“But then you get a chance to meet new and interesting people. Especially guys.”
I laughed. “I guess so.”
When I glanced over Mitch’s shoulder, I noticed Brayden glaring at the two of us. Feeling uneasy about what I was doing, I tried to pull away. “Where are you going?”
“This isn’t right. I shouldn’t be dancing with you.”
Mitch tugged me back to him. “You’re not dating Brayden, so there’s no reason why you can’t dance with me.”
Thankfully, the song came to an end. “Thanks everyone. Give us a ten minute break, and we’ll be right back.”
The loud screech of a guitar came from the stage, and when I looked up again, Brayden had torn off his guitar and stormed off the stage. He made his way through the crowd to us. But then he started past me. “Brayden, where are you going?”
“Don’t talk to me right now,” he growled, as he brushed past me.
I didn’t even have time to ask what was wrong before he shoved Mitch hard against the wall. “Fuck you, man!” he shouted. He then stalked out of the room. Without a word to Mitch, I rushed after Brayden.
“Would you please wait!” I called after his hastily retreating form.
Brayden ignored me. He blew through the front door and stomped out onto the porch. I followed close on his heels. “Look, I’m sorry I danced with Mitch. If I had known it would bother you so much, I never, ever would have done it.”
He whirled around and pinned me with a glare. “You can’t possibly understand it. Mitch is never satisfied until he has exactly what I do. It’s been that way since we were kids. He knew how I felt about you, but he wasn’t going to be happy until he had you, too.”
“But I’m not his.”
“It didn’t look that way in there.”
My eyes widened at his accusation. “It was just a slow dance, Brayden. There’s nothing going on between Mitch and me, and there never will be. In case you forgot, I came here to be with you tonight. You and only you.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, and that was a mistake.”
I gasped. “How could you think that?”
The clouds that had filled the sky for most of the day opened up and a driving rain started coming down. Drops slapped angrily against the sidewalk. Brayden glanced off the porch before turning back to me with a forlorn expression. “I’m really sorry, Lily.”
When he started off the porch, I followed right behind him. The rain pelted down on me, stinging my cheeks. I grabbed Brayden’s shirt. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”
Without looking back at me, Brayden said, “Trust me, it’s for the best. You’re too good for me—too beautiful.”
“That isn’t true.”
“I’ll always have to be fighting some guy for you.”
“Stop it. You don’t know me well enough to be saying that.”
“No, but I know me.”
I skidded to a stop. Glaring at his back, I shouted, “You know what you are? A fucking coward.” My hand flew to my mouth, but it was too late to stop the harsh words or cursing. When Brayden froze, I almost apologized. But then I thought about the emotional whiplash he had put me through, and anger once again boiled within me. “You think that just because your dream of football was taken away that you’ll never be who you once were. In case you missed it back there, you rocked that audition. People were riveted by your performance. But more than any of the strangers in the room, I was riveted. Just hearing you sing and play made me feel things and want things I never had before. But now you’re telling me I can’t have them simply because you’re afraid I don’t want you? Or that you can’t bear the thought of having to vie for my attention with other guys?” I stalked over to him. “Man up, Brayden. Stand up and fight for me right now, and you’ll never have to worry about me and another guy again. You’ll have me.”
He stared at me, unblinking and unmoving, as the rain soaked us to the bone. I knew my words were heavy handed considering we had only known each other a week. But I wanted him to know how much I wanted him—that he was worth wanting. “Fight for me,” I murmured.
Just as I had resolved myself that the boy I was falling in love with was just an illusion, Brayden launched himself at me. His lips crashed against mine as his hands came around my waist. As his warm mouth moved against mine, he jerked my body flush against his. When I moaned at the contact, his tongue darted into my mouth. I shuddered as he ran his tongue against mine. My arms came up to encircle his neck.
In that moment, time seemed to stand still. The world around us melted away. We didn’t acknowledge anyone else around us. I didn’t feel the harsh rain on my skin. Instead, I felt the smooth touch of Brayden’s fingers as they wound their way through the strands of my hair or up my arms.
I don’t know how long we stood there kissing in the rain. When Brayden finally pulled away, I gasped in a breath. He cupped my face in his hands. “I’m sorry I acted so stupid.”
“It’s okay.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. I promise you I won’t ever stop fighting for you.”
I smiled up at him. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll fight for you, too.”
He laughed. “You’re a little scrappy thing to be fighting, aren’t you?”
“I can be pretty tough when I need to be.”
Leaning down, Brayden bestowed another kiss on my lips. This time it was chaste, but I still enjoyed each and every second of it. No one had ever kissed me like Brayden had.
When he pulled away, he brushed his thumb across my cheekbone. “Wanna get something to eat?”
I nodded. “I’m starving.”
As Brayden surveyed our drenched clothes and hair, he exhaled a defeated breath. “I had planned to take you somewhere really nice tonight for our first date, but I’m thinking that’s not going to work right now.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” I swept a damp strand of hair out of his eyes. “I just care about the part where I get to eat.”
