Page 86 of I Just Want to be Yours

“I might.” I breathe a little more easily. “But if it made you happy, I’d give it a try.”

She sighs, and it sounds like she’s finally lying down or getting a little more comfortable. “I’d never ask you to do that.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” It’s one of the things I love about her.

There’s a pounding on the hotel door, and I wince, feeling it in my brain. Dave’s voice hollers through the cracks. “Rise and shine, motherfucker!”

I let out a groan, and there’s another light laugh from Margot on the other end of the phone.

“Duty calls,” I say as I force myself out of bed. Holding the phone in the crook of my neck, I pull on my pants. “Are we okay?”

The beat of silence that follows has me sitting on the edge of the bed.

Finally, she says, “I don’t know. I want to be, but I don’t know.”

“Please don’t let it mess with your head. I would never do something like that.”

“I’ll try.” Before I have the chance to say anything else, Dave bangs on my door again, and she adds, “Go. We’ll talk more later.”

I glare at the door wishing Dave could fuck off. “Yeah, I guess I should go before he barges in here. Text me, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

We exchange goodbyes, and as soon as she hangs up, I fall back on the bed and let out a breath. I feel like I just dodged a bullet. I can’t believe Tarah had her friend taking pictures. Who knows, that could have been her plan all along. Maybe she just wanted to get the shot. Maybe that’s why she came on to me so fast.

Dave knocks again followed by, “Jackson, wake the fuck up.”

“I’m up. I’m up.” I get to my feet and rub both hands over my face in a desperate attempt to shake the multiple hangovers weighing me down.

50

margot

The doorto our apartment opens in the distance, and I know my moment of solitude is over. To be fair, I’ve been lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling since I hung up the phone almost an hour ago. I didn’t trust myself to act like nothing was wrong around Matt and Braden, and I didn’t want to be around either of them because they both make me think of Jackson in their own way.

Rae pokes her head into my cracked bedroom door. “Hey, you disappeared. Everything okay?”

I turn my head to look at her but don’t get up. “I’m not sure how to answer that question.”

She pushes open the door and takes a seat on the edge of my bed. “Is it something with Jackson? You said you needed to call him, right?”

“Yeah.” The word comes out as a sigh, and I reach for my phone and unlock it. Holding it out to her, I show her the post that’s still front and center on my screen because I’ve been staring at it every few minutes.

Her eyes widen, and she looks from the phone to me beforepulling it out of my hand to get a closer look. “What did he say?” she immediately demands, all business.

“That it was nothing.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “I wouldn’t say it looks likenothing.” She zooms in, squinting to get a closer look. “Are her hands in his pants?”

Covering my face with both hands, I let out a groan. “I’m so stupid.”

“Hey, you are not stupid. This is . . . surprising.”

Dragging my fingers down my face, I look over at her to find her still analyzing the evidence. “This is crazy though, right? I’m crazy to date a guy in a rock band.”

Rae sets the phone down, her expression softening. “I mean, maybe a little crazy. But so is he. It’s part of what makes you two great together.”

I pick up the phone and investigate the two photos for the millionth time.

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