Page 97 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

Don’t cry, Summer.

But crying is exactly what I might do.

“You see.” He pulls my attention back to him but walks over his dresser to grab a white V-neck T-shirt. I bite my lip, staring at the little bit of chest hair peeking out blending in with the curved edges of the wings tattooed on his chest. “I didn’t intend to play it again. Not for anyone else.”

I’m taken aback. “Why? It was a great song, and obviously, it seems like it’ll be huge for you.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not about how much of a hit it is. That song was personal.”

I understand what he’s saying. “I think, if you don’t want to release that song, then don’t. But I think you should. Just because you wrote that song for me doesn’t change what you did. Don’t cut yourself short on an amazing hit.”

He smiles again. “I’ll think about it.” There’s a short pause before he continues, “They want to celebrate. I can tell them to leave if you’re uncomfortable with them being here.”

Oh.

“I… no. It’s fine. I need to get to know them sooner or later. Right?” That was partially the truth. It’s certainly not that I’m uncomfortable being around his friends, but it’s all to do with how much I lashed out. “What if they don’t like me?” I whisper, chewing on my bottom lip.

Alec chuckles. “That’s impossible.” He opens the door to his bedroom before I can ask another question. Looks back at me and nudges his head. “Come on.”

Hesitantly, I walk past him, only for Samantha to startle me. “I opened a beer for you. Alec said you don’t really drink, so if you don’t want it, that’s completely fine.” She extends her arm with the cold glass in her hand.

I smile and take the bottle from her hand. “I think I can make an exception tonight.”

***

I sit by the window on the floor and watch how Alec interacts with his friends. Music plays in the background as everyone laughs and enjoys themselves. A small ache in my chest settles because I’ve only ever had this sort of relationship with one person—Chloe. It was never something that bothered me per se, but I long for it now. It almost feels like I’ve missed so much of my life, having dedicated the majority of it to my father.

I make a face as I watch Tyler attempt a strange dance move. If he didn’t push himself back up off the ground, I would have assumed he threw his back out or, worse, broke it. Alec laughs, bringing the bottle of beer to his mouth. His eyes meet mine, and I give the smallest of smiles.

Before I can think, he is up on his feet, approaching me, and crouching down. “You OK?” he asks.

And for the first time in a while, I think I am. “Yeah. This is nice. Even though I’ve been a hermit over here by myself, it’s… nice to see how you are with your friends.”

He smirks, pulls my chin up, and presses his lips to mine. “They are your friends too, Sunshine.”

“Alec, come check this out,” James says, waving his hand for Alec to go over.

“I’ll be right back.” Alec kisses me one last time before sitting beside James on the couch. I drink the remainder of my beer… it’s my second one, and I’m feeling a little tipsy. My body warms from the laughter filling the room, and I adjust by stretching my legs straight out.

Samantha startles me again as she sits beside me, ankle over ankle. “I brought you another.”

“Oh, thank you,” I think.

I wasn’t planning on having another drink, but I took the cold bottle from her anyway and placed it on the opposite side of me. “Do you always sneak up on people?”

She laughs. It’s loud and sweet. “Basically. I do it to the guys all the time.” She watches them, but I notice something in her face changes.

“Does it ever bother you?” I ask.

She looks at me with a puzzled expression. “What?”

I shrug. “Being the only girl.”

“Nah. If you spend as many years as I have surrounded by the same dorks, you sort of grow accustomed to them. They’re like family… about the only family I really have.”

The ache in my heart from a few minutes ago grows. “I’m sorry.”

Samantha snorts, and now I’m very confused. “My parents aren’t dead. They are very much alive, but my mother shut us out when I was eleven. My father owns the bar across town. He’s a decent father. I have zero complaints. He just… doesn’t appreciate the things I like. The things I want to do with my life. He’s not a fan of Alec.”

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