He grinned. “Come on, you can ride with me, and then I’ll bring you back to your car.”
“Sounds good.”
When we got to the car, he held open the door for me like a true gentleman. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. Glancing back at the house, he grimaced. “Give me five minutes to go tell the guys I’m cutting out.”
“You won’t be in trouble, will you?”
He laughed. “No, I was only playing with them until the first break.”
“Oh, okay.”
He shut the door and then ran back to the house. It didn’t seem like he was gone a minute before he was back. He hustled around the front of the car and then slipped inside. “There’s some napkins in the dash if you need to clean up.”
“I don’t think they’re going to help.”
He grimaced. “I’m sorry you got so wet.”
“I didn’t mind.” With a grin, I added, “It was for a worthy cause.”
“It was the cause of a stupid idiot.
“Hey now, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about like that.” When the word escaped my lips, I realized it was too late to take them back. Brayden hadn’t asked me to be his girlfriend. We’d barely even had one date. “Well, um, you know.”
“You want me to be your boyfriend?” he asked.
“Do you want to be my boyfriend?”
With a grin, he said, “I asked you first.”
I smiled back at him. “This is all new to me. I don’t have a lot of experience with guys.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s the truth. I’ve dated a few guys, gone to the movies, held hands, that kind of thing.”
Brayden’s eyes widened. “So you’re a virgin?”
I couldn’t help the warmth that flooded my cheeks. Ducking my head, I questioned, “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not. Why would it be an issue?”
Shrugging, I replied, “Some guys aren’t intereste
d in a girl that won’t sleep with them.”
“Those guys would be douchebags,” he answered, as we turned into the parking lot of an older looking restaurant. The illuminated sign with red letters read “The Varsity.” While there was a place to go inside and eat, Brayden drove over to the drive-in area.
Taking my hand, Brayden said, “If we’re being honest, I’ve never had sex either.”
Now it was my turn for the wide eyes of shock. “You haven’t?”
He shook his head. “Is that a problem?” he asked, repeating my question.
“No. Never.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
As we sat there staring at each other, Brayden’s thumb rubbed circles over the top of my hand. “Lily, would you—”
A man’s loud voice bellowed outside the window. “Whadda ya have?” he questioned, with his order pad in hand.
“Shit,” Brayden muttered. After he rolled down the window, he said, “Can you give us a minute?”
The man nodded before he ambled over to one of the other cars. I glanced up at the menu. “So what’s good here?”
“Oh no, you’re not going to do that.”
“Do what?” I questioned innocently.
“Change the subject.”
Glancing over at him, I said, “I was trying to give you an out. You know, in case you felt pressured.”
He shook his head. “I don’t ever need an out when it comes to you. Now are you going to be my girlfriend or not?”
I grinned. “I am.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Rubbing his hands together, Brayden said, “Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to get serious about food. We’re lucky this place is close because it’s legendary.”
“It is?”
“Oh yeah. Best chili dogs in the whole state.”
“Hamburgers?”
“They’re awesome, too.”
“Why don’t you order a little bit of everything, and we can share.”
Brayden grinned at me. “I sure do love a girl who isn’t afraid to eat greasy, artery-clogging food.”
When the guy came back, Brayden placed an order for what should be a carload of people. At my expression, he laughed. “Trust me, I can put all that away even if you don’t eat any.”
While we waited for the food to arrive, we talked about anything and everything. Conversation seemed to flow so easily between us. I felt like I could tell him anything.
After biting into a hot dog smothered in chili, I moaned in delight. “Oh my God, this is good.”
“I told you so.”
Chewing thoughtfully, I then asked, “So what happens now with the band?”
Brayden swallowed the large bite of cheeseburger he’d taken. After swiping his mouth with a napkin, he said, “I guess I just see where it goes. I needed to get my foot in the door with college bands since they’re usually the ones who have more gigs and resources. I don’t know if these guys will go anywhere, but that’s not the point for me right now. I just want to play.”
“I think you could go all the way.”
His brows arched in surprise. “You do?”
Dabbing a French fry in some ketchup, I nodded. “You’ve only been playing for six months, and look how amazing you are? Think about what it might be like in a year or two years?”
“Thanks,” he murmured.
“For what?”
“You’re the first person who has ever really believed in me and my music. Well, besides myself.”
“Don’t your parents think you’re good?”
Brayden took a long gulp of his drink—something called a frosted orange. “My dad still hasn’t come to terms with my football death sentence. I think he somehow believes that in a year, my prognosis will magically change, and I’ll be back to where I was.” He glanced at me. “He just thinks the music is something I’m screwing around with while I heal.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“It’s okay. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just one of those Southern men who lives and breathes for football. My mom, well, she’s just so thrilled that I’m all right compared to the alternative. She wants me to be happy, so I guess once she realizes it’s music that makes me happy, she’ll be okay with it. As long as I still plan on going to college.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I’m hoping for Georgia Tech.”
