Page 202 of Rock Me All Night
9
There'sfurniture in the house. When we left, it was empty. Now it's furnished.
I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not seeing things. It's still furnished. It's not a lot—a couch, a TV, a table and chairs—but it's still shit that appeared magically during a three-hour absence.
"I took care of it." Drew nods to the rooms upstairs. "I figured you'd want a queen bed, a dresser, and a desk."
"How the hell did you make that happen?"
"Trade secret." He drops takeout sushi bags on the table and digs out the plastic silverware. "You better stake a claim on this before Meg gets here and eats all the sashimi."
Pete and Tom walk in the open door. Pete is still hiding in his hoodie, his gaze on the floor.
He plops down on the couch and pulls his phone from his pocket. He stares at it with this strange mix of anger and fascination.
Tom grabs my arm. "Give him space."
Drew glares at Tom like he's going to hit the guy. Tom smirks as he releases his grip.
"Either of you fuck with Pete and you're dead." Tom frowns, empathy in his eyes. "He and Cindy were up all night screaming. He said some bad shit. Kind of shit you can't take back. I couldn't hear quite as much from her side, but it didn't sound good." He shakes his head and returns to a demanding look. "Stay out of it."
"You don't stay out of shit," Drew says.
"Because I know what I'm doing."
Tom tries to shrug it off but there's worry all over his face. He and Pete are foster brothers. It's easy to forget since they look nothing alike, but they fight like brothers and they care about each other in thatI love you enough to tell you I hate you because we're familyway.
Was Drew right? Do the guys talk about each other because they like to gossip? It sure seems like Tom likes to gossip.
But there's something in his eyes, and in Drew's eyes too.
They really do care.
* * *
"Ihaven't seenyou in a million years." Meg throws her arms around me and squeezes tight.
"More like five days."
"It sucks we don't have any classes together." She bites a piece of salmon sashimi in half.
"It was bound to happen eventually." I glance at the guys in the band. They're all sitting at the table together—even Pete—and whispering about something.
Meg follows my gaze to the guys. She leans in close and lowers her voice. "Are you really going to be okay living with Drew?"
"Better than Nadeen."
Apprehension flares in her expression. "What if he brings another girl home?"
I clear my throat. "That crush is ancient history."
"I'll do you a favor and not call you on that today."
My cheeks flush. "Thank you." An immediate change of subject is the best way to avoid any further discussion of my feelings for Drew. "How's everything with Miles?"
A dreamy look spreads over Meg's face. "It's like paradise spending the day with him up in Malibu." The dreamy look fades. "Of course, it means I have to spend all day Sunday studying."
"Small price to pay for paradise."
