I let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine.”
He started an episode ofCurb Your Enthusiasmand with the exception of the occasional laugh, we fell into a comfortable silence I only ever had with him.
“Hey, sleepy girl, time for bed,” his deep voice came to me through a dream.
“Hmm?” I mumbled, forcing my eyes open.
Sid stood peering down at me. He reached for my hand, his skin warm and rough against mine. “To bed,” he ordered, his tone light as he shuffled me to my room. “Christ, I really hope there’s never an emergency I have to wake you up for—you’re always so out of it,” he complained as I shuffled awkwardly to my room. “Night, Sam,” he said quietly as I flopped on my bed.
Because I was half-asleep, the next words escaped my lips of their own accord. “Glad you’re home safe, Sid, missed you,” I murmured sleepily.
I closed my eyes against the look of surprise that crossed his handsome face.
****
Mottos?
The text from Cade the next evening made me smile. A drink at our neighborhood bar sounded perfect.
Be there in 20, I responded, wondering if Sid would be joining us. I hadn’t seen him all day and my heart leapt at the thought.
I was relieved the three of us still spent so much time together. When the guys had first come to me about breaking up the band, I’d been crushed. We’d been playing together off and on since college, but with Caden’s tattoo business picking up and Sid traveling so much, it just wasn’t possible. Plus, they had their own dreams to chase. I was still sorting out mine.
It was closer to thirty minutes by the time I walked in to the dimly lit dive.
Sid and Caden were immersed in a game of pool at the back of the bar. Sid’s beautiful blue eyes studied the table intently. He wore a ball cap pulled low, masking his expression. I watched him, trying not to drool over the way his tongue swept over his full lower lip as he concentrated.
I shook myself out of my Sid haze and walked over to the table, picking up a cue. “I play winner.” I grinned by way of greeting.
They both looked over, offering nearly identical grins.
It was always a close call, but Cade won the first round. I won the second and played Sid. As usual, the three of us got wrapped up in our world, competing playfully and making bets against who would do the chores if they lost.
“Another round?” Caden asked a good deal later. The bar had started to fill up, with the clink of glasses and low hum of conversation ricocheting off the walls.
“I’ve got plans,” Sid’s deep voice replied and I wondered if I imagined the way his gaze flashed to me before hitting the floor.
Was that guilt?
“Oh, yeah, who is she?” Caden smirked.
“Nobody you know,” he replied as my insides twisted in agony. In the years we’d been friends, I’d always felt a twinge of jealously on the rare occasion that Sid went home with someone. Now… now it was like fire in my belly. I wanted to bend over to assuage the pain burning in my gut.
Normally I’d paste a smile on my face and pretend I wasn’t dying inside. Tonight, I simply couldn’t do it. Instead, to my utter horror, I felt tears fill my eyes.
Sid’s eyes widened in surprise as I shoved past him, eager to get the hell out of there.
I practically ran home, feeling utterly humiliated. I’d just told him everything I felt without saying anything at all. Months of hiding my feelings betrayed in a single moment.
I threw my purse and jacket onto my bed and paced back and forth. Sid and I had always had a certain intensity between us, but the past few months it had reached a crescendo.
He barged into my room moments later, his nostrils flaring.
I reeled around in shock, my entire body zinging as I gauged his expression warily. We stood staring at each other, the energy in the room thick with tension.
“What was that, Sam?” he demanded, his voice low and strained.
I stared at him with wide eyes, knowing we were on the precipice of something huge, something we’d never come back from. I’d hidden my feelings for so long, lied to myself and anyone who asked. I simply couldn’t do it anymore.
