“Where?” I scoffed, giving him my full attention. “And how?”
“Anywhere you want, and probably by plane…or we could drive somewhere,” he said, his lips sliding into a playful grin, those amber irises promising infinite amounts of pleasure. I pressed my thighs together, hoping to relieve the ache that even just seeing his face on my phone caused me. “We could work on your album…spend an entire week fucking without hiding.”
“We can’t do that. They might figure it out.” They being my brother, my parents, or the millions of fans The Forgotten Flounders had. Exposure would damage so many things—any chance I had at breaking out on my own, for example.
I already had the fame and talent of my older brother looming over me, I didn’t need to add anything that would suggest I’d slept my way up.
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, Connor.”
I went back to the task at hand, applying mascara with quick, confident swipes, and tried to ignore the uncomfortable tightening in my stomach.
Dare wanted me to say I was ready to take that step—to tell our families and friends—to tell the world we were together and happy, but…I wasn’t there yet.
To tell them meant I had to rip the Band-Aid off and tell themeverything: that not only were we dating…but we were co-writing songs for the EP I planned on recording after graduating, an EP he wanted to help produce. An EP that was sure to attract a label, or at least, that’s what Dare insisted.
Dare supported my dreams—mytruedreams—and he wanted to help me make them a reality. He was genuinely excited about everything I’d shown him so far, and his excitement mademefeel awakened and terrified, all at once. The way he’d reacted to my music made me believeIcould find success, the way he had—the way they had.
But as happy as I was, I just wasn’t ready to risk it all blowing up in my face.
My relationship with Dare and my plans for the future were going to be hard truths for my father to swallow, and the last thing I needed to do was pull the plug on that grenade before I’d even graduated. “We’ll tell them after I graduate, like we planned. It’s just four more months.”
It’d only been a few short weeks since we hooked up, and despite trying to keep it casual, we’d slid so easily from friends to lovers in that time. The random text messages, the late-night calls. I’d been so worried he would stop messaging me and act like the night we had together never happened, but Dare shocked me by being the polar opposite of my fears.
We were keeping our new relationship a heavily guarded secret from everyone around us, even our best friends. It was surprisingly easy to do, with my school schedule and the guys as busy as they’d ever been with their latest album tour. We hadn’t seen each other since my birthday weekend, but we talked constantly over text, FaceTime, and phone calls.
Calum’s refusal to slow down on the tours and the producing kept Dare and Evan from returning home too. Cal didn’t question Dare when he disappeared to make a call, likely because he felt bad enough about keeping Dare and Evan from going back home. So long as he kept his distance, they would too.
“You know I would tell him right now...” he said, the softness in his voice pulling my gaze to his face. His eyes were serious, his kissable lips parted slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
I leveled a look at him. “Do you really think right now is the best time to tell him? You’re in cramped quarters on the tour bus for another two weeks. What if he tries to murder you?”
He frowned, his dark blond brows drawing together. It made him look even more irresistible.
Before he could answer me, footsteps thudded down the hall toward my door. I jerked, snatching my phone off my desk and turning in my chair.
“Hurry up! Our ride is here,” Lara called out, throwing open the door. My eyes darted to his.
“I’ve gotta go. Good luck with the show.” I blew him a kiss and hung up before he could speak.
“Was that Cal?”
“Yeah, just called to wish him luck before the show,” I lied, not meeting her eyes as I stood and walked over to my closet to dig out my leather jacket and chunky boots. I found the jacket first, and pulled it off the hanger, slipping my arms through. Calum had bought it for me for my seventeenth birthday.
“Sorry.” She sounded apologetic, so I sent her a reassuring smile. Lara knew Calum didn’t like an audience around when we chatted.
“It’s okay, he only had a minute to talk. They have to do soundcheck soon.” I turned back to my closet, searching for my boots. Slipping my feet into them, I glanced over my shoulder at her. “Who’s all coming?”
“Chantel, Liv, Angela, and Ava,” she replied, naming the two other girls from our dorm and two more from our program. “Angela and Ava are meeting us there, but I’ll go tell the others you’re almost ready.” I nodded, hearing her retreat down the hallway.
Most people at university had no idea I was related to Calum Jacobs of The Forgotten Flounders. People tended to freak out when they found out who my brother was, so it wasn’t something I broadcasted.
Lara found out because she’d earned my trust in the matter—and had excellent Instagram sleuthing skills—but our other two roommates, Chantel and Liv, had no idea. Or if they did, they didn’t say anything to me about it.
Which was honestly how I preferred it. I loved my brother, but I’d spent the last nine years having people try to use me to get to him. Usually, the girls wanted to sleep with him, and the guys wanted free tickets to his shows or signed merch. Or, in the case of my ex, a foot in the door for his own career. It was exhausting trying to sift through the “Do they like me for me, or for who my brother is?” thoughts.
I snatched the black clutch from the hook on the back of the closet door and walked back over to my desk to grab my phone. The screen lit up, showing I had a new text from Big Mac.
Big Mac: This conversation is far from over…I kinda want the world to know you’re mine. Plus, then I can bring you on our next tour. Maybe even get you to open with track 3…
