Page 5 of Busted Dreams

Nothing out of the ordinary that would make Beck pull back from our conversation.

Unless it wastheconversation.

Damn. I hoped that wasn’t it. I’d put a lot of thought into how to help him. All the guys really, but Beck was the one who needed the most from me right now. Maybe this would change as Jonah worked on his grant and scholarship applications, or depending on how well Rhys played in tomorrow’s game. Thatcher…well, he really had the best set up out of all of us right now, so he was on the backburner.

“If you don’t like the TikTok idea, we can toss it off the table,” I backtracked, half-heartedly stabbing a plump, steaming piece of pasta, trying not to appear as heartbroken as I was.

“What? No.”

His words reeled my attention right back to his face. The momentary confusion or distance that had graced his face disappeared as if it had never been.

“Really? You seemed distracted there for a second, or maybe disinterested.”

“I spaced. I’m sorry.” He reached for my hand, and I reveled in the rough feel of his calloused skin sliding over mine. “We’re doing it. I have your guarantee you’re coming with me wherever I go. When do you want to start?” Beck grinned, and an almost dimple popped out on one side.

My spirits immediately picked back up, and my excitement expanded so fast, soon it would burst out of the box of my chest. “Tomorrow. Or maybe Sunday. When’s your next show at the Iron Horse?”

“Tomorrow, but I play a small gig at a college party on Sunday. That might be a better option, since Rhys’ game is tomorrow.”

Dang, that was right. “Sunday it is. But Rhys has a game that day too, so we’ll have to do it beforehand. I’ll come prepared with every piece of filming equipment I own to make sure I do justice to the awesomeness that is you.” I nodded succinctly.

He squeezed my hand, his eyes twinkling with what I hoped I read correctly as happiness. But what did I know about that?

The rest of the dinner passed by so quickly, I was surprised when the waiter dropped the check off. Beck snatched the bill from the scuffed black binder before the thought even crossed my mind if we should go halves.

And a little bit of my naïveté came through. “So, we didn’t talk about this, but how does this whole dating thing work? Should we be liberal and split the check? I can be an independent woman.” I smirked, but then recounted how much money I had on my bankcard. It wasn’t much, and I’d need to get a job soon. With Mother Dearest out of the picture, I doubted Dad would make trouble for me. Not that he had any say in my life anymore.

He scoffed, and his soulful hazel eyes squinted at me. “I think not. This might not be my typical scene, but even I know when you really like a girl, you don’t let her pay.”

My heart skipped a beat at his words. “I’m sure there are many a girls who would be offended by that.”

“Good thing my girl is not most girls,” he murmured as he slipped a credit card into the little plastic holder, setting it on the edge of the table. The guy must have been watching because he whisked right by us, snatching the binder without a word. If I hadn’t witnessed it, I would never have realized he had made an appearance. These guys were good.

Maybe I could do a waitressing job like this, where the staff was practically invisible except for a few key times.

Eager to know more about Beck, I changed the subject. “What’s your normal scene then?”

“Hmm?” He picked my hand back up, playing with the tips of my fingers.

“You said this wasn’t normally your scene. So how do you normally like to spend your dates?”

I shivered from the heat gliding up my arm from such a small amount of innocent touching.

Beck laced his fingers with mine and grimaced. That wasn’t good.

“Well, pretty girl…” He trailed off like he wasn’t sure exactly. “The thing is, this is my first date.”

I couldn’t have spoken, even if something eloquent or romantic popped into my head. Beck was a manly stud muffin. How had he never been on a date before? I knew for a fact he wasn’t a virgin…

Ohhhhh…

“Yeah, I see from the expression on your face that you’re piecing it together. The truth is, girls are easy. Especially when you’re even a little bit decent at performing. It’s exciting for them and turns those bitches into savages. For some unknown reason, they can’t pass up the opportunity to throw themselves at me or one of my band members.”

“And you didn’t turn them away?” I knew the guys weren’t saints. I’d seen the way the lusty mom squad circled around Beck, but to actually picture him welcoming any willing body to use him kind of made me sick. It definitely speared a sharp pang in my chest.

“Damn, no matter how I try and explain this, it’s going to make me look like an asshole. Look…” He took my other hand in his until he held both over the center of the table as he leaned toward me, the soft orange light from the candle flickering across his face.

The waiter slid the binder on the table, mumbling, “Take your time,” as he quickly scurried away again.

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