Page 94 of Out of Tune
Hurt pinches his features as he untangles himself. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”
I don’t have the time to explain things to him, but it has to be this way. I haven’t had a chance to tell Evelyn how things are. Or it might be more accurate to say that I’ve been greedy, keeping this little bubble of bliss to myself and she thinks I still hate him.
Wes disappears, and I let Evelyn in, pulling at the hem of my shirt.
“Finally!” she squeals, throwing her arms around me. “Talk in a second, I need to pee so bad. There’s a bathroom in your room, right?”
Before I can stop her, she runs past me and into the house and to the open bedroom door. Hinges creak.
There’s a yelp of “What the fuck?” from Evelyn, followed by her saying, “Get out.”
Wes slinks back into the living room, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I’d offer to stay, but it’s later than I thought and I should probably go meet up with my mom.”
“Yeah, tell George hello for me.”
“She’s excited to see you. To see both of us, but she made a point of letting me know that you’re the main attraction. She wants to take us out after to celebrate.”
“To a late-night diner?” I hedge a guess, recalling the times she took us out to eat when we were younger.
“More like a night club. She loves going out dancing after my shows. You should see her at a honky-tonk line dancing.”
“I’ll think about it. I might be too tired after the show, and we have a second one tomorrow. I don’t want to push it.” The excuses come in an instant. I’m bracing myself to see George. I knew this moment would come eventually, but it terrifies me.
What if she’s mad at all the distance I’ve put between us? Or worse, what if she completely understands and looks at me with so much love and I remember exactly why she was Dad’s favoriteperson? The only person in this world who loved him as much as I did.
“Just think about it?” Hope pools in his eyes, and I know this is important to him.
“I will.”
With that, Wes collects his phone and keys before heading out, looking back one last time to find me already looking at him when he says, “I can’t wait to be up on stage with you tonight.” And then the door closes behind him.
“Care to explain why you were hiding my enemy in your bathroom.” Evelyn emerges from the bathroom and leans against the bedroom doorway, arms crossed over her chest, covering the text of her T-shirt that reads,Think my opinions are big? Just wait until you see my ass.
“Enemy? That feels dramatic.” I shrug. Maybe if I pretend like it isn’t a big deal then she won’t act like it is. It is though.
Wes at my house for an entire night, after we made each other come from dry humping. Yeah. Business as usual.
“And the hiding wasn’t?” Touché.
“He was just stopping by to check on me before the show. He got here a few minutes before you did.”
“Nice try, but his pants are on the floor of your room.” She hooks a thumb over her shoulder. I lean to peer through the open door, and yup, there they are tossed in the corner. “Spill. Now.”
I start with last night, the commandeered voicemail and the teddy bears. Then I slip back to the last two weeks but during that I explain how we made up, which means having to explain why we were fighting. Before I know it, I’m telling her about Vegas.
Her face remains unreadable, something I’m not used to from my friend who broadcasts all her emotions so loudly but has been silent for the last twenty minutes.
I pick at the skin around my thumb in my nervousness. “And I guess that’s everything. What do you think?”
“Do you want this to work with him?” she asks, taking me by surprise. If anyone in my life would be against this, I thought it would be her. Not only because of me but also because of her brother.
“You’re not mad?” I check.
“I mean, I’m a bit pissed you didn’t tell me. But there’s always been something between you two that it’s impossible to make sense of. And I have to start playing nice now that I’m with his best friend.” She shrugs. Last month, she ended up going on vacation and running into Garrett. One thing led to another, and not only are they together, now they’re also writing music as a team. “So?”
