Page 87 of Resurrection
That makes me laugh a little. "That’s the nicest thing a man has said to me in my entire life."
"Bullshit."
He leans back against the pillow. His voice is gentle yet probing when he asks, "You dumped his ass, right?"
"Of course I did. Same day… I hated his guts even more than yours. At least you left quietly. He told me to my face, very publicly during the taping, that I wasn’t compelling enough for some dumb reality TV show. I was humiliated. Staying with someone like that? No, thank you. I'm glad they never aired that audition footage."
Tyler takes a deep breath, as if preparing for another comment.
"Okay, I don’t want to talk about it anymore than I already have." I change the subject. "How about you?"
He cracks a smile. "What about me?"
"What happened between you and the Brazilian girl? You never publicly dated anyone. It looked serious for a moment."
"It just didn't click and we couldn't make our schedules to work." He lets out a careful breath and adds softly, "And she wasn't you."
The room is quiet for a few heartbeats as I try to process what he just said. I want to hear more but I choose to leave it at that. Instead, I ask, "Any band drama you want to share?"
He looks a little disappointed as he rearranges himself against the pillow, the bed shifting beneath us. "You’ve probably seen it all online," he says. "Justice has more issues thanVogue. Cruz got his kids. Zander is…Zander. I mean, the three of them were a thing before I came along, and they’re still a thing now that we’re on hiatus."
"Reunion?"
"Not likely."
"You’re holding out on me, Tyler," I tease him just to lighten the mood. "I told you my pathetic life story, and you’re keeping yours all to yourself?"
"I mean, there’s not much to tell. Once upon a time, there was a band that made millions. Now, we’re headed in different directions. Plus, I was never really a part of their clique. Just a sub."
"Nowyou’rethe one saying nonsense. You gave that band nine years. Almost as much time as the person whose place you took."
There’s this awkward quiet again, as if the past and the present have just clashed. Ty’s eyes meet mine. A look passes between us that feels almost like a secret. "I don’t want to do this anymore," he rasps out, then moves closer, his knee brushing my thigh.
"What exactly?"
"Arguing."
"We’re not."
"We have been ever since I came back."
"That’s your fault, isn’t it? You shouldn’t have left without a word in the first place."
"I know and I’ll hate myself for doing that to you for the rest of my life, but I want to try again."
"Try again?" I echo, my voice barely there.
"We’re both single, both adults. Why not?"
There it is. My revenge opening. Too tempting to promise him the world and then ditch him. "And if you break my heartagain?"
"It’ll be different this time." His fingers play with the edge of my shirt, and I hold my breath, waiting.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
I don’t reply. I just stare into his eyes as if it’ll help me see the truth. But my body is a traitor. It does what it wants, and it wants Ty. And the proof is my soaked panties.
