“I’m cool with it. I’m grateful to Jessie, actually. She’s keeping Gael out of trouble.”
“I’m glad.”
I studied Morris. “Were you worried I would feel left out or something?”
“I know how much you rely on Gael,” Morris said. “He’s part of your support system.”
Gael was my only support system. I didn’t have anyone else. I loved the guys in my band like they were my own brothers, but I had to be strong around them. Had to be a leader. I couldn’t afford to fall apart in front of them.
Morris must have sensed my thoughts, because he gave me a sympathetic look. He patted my upper arm with a large palm and left it resting on my shoulder.
“If you ever need anyone…” he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
I appreciated the offer. Morris was one of the very few people who knew what happened, who would understand.
I took his other hand in mine. “Thank you,” I said.
"What's going on?"
I turned my head to find Liam behind us.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry, I ran into Morris and totally forgot about the drinks.”
There was a scowl on Liam’s face. He pinned Morris down with a stare. “Hey. What are you still doing here?” he said bluntly.
“Decided to stick around after the concert.” Morris eyed him carefully. “It was a good one,” he added.
“Thanks,” Liam said shortly. He put his arm around my waist and tugged me to his side. “You and Cerise talking about work?”
“Talking about a lot of things.” Morris turned his attention from Liam to me. He patted my shoulder again. “I’m here if you need me.”
I rested my hand on his briefly. “Thanks.”
With a nod at Liam, Morris took off. Liam tracked him with a shrewd eye as he disappeared into the crowd. His frown hadn't eased. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Okay," I started, pulling away. "What the hell was that?"
He shifted his gaze to me. "What?"
"Thatmacho-caveman-possessiveact," I said.
"You and Morris are close." He echoed his words from before.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re friends.”
“Were you always just friends?” Liam asked. Now I was sure there was a hint of accusation in his tone.
"There's nothing between me and Morris," I said. "We're friends. That's it." I looked Liam over and folded my arms over my chest. "Look, I don't do the jealousy thing," I told him. "If you've got trust issues, that's on you."
We stared at each other, both unwavering.
"I'm sorry," he finally conceded, although it sounded as if he were forcing the words out. "I guess I overreacted. I just saw you and him and—" Liam’s shoulders slumped. "We just had this amazing moment between us. I guess I'm still sort of in that clingy mindset. Kind of pathetic, right?"
I considered his explanation. "It's not pathetic," I told him. "I get it. I suppose I'd be pretty pissed if I saw some girl all up on you."
He threw me a relieved smile. "I'd hate to see a pissed off Cerise."
"You sure would," I agreed. "Just ask my brother."
The tense moment between us was over. We were back to our sappy smiles and easy laughs. Some guys were just overprotective like that, weren't they?
There wasn't really anything to worry about, after all.
