I sigh as I head into the bathroom to get ready, with that reminder replaying in my head.
18
Nate
Ijam my phone back into my pocket after checking the time.
Again.
The car bringing Olive and Cade and the rest of the flight crew to the concert should be here at any moment. The second it gets here, Olive and I are going to have a conversation.
My mind wanders to the last few days. Besides having the best sex of my life with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, I love being around her. She has this edge to her that I desperately want to wear down. A story behind her troubled, gorgeous eyes, and I want to know all about it.
The annoyance I felt a few mornings ago when I walked out of the bathroom to an empty room still swirls around in my gut. The annoyance isn’t directed at her, exactly, just at whatever caused her to run from me. Again. And to top it alloff, she’s barely even glanced in my direction any time we’ve been near each other on the flight and at the hotel.
Ian walks up and joins me in watching Jenny go through her final soundchecks before retreating to her green room to get ready for the show.
“You want to tell me whatcha waiting for?” he asks, feigning nonchalance.
I cut my gaze over to him and scowl. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
He snorts a laugh. “Yeah, right. But just in case you really don’t know, you’ve checked your phone about fifty times since we got here.” Crossing his oversized arms, he asks, “Waiting on a text from a certain dark-haired flight attendant?”
“Technically, I was just checking the time.”
“To see what time she’s going to be here?”
I turn to him and mimic his stance. “Don’t you have something to do, somewhere else?”
“Nope,” he replies with a smirk.
The immature urge to roll my eyes at him takes over, but I turn back toward the stage.
“You know, you could just text her.”
I clear my throat. “I, uh, don’t have her number.”
“Rookie mistake.” Footsteps and voices draw both of our attention to a group approaching from the hallway. “Speak of the flight crew.”
I ignore Ian and lock my eyes on Olive. She looks breathtaking in a form-fitting skirt that hits her mid-thigh and a tight, black tank top that hugs the breasts I might be obsessed with. I still remember how heavy they felt in my hands and how delicious they were on my tongue. With my mind, I attempt to will her to look in my direction, but she keeps her head averted.
Is she purposely not looking in my direction? Or does she just not know we’re here?
Cade does notice us and nods in greeting. When he says something to Olive, I see her lips move, but I still can’t see her eyes. His expression fills with confusion before nodding at her in reply, and they turn down the hall toward the green rooms.
Emotions I don’t exactly know how to define flood my system at her obvious avoidance.
Just look back.
She doesn’t heed my silent plea.
“Damn, man, what did you do?”
Now that Olive is out of sight, I pivot to scowl at my friend. “Why are you such a fucking dick?”
Ian shrugs and smiles wide. “Kind of my thing, I guess.”
Sighing, I shake my head in frustration and stomp away from Ian to find somewhere else to wait for Jenny to be done on stage.
