Page 64 of Rough Ride

As he sang that last line, he finally tilted his head up, making eye-contact with me for a moment before scanning the room as he continued singing.

“How did he know?” I wondered out loud.

Johnny glanced at me. “Know what?”

I waved him off as I continued listening, the drink I had been in the process of making forgotten on the table in front of me.

“Stare up at the ceiling,

Preview of a screenin’,

Flashback of a feelin’,

Sick sense of a callin’,

Heard you fuck through the wall,

I heard you fuck…”

The guitar suddenly sped up as he reached the chorus. Eli’s voice rose with emotion, and I found myself singing along under my breath.

“When I’m bored

I send vibrations

In your direction

Through the satellite mind.”

His eyes locked onto me again, full of emotion and meaning.

“When I’m bored

I send vibrations

In your direction

Through the satellite mind.”

I couldn’t move. It was like we were alone and he was singing it directly to me. I felt my stomach tighten the way it did when he had almost kissed me last night.

“Is that Metric?” Liz asked.

I blinked at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Jessica needs you to unbox all the new pint glasses,” Liz said. “How did that cowboy know to play your favorite band?”

“No idea,” I replied, unable to take my eyes off Eli as he reached the end of the song.

“If you don’t fuck that boy,” Liz said, “then I will.”

I pulled my gaze away from Eli. “You’re married!”

Liz gave me a look. “Then you’d better jump on him to stop me from making a mistake. Because after that performance,somebodyin this room is going to take him home, and it’d be a damn shame if it wasn’t you.”

I knew she was joking. She would never cheat on Travis, and was only trying to prod me into action.

But she had a point.

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