Page 100 of The Bridges I've Burned

I hadn’t thought of anyone here in fourteen years. I’d compartmentalized my childhood and put everything and everyone in it in a sort of time capsule. Coming back and seeing Macon and my classmates with spouses and families reminded me that life here had gone on whether I thought about it or not.

“Not everyone.” Dean laughed. “But close. Our friend Gavin there is the eternal bachelor, but you wouldn’t know him. He’s a transplant from the mainland.”

“He owns Taps.” Elena gave me a meaningful look, making me grin.

“Speaking of, what’s up with that, Zander?” Marin asked around a mouth full of chips. “Why the hell would a professional musician walk into a bar on karaoke night?”

I shrugged. “It was packed, and I was hungry. I didn’t want anyone in town to see me before you did, and I figured it’d be a good place to melt into a crowd,” I explained. “Even at the expense of my hearing.”

“And instead, you found Elena.”

“With earbuds on,” I added with a touch of amusement.

“You weren’t there when the couple got up there and sang ‘Barbie Girl.’” She grimaced. “In character, guys. It was on a whole other level of weird.”

“This is kind of making me want to go, honestly.” Marin laughed.

“No!” everyone shouted.

“So, I keep meaning to ask you”—Macon swiftly changed the subject—“when do you go back on the road? Headed out with anyone we might know?”

I went rigid, hating that I couldn’t tell him.

“Yeah, the beginning of September,” I said as they all stared. Jesus, is it getting hotter? “But I, uh, can’t say anything more. Contractually obligated and all.”

They all groaned.

“Seriously?” Macon exclaimed. “Don’t you know we’re all living vicariously through you now?”

“I’ll tell you soon,” I told him, wondering if there would be any way I could tell my family before that concert. “Promise.”

“What’s it like? Touring with bands?” Taylor asked. “It’s got to be a wild lifestyle. Like, do you actually sleep on a bus?”

“Sometimes,” I offered. “Depends on the band and the length of time I’m with them. The lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. I’m never home, I keep insane hours, and I basically run on caffeine.”

“That sounds like Elena’s job,” Marin joked.

“But I doubt hers comes with an endless supply of hot chicks.” Taylor gave a salute with his beer, and everyone chuckled.

“I’m gonna go grab some food,” Elena announced abruptly, suddenly pivoting toward the house.

Marin tracked her long strides, and I noted the look of concern on her face.

Is she upset?

“Uh, me, too.”

A look of approval spread across Marin’s face as she watched me follow her best friend.

I headed toward the kitchen, but when I stepped through the sliding glass door and took a look around, Elena was suspiciously absent. I hovered near the island for a moment, wondering whether to run off after her or give her a few minutes. Women needed those from time to time, right?

Fuck it.

I’d only been to Macon and Marin’s a few times, but the layout wasn’t complicated. It was a ranch-style with a single hallway, much like the rental Elena and I were currently occupying.

There were only so many places she could be, and when I found the guest bathroom wide open, that narrowed things down significantly.

A few more steps down the hallway, and I found her in what would normally be considered a spare bedroom, but it had been transformed into something else entirely.

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