Page 642 of Rock Me All Night
"Yes, but if you try to sleep with Miles, I'll have to kill you."
"Would you really?"
"In a hot second." She laughs with evil glee. "But I don't think you would. The way you look at the quiet bassist… You're smitten."
"I can't help it."
"Same thing happened to me." Her voice gets serious. "Pete… he really keeps things to himself. He and Miles, they're pretty close. I've gotten to know him. And he's… he's a really great guy. A great brother to Tom. A great friend to everybody. Whatever is happening, I'm sure he wouldn't hurt you on purpose."
"I know."
"Okay. Fuck guys. They're the worst." She turns to me. "And clothes—just as bad. Your dress is cute. You might not need help, but Kara and I are shopping next Sunday. For dresses for the wedding. We have our shit together, getting our dresses five days before we fly to Hawaii."
"We're grad students. We don't need to have our shit together."
"I like the way you think." She laughs. "You should come. On Sunday."
"Sure." Anything that will get me out of the house and away from Pete.
She claps her hands together. "Awesome. I'm sure, uh… Well, I don't think we'll need to worry about coordinating or anything. Since Drew is the maid of honor."
"He is?"
She laughs. "Yeah. He's cute about it." The joy falls off her expression. "I'm happy for Tom and Willow. Really. But… Not your problem. Nevermind."
"No. It's okay. I don't have any friends out here." I curse the desperation in my voice, but maybe it's okay to sound desperate if I'm being earnest. I want to stop bullshitting everyone all the time. "You're more than welcome to talk to me."
For a minute, Meg is silent. When she speaks, her voice is barely more than a whisper. "It can be hard, seeing all these close siblings who care about each other."
"My sister cheated with my ex-boyfriend."
"So you know the feeling."
"Yeah." I play with the strings of my backpack. "What about you?"
Her voice drops. "My sister overdosed last year. She's… gone."
"Oh. I—"
"You didn't know. You can't top an overdose. I always have the saddest sibling story."
I laugh. She has a really dark sense of humor. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't be. Laughing helps."
"You must miss her a lot."
"Yeah… and I worry. Miles alone by himself all week."
"He's in recovery, right?"
She nods. "I don't think I'd ever breathe again if something happened to him." She offers a weak smile. "I know it's hard… dealing with the Sinful Serenade guys. Their heads are so dense sometimes. If you want to talk, give me a call. Even if you want to spend an hour complaining about how he doesn't wash the dishes. Anything. All I do, all week, is study and watch TV. I'd love a distraction."
"Thanks." I offer her a smile as I step out of the car. "Same for you. If you're worried about Miles. Or anything. I know what it's like, loving someone who had those problems."
My hand goes to my mouth. I almost told her about my dad. I never tell anyone, but the words left my tongue before I had a chance to stop them.
But it feels good, being honest. I want to stay honest.
