Page 28 of Exactly What I Needed
“No, you’re exhausted. This was bound to happen, considering Danny and how much pressure your parents put on you. I’m just surprised that it took this long.”
“But I knew. Before I’d even met him or gone to that stupid concert, I knew Sydney had called dibs on him. And yet, that didn’t cross my mind once when I was trying to reason myself out of going there after the concert.”
She clicked her tongue and inhaled deeply. “I get why you were trying to tell him no last night. Does he know about Sydney?”
I nodded without saying anything.
“And something still happened last night, even after you told him?”
I nodded again, and she sighed.
“Cosi.” A warning.
“I told you. I just can’t seem to say no to him. Apparently, I don’t have the ability to think rationally around him.”
“Just don’t do it again. Don’t be alone with him ever, and then nothing can happen. Okay?” She rubbed her hands on the back of my forearms. Easier said than done, I feared. And I think she knew it too.
“Though, of all of us to end up with some rock star,” she muttered.
“You’re preaching to the choir. Why me?” I replied with a chuckle.
Sydney came squealing back into the room, and I shot away from Tera, who lifted the mug of coffee to her lips. My heart pumped heavily in my ears, the pounding drowning out much of Syd’s jubilee.
She clapped her hands and slid onto a barstool beside Tera. “Apparently, I talked with the band last night. I also learned that you were there during that conversation last night, Cosi. So, while I was trying to keep this a surprise for your birthday, I guess the cat’s already out of the bag.”
I watched her and lifted my brows, swallowing a gulp of lukewarm coffee.
“Void will come to your birthday party! I sent the information over to their manager! Geeee!” She squealed again. “I’m so happy! Will my pancakes be ready soon?” She grabbed her mostly cold coffee now. Sippingit, Tera raised her brow at me, then began discussing details about the party with Syd, shutting me out.
“Yeah, let me just take care of some stuff really quickly,” I muttered, grateful that Tera pulled Syd so deeply into a conversation that she didn’t even acknowledge me.
I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket. Tapping on Asher’s contact, I sat myself down on the couch and wrote four simple words.
We need to talk.
Bubbles appeared almost immediately in response, and then they disappeared. Everyone hated those four dreadful words, even I did. But he needed to understand that this one-time, or several-time thing really couldn’t continue. Especially now that Syd knew he was coming to my birthday party, and even more so now that Tera knew.
Besides, at some point, he would grow bored with me. At some point, he’d move on and forget I ever existed, so I needed to shut this down. Now.
The phone vibrated against my palm, and I glanced down at the screen. Asher was video calling me. Wait, what? Better yet,why?
Shooting up from the couch, I glanced at my two friends sitting at the island, as Katie came plodding down the hallway, mindless to everything as she hummed to herself.
My chance to quickly slip away was right now, while everyone was distracted.
The moment Katie’s back was to me, I quietly shot down the hall and closed the door to my room as silently as I could. I clicked the answer button but didn’t say anything until my earbuds were in my ears and connected to my phone.
“Why did you call me? A text would’ve been fine,” I hissed, staring at the most handsome face I’d seen.
He shook his head. “Normally, when a girl says that we need to talk, the news isn’t good.” His molten-gold eyes watched me as he ran a hand across the back of his neck. Leaning back against a couch, I blinked in shock. He was shirtless.
Nope. My self-control was already limited around him, and here he was, looking way too delicious for the type of conversation we needed to have.
I narrowed my eyes, sliding my gaze across his lean figure. If he just opened that mouth of his, I would melt. Knowing what it could do not just with music but between—
“Cosette?” His voice pierced through my thoughts that were going in a not-so-appropriate direction.
“Sorry,” I muttered. Shaking my head, I heard him chuckle.
