Page 37 of Dear Rockstar (Dear Rockstar 1)

I couldn’t believe I’d overreacted that way to Aimee’s harmless flirting. I knew it was harmless—she would never do anything deliberately to hurt me. Yet even as I thought about it, I was angry. It was stupid, it was irrational, but it was true—I was jealous. Which meant I liked Dale... and I had to admit it. I liked him a lot. This was moving too fast, but I felt powerless to stop it.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“You weren’t really mad at me were you?” Aimee asked.

I rolled my eyes for the millionth time, sliding my back down the wall so I could sit on the floor and rest my aching feet. We’d spent all morning shopping for a new outfit for Aimee to wear on her date with Matt. He’d asked her to a movie and of course she’d chosen Tyler Vincent’s latest and we’d laughed when we both shamefully confessed we each had a date to see it. Aimee was stripped down to her bra and panties and I was holding my tongue because she looked thinner than I’d seen her in a long time. I could see her ribs when she put her arms up to pull a dress over her head.

o;Sara and I talked a lot. She told me about you.” Dale’s arm slipped behind my chair, pulling it closer to his, so our thighs were touching. It was a delicious sort of chafing.

“Really?” Carrie perked up and I saw her nudge Wendy, giving her that mischievous smile. I tried to warn her with my eyes but she went ahead anyway. “So she told you all about her Tyler Vincent obsession?”

“Obsession?” Dale raised his eyebrows, glancing at me. I smiled weakly. “Oh, speaking of Tyler Vincent—I’m going to pick up those tickets this weekend. I got us four front row seats.”

“Four?” My eyes widened and I looked at Aimee.

“Yeah—me and you.” He nudged me under the table with his knee again, sending a little thrill through me. “Aimee and…”

“Oh God, I forgot to tell you!” Carrie interrupted, waving like a ref flagging an offsides. With five brothers, it was likely a familiar gesture at her house. “Aimee, my brother asked me for your number! I gave it to him. I hope that was okay?”

“I know,” Aimee replied calmly, licking her spoon.

We all stared at her, open-mouthed. Her cheeks turned a shade almost as red as her hair.

“What?” I gasped. “You didn’t tell me!”

Aimee shrugged, glancing at Dale. “You’ve been… busy.”

He grinned. “Well good, sounds like we’ll be able to use four tickets.”

“What about us?” Wendy pouted, nudging Carrie, who nearly spit out a mouthful of blueberry Hostess pie.

Dale looked stunned. “You like Tyler Vincent?”

“No.” Wendy laughed. “But if it was INXS, Aimee would have to arm-wrestle me for them.”

“Aren’t you eating?” Carrie asked Dale. I’d forgotten how hungry I was the moment he came in—for food, anyway. Now my stomach rumbled and he looked at me, noticing.

“I was gonna grab a slice. Want to come with me?” He’d already guessed my answer, sliding a hand casually along my thigh, finding my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and squeezing it as he pulled me to standing. I wasn’t sure my knees were going to hold me up.

He led me to the back of the line, and I breathed a little sigh as we wedged ourselves into the small space where students waited for fries and pizza and Hostess pies and little bags of Doritos.

“Finally.” He squeezed my hand. He hadn’t let go. “A moment alone.”

Funny, because we were in the middle of a crowd, but I knew what he meant. I found myself wishing we really were alone.

“Sorry about that.” I nodded toward the lunch table. “You’d think you were an alien or something, the way they act.”

“They seem nice enough. You’ll have to meet the guys in my band some time.”

“I’d like that.” What I liked most of all was the implication. I lifted his hand, tracing where I’d written on it. “My number’s gone.”

“I know it by heart.”

I melted. I had to look down to make sure I wasn’t just a puddle on the floor.

The line moved quickly and we got to the front. Dale ordered and then turned to me, expectant. “What do you want?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

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