“Is it that late?” I started to lift my head, but his palm rested over it, urging me still.
“No, you’re good. Rest for a bit longer.” His eyes shifted to Jack beneath me. “Make sure he gets some coffee in him before he heads out, okay? Jack isn’t much of a morning person.”
Jack’s chest continued to rise and fall steadily, our murmurs not waking him up.
“I will,” I promised, my body relaxing into Jack’s again.
“I know you will.” Sean’s hand brushed over my back before he rose. “I’ll lock myself out. Go back to sleep.”
To my surprise, I did. The sound of Jack’s heartbeat beneath my ear lulled me under. When I next woke, his breathing had changed. I knew he was awake, but I held still for another moment, letting myself enjoy the warmth for a little longer. His lips brushed the top of my head, and my hand tightened around his side, giving me away.
I lifted my head, meeting his sleepy smile with one of my own.
“Hey,” he mumbled. His fingers slid my hair behind my ear, lingering.
“Hey,” I returned, my brain too blank to come up with anything better.
His eyes were hooded as he stared back at me. I was tempted to lean forward so I could press my lips against the soft tilt of his own, but I didn’t want to repeat the awkwardness of the last time we’d woken up together. I pushed away from him, sitting up.
“Sean take off or something?” Jack asked, looking around the apartment. “Sorry. I guess I overslept.”
“It’s okay. I did, too.” My legs felt a little rubbery as I stood. “Let me make you some coffee.”
“That’d be good.” He cleared his throat, shifting forward on the couch and rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m going to…” Hewaved vaguely toward the bathroom, and I nodded as I made my way to the kitchen.
I’d left my phone muted on the counter there. After starting the coffee brewing, I used it to check the time and saw the new notification. Another voicemail from Neil. I hadn’t listened to any of them, but I also couldn’t bring myself to delete them. I glanced toward the closed bathroom door. Having Jack nearby made it easier to press play and hold the phone up to my ear.
“I need you to talk to me,” Neil begged in the voicemail, and my chest tightened. “One morning can’t ruin everything. You made it out to be… It wasn’t like that! You have to believe me. I wouldn’t do that. If you’d just… just let me touch you, you’d know how much better it could be. Why did you have to stop me? Why did you have to act like I was some creep? I—”
But I had pulled it away from my ear, hanging up before I could hear more.
“That him?” Jack asked.
“Yeah.” Had Jack heard? I turned to set the phone on the counter again. “He wants to talk. I know I should. I owe him that much.”
“You don’t owe him anything.”
The snap in his voice made my shoulders curl in. I stared at the lingering drip of coffee into the carafe.
“Sorry. I’m just worried. I—” He broke off.
His hands had clenched on the edge of the island that doubled as a bartop. He swallowed and sank onto one of the barstools I’d purchased in lieu of a dining room table.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, softer now. “I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
“It’s okay.” I filled a coffee mug, bringing it over and setting it on the counter in front of him. “Do you need cream or sugar?”
He shook his head, reaching for my hand. “It’s not okay.” His eyebrows pinched together, wrinkles forming on his forehead. “I never want to make you look like that.”
I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say.
“I don’t talk about this much. It doesn’t feel like my story to tell.” He breathed out, closing his eyes. “But it’ll help explain why I—” He swallowed, opening his eyes. “Why I sounded so harsh.” Jack stared down at our hands. “I was traveling with the band a lot around the time it happened. I’ll always regret that. I didn’t even know my sister needed me.”
“Your sister?” I asked. I remembered he’d mentioned he had one when we ate his mother’s birthday cake together.
“She left an abusive relationship once. I’m not saying that’s what yours was. There have just been moments—” He blew out a breath, looking away. “She showed up on my parents’ doorstep with a bag while I was on tour, and my parents called me to let me know. My sister had been with the guy for a few years, and she’d been talking about marrying him, so my parents were surprised. Everyone told me not to cut the tour short, that my sister was fine. She didn’t have bruises, nothing like that. She just said it was a bad breakup.”
“She was lucky to have all of you.” My heart was still racing at the mention of abuse. Neil wasn’t abusive. Was he?
