Jet
“You’re lookingat your phone again,” Eve said, yanking me from my thoughts.
“Uh, sorry.” I switched it to silent, then pushed it across the coffee table. Peyton and I had texted briefly last night, and I know the conversation with my brother had gone okay. But since I hadn’t heard anything from Noah himself, I was anxious to connect again and hear more.
If I just got a message from him, maybe I could stop thinking about him.
“Are you waiting for some fling to text you back?” She grinned widely. “It’s like we’re young again.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Weareyoung, Eve.”
My old friend sat on my couch, her legs spread wide and a pair of headphones dangling from one hand. She’d come straight over from the gym and was dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt that hugged her muscular body.
Eve was a few years older than me. Another DJ, she’d given up drinking heavy and partying with drugs before I had and had been the one to suggest I steer my energy into the gym. She’d always looked out for me, and I was grateful that our lives spun us back together here in Pittsburgh, where she’d grown up.
“So whose text were you waiting for?”
I frowned and leaned back in my armchair. “It’s not like that.”
“Humor me,” Eve said. “I miss hearing about your sex adventures when we were on tour.”
I laughed. “I wish it were that easy. I told you how I’m reconnecting with my brother?”
“Yeah, of course. I remember.”
“Well, I hooked up a couple of times with his best friend. Once before I knew who he was, once after.”
Eve pursed her lips. There were records and equipment spread out around us, the place still messy from the morning, which I’d spent wrapped up in a project.
She placed her headphones down. “Is that… good?”
I winced. “Good might be overshooting it. But maybe it’s okay? Noah and I are getting along better than I expected.” I cranked my jaw, thinking through it. “I am a little frustrated, though,” I admitted. “I want to keep hooking up with Peyton.”
“Oh, come on,” Eve laughed. “If you’re about to tell me that you’re frustrated you can’t sleep with this one guy, good luck getting any sympathy. Your flings last a week, tops! And you can walk out this door and get laid walking down the street.” She leaned forward and arched an eyebrow at me, her straight, chestnut hair tied back. “I’ve literally seen you do that, Jet. I’m not exaggerating.”
I grunted. She was right. I’d only ever been interested in a very specific, no-commitment type of encounter. It fucking figured. Now that I was suddenly curious about something different, I only wanted it with a man I couldn’t have.
“I’m interested in something that’s more than just a week,” I grumbled, then tossed a CD to Eve to distract her and change the subject. “Check this out. Brand-new this morning.”
Eve stared at me, her hand frozen where she caught the CD. “Like, a relationship? I’d be less shocked if you told me you were switching to polka full-time.”
I laughed. “Whatever, Eve. I didn’t use the wordrelationship.”
“I’d be less shocked if you quit the gym.”
I stood. “Just listen to the CD,” I laughed. “I’m getting us more coffee.”
On the way toward the kitchen, the phone vibrated against the coffee table. I shifted the coffee mugs to my other hand and checked it immediately, surprise jolting through me when I saw Peyton’s name.
Hey there. You around at all this week? I can fill you in on the rest of the talk with Noah in person, if you’re up for that.
Def, thx.I slid the mugs on the counter, then turned and leaned back against it.My schedule is easy. When’s good for you?
Tonight? Is that too soon?
Nope. Tonight is great. Come by my place?
I knew Eve had somewhere to go in a couple of hours, and now that Peyton had reached out again, I felt greedy. I was not sure what I expected him to say. I was still clutching the idea that things between us were over because they had to be. That maybe this whole thing could just turn into a close friendship, another bridge between me and my brother.
