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Nope. There was nothing else to talk about. I’d been rejected more than once and maybe it was on me that I couldn’t takenofor an answer.

Well, I was now. His answer was loud and clear and I wouldn’t ask again.

I just had to figure out how the hell to get over him.

CHAPTER 25

Usually, a good night’s sleep had me feeling better when I woke up the next morning, no matter what shit had transpired the night before.

Not today.

I was finally able to figure out all the emotions I was feeling, to define them, label them.

And I didn’t like them at all.

I kept wondering what I’d been thinking, pushing Wolf to a point where he wasn’t comfortable. I knew that couldn’t feel good to him, either, but had I been wrong? I’d been so sure that he felt the same way about me and just needed a push.

But it was more than that. There was something he wasn’t telling me. At least that was what I told myself. Maybe I was wrong, though. Maybe I was blind to the fact that he just didn’t want me. And that would mean that our kisses at his house were the anomaly.

He didn’t want me. And the sooner I faced up to that fact, the better.

I felt embarrassed and almost didn’t want to go to practice—but I had to. This probably wouldn’t be the only time in my adultlife that I would do something that made me feel ashamed—so I might as well get through it.

But I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to look Wolf in the eyes again.

Practice that afternoon was awkward as hell, but the other three guys didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t talking to or looking at Wolf. A couple of times, he tried to engage me, but I couldn’t.

At least I was wearing the clothes I’d worn to work so he wouldn’t have to see my skin.

When we were done, I walked straight to the door—but Wolf said, “Hayley, do you have a minute?”

I had all night—but I didn’t want to spend a single second around him. Still, that was an immature response. More than that, it wouldn’t help the band…and that was why I was here in the first place.

I turned, finally looking at him for the first time since last night.Reallylooking at him. Seeing whatever it was in his eyes—guilt maybe? Regret? Uncertainty?—made me let down my hackles and decide to give him my attention.

But my guard was up. “What?”

“Can we go somewhere? Get a cup of coffee?”

“Coffee?”

“Let’s just talk, okay?”

“Okay…but Early Rise is closed.”

“I know. The Copper Kettle serves coffee till close.”

“Shittycoffee.”

Wolf almost smiled. “We’re not going for the coffee.” When I shrugged, he turned to the bar. “Thanks, Lucy.”

“No problem,” said the bartender as we walked out the front door. It was strange not seeing Wolf back there.

When we stepped outside, I pulled my coat closer to my frame. “Do you want to walk?” Like most places in Charlotte, the restaurant was close, just a block away.

“No, we can take my truck.”

I wasn’t going to ask why and didn’t plan to protest that it was nearby. I just wanted to get this shit over with. Whether he felt guilty and wanted to apologize or instead wanted us to vow to not discuss any of this in the future for the sake of the band, I didn’t care. Wolf was a hell of a guitarist and his music fueled my fire, so I didn’t want to break up the band, no matter how I felt at the moment.

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