Pulling out the chair for her, Tyrell waits until she’s settled before taking his own seat.
I catch his eye and am rewarded with a little eye bulge. I bite my lips together to hide my grin. Oh yeah, he thinks she’s hot. Intimidatingly so, I’m guessing, by the way he’s twitching like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands.
Resting one palm over his knuckles, he leans his elbows on the table, then springs back like his mama’s here and she’s quipped, “Boy, get your elbows off the table.”
“So, Dani, I hear you work at Offside.” Rhys smiles at me.
“I do.” I lift my glass when he picks up the water jug to fill it. “Thank you.”
He smiles, and oh my gosh, look at that smile! He’s so beautiful.
“Have you ever played there? Tyrell tells me you’re a musician.”
“I am, and I’d love to. There’s a pretty long list, and I’m on it, just waiting for my turn. Although, my sets would be pretty chill compared to some of the music that’s played there.”
“We get everything,” I assure him. “Last week, we had a country band, and they got some line dancing going. People really got into it. And then this weekend, we’ve got a punk rock band doing their thing. I’m sure a chill indie set would be perfect for one of our quieter nights.”
“How do you know I play chill indie?” His lips rise into a lopsided smirk.
I grin, playing with the little cross emblem around my neck. My parents gave it to me for my twelfth birthday, and I’ve worn it ever since. “You have that look about you. Tyrell told me you play guitar. I guess I just look at you and picture a man with his guitar, strumming and singing songs with a Jason Mraz vibe or maybe a Hozier feel?”
“Oh man, nailed it.” He laughs. “That is absolutely me. I write my own stuff, but I definitely draw inspiration from those types of genres. I love a blend of alternative rock with likea folk, reggae edge. That probably sounds like a really weird combination.”
“No, I love that.” I smile. “Anyone willing to experiment with their creativity is on the right path if you ask me. Fusing different styles of music is a great way to play and have fun. And then you end up with a sound that’s just yours, you know? I’d love to hear your stuff sometime.”
His sweet smile tells me I’ve just made his day.
“Maybe you can bump him up the list,” Vicky suggests. “I’d come hear you play at Offside.”
“Thanks.” He smiles at her, and I take that moment to wiggle my eyebrows at Tyrell. This date is going great. Maybe our best one yet!
Surely Ty’s getting the sense too, right?
So why isn’t he smiling?
Why is he studying the menu like the only thing on there is snails soaked in vinegar?
CHAPTER 20
TYRELL
So, Rhys is fucking perfect.
And it’s annoying the hell out of me.
I should be happy that he and Dani are clicking so easily. Of course they were going to. He’s ticking all the boxes, right?
Musical.
Sexy, in that long-hair, artsy kind of way.
Of course she’s into that. The guy is just like Atlas.
Except that he’s not. Atlas had an edge to him. A toughness that I don’t sense in Rhys. Particularly when he launched into his story about the first time he met his puppy.
“The second I laid eyes on Arthur, I just got this sense, you know? He was staring up at me with those big brown eyes and…” He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “I knew he was the one.”
Both girls swooned, and I sat here clenching my jaw.
