Page 56 of Aria

“Triple date? With whom?”

“I was thinking with Lisa and Miles, and Julia and Noah. It’s been forever since we’ve all gotten together for some laughs and drinks, you know? Practices have been grueling with the Grammy’s coming up, and this past week has been all about moving you in. I could use a little R&R. You up for it?”

My muscles tensed. “Julia and Noah?” Somehow, that was the one thing that had stuck out. “Are they dating or something?”

Devon turned on the radio and began tapping his hands against the steering wheel. “Oh, you know how it is. Their version of dating, I guess.”

I hadn’t spoken to Julia or Lisa in weeks, our only correspondence being the occasional text or a tag in a Facebook meme. I realized I’d been isolating myself to avoid conversations about Ian. “That works for me,” I shrugged.

A night out sounded fun. The Ian drama seemed to have blown over, and my apartment was officially cleared out.

I had a lot of catching up to do with my friends.

* * *

Noah

“Thanks for coming on such short notice, Rosa.”

Rosa smiled as she placed her sweater on a nearby coat hook. “Oh, it’s my honor, señor Noah. Mi chico dulce loves spending time with his abuelita.”

Nodding my appreciation, I guided her to the kitchen where Sam was coloring in his notepad. “One of these days I’ll learn Spanish.”

“Miss Rosa! I missed you.” Sam bolted out of his chair and gave his caretaker a hug. “Come color with me.”

Rosa followed Sam to the kitchen island where he was eager to show her his artwork. “Muy bonita,” she declared, kissing the hair on Sam’s head. Her gold necklaces tickled his nose as she leaned over him.

I grabbed my keys and wallet from the counter, then stuffed them into my pockets. Checking my reflection in the microwave, I made a mental note to get a haircut. “I’ll be back in a few hours, Rosa. Sam’s dinner is in the fridge. You’ll just need to warm it up.”

Rosa shooed her hand at me. “Disparates! You know this chico will only get a home-cooked meal from Rosa.”

“Yay!” Sam squealed. “I love when Rosa cooks.”

A grin slipped. “If you insist. Don’t make anything too hard on yourself. I’ll check in later.”

“Enjoy, mi querido. Have a wonderful night with señorita Chelsie.” Her statement was followed by a knowing wink.

I ignored the inuendo. “Goodnight,” I said, making my way out the door and to my electric blue Corvette Stingray. Immense satisfaction whipped through me as the engine growled to life.

The only thing missing was a female counterpart in the passenger’s seat.

My mind wandered to Julia. We’d been “seeing each other” over the past two weeks, but it wasn’t anything serious. Nothing ever felt serious when it came to my sexual partners, and I wasn’t sure if it was because Ruby had ruined me, or because a certain blonde had set the bar too high. There was always something missing with everyone else… no one compared to Chelsie Combs and how perfectly she had fit into my life.

And fuck—I was aware of how ridiculous that sounded. Chelsie was a walking headache,andshe was dating my bandmate. But somehow, every woman lately had paled in comparison to her. I was trying my best to get past the inconvenient feeling, so that’s why I’d called Julia up one night for a sushi date… maybe I would see something in her I hadn’t noticed before.

I hadn’t found it yet.

Pulling up to the valet service, I noticed Devon and Chelsie approaching from the opposite side of the parking lot. Chelsie spotted me instantly, our eyes locking.

She was wearing a yellow sundress with a high side-slit, showing off one long leg. She swept a hand through her halo of golden hair, revealing dangly, bohemian earrings.

Christ,she was fucking pretty.

A smile pulled up from the corner of her mouth, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She looked away as they approached me, and I pulled out a cigarette, fumbling with the lighter.

“Be right in,” I mumbled.

Devon nodded before he and Chelsie entered the upscale restaurant. After a couple of deep drags, I ground out the cigarette and joined my friends at a private rooftop table. Julia had already been seated, and she pounced on me with a commanding hug when I entered. I was quickly enveloped in a heady cloud of designer perfume and top-shelf champagne.

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