Knowing how this day would weigh on him increased my anxiety, but I tried to push it down as I drove up the drive, passing Will, who was stationed at the gate. I parked my car right in front of Sean’s front door and jogged up the steps, then rapped my knuckles on the door.
Sean opened the door almost immediately with a big smile, stepping forward to envelop me in a bear hug. “I’m so glad you came.” He stepped back. “Come in. Come in.”
I stepped past him and dumped my purse and shoes beside a swanky chair.
He ushered me through the entry and great room, all the way back into the kitchen before gesturing toward the table, where cartons of my favorite Chinese food sat. “As penance for my poor behavior, I thought I would provide you with sustenance.”
“Thanks,” I said as I approached the table, then looked at him with a hand on my hip. “What else you got?”
He gave me an amused but sad smile as he sank into one of the chairs that surrounded the table. “I really am sorry. And I know those words don’t mean much to you, especially coming from me, but they are true.”
I couldn’t hold his gaze and focused on opening a container instead.
“The way I’ve treated you is…”
“Horrifying?” I supplied helpfully.
“Yeah. And I don’t have an excuse, and I’m shocked every time you accept my apology, but I’m also grateful. You know my life is crazy, so I hope you also know how much it means for me to have you anchoring me.”
I did know. It was why I stayed, why I forgave him. Because the thought of abandoning him to everyone else who was vying for a piece of him made me sick to my stomach. Especially today. This day—above all others—was the one I regretted. Still, he had greeted me with a fair amount of cheer, so I had to wonder if he remembered what this day meant.
“Just so you know,” he continued, “I’ve asked Randy not to contact you anymore.”
I paused in my attempts to dump food onto my plate as I tried to absorb the information. Unfortunately, I couldn’t believe that it would actually happen that way. I looked back at him. “So then…what? Who’s he going to call instead of me? Who else is going to be able to get you out without causing a scene? We all know the record label doesn’t want more bad PR, and believe me when I tell you that you don’t listen to anyone but me when you’re hammered.”
He nodded, taking my accusations in stride. “I’m working on alternatives.”
“You could always just not get drunk,” I dead-panned.
“That’s plan A.”
I wished with everything inside me that he meant it, but I didn’t believe for a second that