Page 36 of Rock Strong

“Tired from what, relaxing all fucking day yesterday? Bro, we didn’t see you yesterday, we barely saw you today, and now you’re taking off again.” Tucker slapped Liam’s arm, urging him to join them for some fun, and secretly, I prayed that he’d decline again. I knew it was probably hard for him to tell his buddies no, but I needed to know where I fit into his life—if I fit into it at all.

“He doesn’t know you’re here,” Rosemary pointed out over the noise, shielding me.

“I know. It’s so awkward,” I whispered back.

“Come on, man,” Wes said, taking a long drag from his cigarette. “Just chill with us. Have a drinky drink. It’s cool if you’re in love.” He laughed, bumping elbows with Corbin.

“In love? Man, please,” Corbin said, taking a hit of what appeared to be weed, judging by the smell of the smoke. “We’re almost in Vancouver. That shit will end like a brick against a wall.”

“Yeah, man. Wait till Giselle finds out he spent the day with Asian Persuasion,” Tucker said.

“Why would she find out?” Wes asked rhetorically.

“Dude, call her Asian Persuasion one more time…just one more time…” Liam pushed his face right into Tucker’s, and my heart sped up from the sheer adrenaline of his words and the tone of his voice.

“You heard that?” Rosemary asked me.

“Yes.” Nervously, I chugged from my water bottle.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Tucker said, putting on sunglasses and walking toward the VIP room. “I forgot you can’t take a joke. Perhaps you’d prefer the name Ball and Chain instead?” He laughed, bending and shaking his head at his own joke.

It happened fast.

Liam lunged at Tucker, grabbing him from behind and slamming him against a wall. Tucker fell back and swung out, clocking Liam in the temple, and in the nanosecond it took for Liam’s face to rebound back to center, his eyes met mine. Then he was back to pummeling Tucker. Everyone scrambled to stop them, and soon, they were surrounded by bandmates, Robbie, and a bunch of roadies trying to stop the fight.

Rosemary tugged on my arm in alarm. “They’re fighting about you.”

“What do we do?” I asked.

“Did you hear me? They’re fighting about you.”

They were. Fighting about me. Liam had stood up on my behalf to his best friend, while Helen, Corbin, Wes, Robbie, and a multitude of others watched in disbelief. He did it for me, because of me. If he didn’t care about me, he wouldn’t have bothered. He may have even laughed at the joke and brushed it off.

I was in awe.

Helen materialized from the middle of the crowd. “God, she’s right there, loser,” she said to Liam, pointing at me.

Liam came out of the crowd, his face a scratchy mess with a horizontal bloody mark on his forehead. He ambled toward me, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do, where I belonged. Then I remembered last night, the special time we’d shared. That was real. And something that didn’t go away just because the sun came up.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the madness.

Rosemary smiled and gave me a thumbs-up, and off I went with Liam.

Twenty minutes later, we were in a private room on the opposite side of the venue, away from the circus madness that was a rock show after party. Liam locked the door behind us and dropped onto a leather sofa. Inside the lounge was a mirror, two more comfy sofas, and several vending machines.

I grabbed a washcloth, wet it, and dabbed at his forehead, but the scratch had stopped bleeding. As I tended to him, Liam stared at me. With a sigh, I set the washcloth down. “Are you okay?” I sat down next to him and hugged him tightly.

He nodded. “Just Tuck being a drunken dick. I’m kind of over it.”

“Why does he care if you like me?”

“He doesn’t care. Not really. But he might be scared it’ll mean the end of us as buddies, as wingmen, I bet. Don’t take it personally. Please.” His hands smoothed down my hair and back. One hand reached into the back of my shirt, maybe just to feel the warmth of my skin.

“I’m not. I mean, I don’t know what to think.” It was frightening to consider that I might be coming between him and his friends. I certainly didn’t want to be responsible for friction. “Liam?” I asked, my cheek against his chest. His heartbeat raced within. “What are we doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is this what you want? I don’t think I fit into your life.”

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