“I—well, yeah. Is it that obvious?”
He jerked his chin at my chest. “You’re clutching your pendant as if your life depends on it.”
I glanced down and was surprised to find my fingers wrapped around the purple stone in a death grip. “Oh.” I let go and folded my hands in my lap. “I didn’t realize.”
His brows furrowed. “You’re never nervous.”
“Definitely not true,” I told him.Especially around you.
“Well, I guess you’re usually better at hiding it,” he said, lifting his shoulder in a half shrug. “What’s going on?”
Besides the fact that I missed my application deadline for Juilliard, was grounded for the next millennium, and had been a raging bitch to my sister for years? Nothing at all. “I shouldn’t have freaked out the way I did when you told me you’re working with Violet.”
“Wait.” He unfolded his arms and sat up straighter, an incredulous look spreading across his face. “You’re not pissed at me?”
I shook my head. “I was angry with Violet, not you.”
“But you’ve ignored me for the past three days.”
“I know,” I said, cringing slightly. “That was really shitty of me, and I’m sorry. I just…needed space to figure some stuff out.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, you were right.”
His eyes widened as if my answer was the opposite of what he’d been expecting. Three unbearably long seconds passed, and then the corner of his mouth twitched, the smallest hint of a smile. “I’m right about a lot of things. What are you talking about specifically?”
A kernel of hope bloomed in my chest at his playful response. I latched on to that feeling and dove into my explanation, fingers crossed I could fix whatever damage I’d caused. “Violet,” I replied. “She—she’s not the person I’ve accused her of being. I think deep down I knew that, but it’s a lot easier to blame other people for our own problems, isn’t it?” Xander didn’t respond, only cocked his head, so I quickly added, “I encouraged you to write a song, but when things didn’t go the way I envisioned them, I didn’t react well, and that wasn’t fair of me. I’m so sorry, Xander. This whole thing was supposed to be about you, and I made it about me and Violet. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after this conversation.”
“Want nothing to do with you?” Xander repeated slowly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “How could you possibly think that?”
My leg was bouncing, channeling all the nervous energy inside me, and I had to cap a hand over my knee to make it stop. “Well, you didn’t exactly give me the warmest of welcomes.”
“Indie.” His throat bobbed. “I thought you were here to break up with me.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but then his words sank in, and I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “I didn’t realize we were dating.” The thought had crossed my mind that night on the beach—what were we to each other? But the Heartbreakers’ tour loomed over the possibility of a relationship, so I never voiced my question.
“Crap, that came out all wrong. I know we’re notdatingdating. What I meant was I thought you were going to put an end to whatever this is between us,” he said, his cheeks flushing a deep red, “because thereissomething between us, at least there is to me. We haven’t known each other very long, but you feel like home, Indie. I don’t want to lose that feeling.” Taking a deep breath, he moved over to the couch, his knee knocking against mine as he sat down. “I should have asked you this before I left for tour, but I’m hoping better late than never? Indigo Josephine Mitchell-Jamiolkowski, would you be—”
“Wait a minute. Since when do you know my full name?” I said, startled to hear it come out of his mouth. I never so much as gave him my middle initial, let alone told him that Indie was short for Indigo.
“Really? That’s what you’re focused on right now?” he asked, his entire face scrunching up in an are-you-for-real look. “I’m trying to ask you to be my girlfriend here.”
“Yeah, I get that, but how do you have such top secret information about me?”
“Top secret?” He snorted. “How do you think I know?”
“Violet?” I guessed.
“Yes, Violet,” he replied, his response dripping with exasperation. “Now will you shut up and let me ask you out?”
Tapping a finger against my chin, I pretended to consider his question for a moment. “Hmm, I suppose that can be allowed.”
Xander let out a breath of relief. “Indie, from the moment I met you—”
“Whoa, hold on,” I said, cutting him off again, because pushing Xander’s buttons when he was flustered was too fun to resist. “This is starting to sound like a marriage proposal.”
“Oh my God,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’re infuriating!”
