Page 38 of When We Fell Again
A cursory glance told me they probably hadn’t, but in the absence of anyone else to talk to, my ego could do with bolstering. And if chatting to a couple of fake fans could take my mind off of the actual person I needed to speak to, I’d take it.
“Which of our songs do you like best?” I forced a fake grin, testing out their knowledge.
A panicked look crossed the blonde’s face as I expected her to name a minimum of one of our tracks.
Hey, if she thought she had a chance with me, she at least had to know something about my band.
The blonde elbowed her friend in the ribs. “You know, what’s that one they finished with?”
Chewing her lip, the brunette answered. “Tonight it wasBeautiful Lullaby, although they sometimes do it as an opener.”
I raised an eyebrow. Clearly, the dark-haired one knew her stuff. Maybe I’d misjudged them. Tilting my head to one side, I asked, “Do you prefer it as an opener or a closer?”
Narrowing her eyes, the brunette considered my question. “It works as both, although I’d say it has more impact as an opening track.”
With a grin, I slung my arm around her shoulders. “Tell me more about how you think our setlist should go?”
For the next half an hour, the three of us bantered about Idol Rev, their other favourite bands, and even suggested who they thought we should support on a bigger tour, all thoughts of Lex temporarily forgotten. The beer and shots I’d sunk so far had finally made their way through my system and I was dying for a piss. Making my excuses, I headed downstairs to the toilets, ignoring the group of lads blatantly doing coke off the side of the sink. In another life, I would have asked to join them, but if I planned to talk to Lex, I needed my wits about me. Once I’d done what I needed to, I went back to find the others, only to bump straight into Lex. Having all but given up on seeing her that night, she now stood right in front of me.
“Can I get you a drink?” I couldn’t let her walk away. Couldn’t let her go and talk to someone else. My opportunity had to be now.
Lex jerked her chin in the direction of the two women I’d been talking to. “Are you sure you don’t want to get back to your new friends?”
Oh, so now the green eyes come out?
“They can wait,” I insisted. “So, can I get you that drink?”
A slight lift of one shoulder. “Sure.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bar, away from the rest of the band and the women I’d been half-heartedly flirting with. Pushing my way to the front of the queue, I got a couple of beers, then steered us towards a slightly quieter area close to the pub garden. This was one time I definitely didn’t want an audience.
“We need to talk about what happened the other night.” I didn’t beat around the bush, going straight for the thing between us.
Lex chewed on her bottom lip, pulling at the label on the bottle of beer she held, doing her best to avoid my gaze. “Nothinghappened, Jordan. It was just a kiss.” Her gaze tilted towards the ceiling.
I grasped her chin between my fingers and made her look at me. “Lex, when it’s between us it’s notjust a kiss.”
“It’s been five years.” She covered her hand with mine, gently pulling it away from her. “We’re not the same people anymore.”
Raking a hand through my hair, I let out a hard breath. “After this past year, I know I’m not. And that’s why Exeter and the other night changed things for me. These past few weeks being with you again have been… everything.”
“Like old times?”
I didn’t miss her reference to what I’d said to her before the gig in Reading.
“Fuck, no. If it was like old times, we’d be tearing strips off each other.” Fleeting memories of the latter stages of our relationship darted through my mind. It hadn’t been pretty at the end, and I knew that was down to me. But this felt like a second chance, starting from scratch with a head start because we knew each other so well already.
Lex laughed, a welcome sound. She hadn’t shot me down in flames. At least, not yet.
“Come on, babe, admit it. We work. We’re better together.”
“You seriously think we should try again?”
“If it’s what you want. And if it’s not, I’ll walk away after this tour and you’ll never hear from me again.” I shoved my hand in my pocket, crossing my fingers.
“You’re drunk.”
I clutched my hands to my heart. “Why, Alexis Jagger, you wound me. You know full well I’m on strong pain medication and wouldneverdrink at the same time.”