“So you can be close to the guys in the band?”
“Sort of. But it’s where I wanted to go before I got hurt.” After polishing off his chili dog, Brayden asked, “What about you?”
“I don’t really know enough about the colleges around here yet to decide.”
“I think you should go to Tech, too.”
I giggled. “Is that right?”
He nodded. “Or at least Georgia State.”
“Let me guess. Georgia State happens to be close to Tech?” With a wink, Brayden’s hand dove in the bag for more fries. “All right then. I’ll start checking on the teaching programs at Georgia State.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
A glob of ketchup remained on the side of his lip, so I leaned forward and slid it off. Not taking his eyes off mine, he flicked his tongue against my thumb before sucking off the ketchup. The suction of his mouth, along with his expression, caused a shiver to run through me. To get my mind off what he could possibly do with that mouth, my eyes went to the clock on the dash. “Shit. I don’t have much longer before I have to be back.”
“Okay,” he said softly.
Turning back to him, I said, “I wish I could stay out all night with you.”
“You do?”
At the possible implication of my words, I felt warmth rush to my cheeks. “I-I mean, I wish I could stay out talking to you. I like being with you.”
“I know what you mean.” After he had managed to get our trash back into the bag, he hopped out to throw it away.
“Thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome. I hope I was able to convert you to being a Varsity fan.”
“Oh yeah, I think I’m sold.”
“Good,” he replied. We made the drive back to get my car. Thankfully, nothing crazy had happened to it while we were gone. Like a true gentleman, Brayden got out and came around to get me out. As we stood there in the dark, staring into each other’s eyes, words seemed inadequate.
“I just realized how historic this night really was,” he said, with a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I got in my first band and I got my first real girlfriend all on the same night.”
His first girlfriend? Is he for real? He was one of the sweetest, gorgeous boys I have ever met. How had he never had a girlfriend?
I smiled back at him. “That is pretty momentous.”
“It feels fucking amazing, if I was honest about it.”
With a laugh, I leaned forward to bestow a kiss on his lips. He pulled me to him and kissed me back. After just a few seconds, it had become an all-consuming, all-powerful lip-lock. One I didn’t think I would be able to pry myself away from. Finally, Brayden released my mouth and pushed himself away. “You better get going. I promised your dad I wouldn’t mess up.”
“Oh yeah, about that. As much as it was thoughtful of you to call my dad, let me know next time so I can get our stories straight, okay?”
Brayden gave me a sheepish grin. “Oops. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” I replied. On shaky legs, I slipped inside my car. Brayden waited until I cranked up and started down the street before he got into his car. I couldn’t think of anything but him the entire forty minutes home.
LILY
THE PRESENT
Giovanni furiously scribbled on his notepad before looking up at us. “That was quite an interesting story about how you two first got together. Although if I had to argue that from the sound of it, it truly was love at first sight.”
I laughed. “I guess you’re right. At least it wa
s for me after our first kiss.”
Brayden held up his hands in defeat. “Trust me, I was pretty much a gonner from the moment I laid eyes on her.”
“And you were pretty much inseparable from the day you met, correct?” Giovanni asked.
With a grin, Brayden said, “I couldn’t let her out of my sight. I mean, you see how gorgeous she is. I didn’t want her running off with anyone else.”
I gave his thigh a playful smack. “We just got a long so well that we didn’t want to spend any time apart. We had our separate interests, but luckily, we were able to support each other in those.”
Giovanni nodded as he chewed thoughtfully on his pen cap. “Now Brayden, during her story, Lily touched briefly on your first band, The Benders. How long were you with them?”
Scratching his chin, Brayden became contemplative. “Let’s see I was a junior in high school. And then we broke up when I was twenty.”
“What happened there?”
Brayden remained silent for a moment. I knew the sordid details from being in the thick of everything with him, but it wasn’t my place to talk about it.
He drew in a ragged breath. “Tom and Grayson had issues with addiction. Lots of alcohol and some drugs. It derailed the entire creative process for them, but they never wanted to include any of my songs. We weren’t getting anywhere on the music scene, and then things just seemed to be spinning out of control personally with them. So I left.”
Giovanni nodded. “Do you ever see or hear from them?”
“Grayson died from an overdose about a year after I left. I think after that, they just dissolved the band.” After looking down at his hands, Brayden shook his head. “No, I don’t hear from any of them. You know, the guilt is hard sometimes. I’ve heard different artists talk about how you have this guilt about making it. Kind of like survivor’s guilt. Like, what was it about me that deserved to make it, but Tom and Grayson didn’t?”
Tapping his pen on his pad, Giovanni smiled. “I think that shows a great depth of character. So many artists lose their hearts and souls with fame and fortune.”
When I tensed at Giovanni’s words, Brayden sighed dejectedly. “Trust me, I went down that road. It wasn’t pretty.”
“We’ll come back to that one in a few minutes. I’m trying to keep to the timeline of your relationship, and I have a feeling that comes during the part when the two of you were broken up.”