Page 24 of Loved By The Bad Boy

Oh, God. I pick up the top layer of my sandwich and smack it against Calum’s face. “Stop it.”

The bread slides down his cheek and lands on the table. Imani lifts her palm for a high five, and I slap mine against hers, beaming. I feel welcomed here with this group of complex personalities.

“If you say one more mean word to Ben, you’re out of the band,” Mira says. Imani chins up as if daring Calum to say otherwise. “Lucas will take your place. He sings better than you, anyway.”

Not true. Mira says Calum is the best singer in the band. He has the voice, charisma, and attitude.

Calum seethes quietly. His brows knit together in quiet protest, but his lips stay close. Good for him. Girls’ power is at work here, and we will chew him up. Ben smiles at me, and I flip him the middle finger. I didn’t stand up for him out of love. I did it because it was the right thing to do.

Eleven

Mom ismy ride on Friday evening. On a regular day, she will never let me into a pub, but she is worried about my nonexistent social life and excited at the possibility of me making new friends.

The pub is half-filled with strange faces. Some people are drinking at the bar—I am not allowed to drink—while others are waiting for the band to finish setting up the stage. The two thousand bucks earned us our spot. No one has any idea how Ben got the money, but I guess seeing your dreams come alive is greater than your curiosity of knowing if your friend is involved in shady deals. I want to believe he got the money from our winning, but I still won’t ask. We don’t talk.

Calum, Mira, Sam, and some boys arrange the instruments on stage. It’s no surprise Lucas is missing. He is always late to the party. I hurry in their direction and nearly crash into someone.

“Sorry,” we say at the same time.

The voice sounds familiar. I look up and forget everything about being over the heartbreaker. Ben scratches the back of his head and steps to the left. My brain is silly because I also move to the left. Pink hue stains his cheeks. He scoots to the right at the same time I do. That happens one more time, and I let out a silent scream while suffocating the air. What’s wrong with both of us?

“Hey,” he says. I gulp to wet my dry throat. What was I telling myself? I don’t miss him. Yeah, that. I don’t care if it’s our anniversary. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’ll wait here, and you can go.”

Whatever.

I brush past Ben, but a whisper of my name has my steps slowing. Calum sees me, and a grin splits his lips. He waves frantically at me to join them on stage, but my feet listen to Ben. I stop.

“What is it?” I ask without looking back. I keep my gaze on the floor, which is more interesting than his eyes. Working together on this doesn’t make us friends. My new friends are enough.

Ben’s sneakers appear in my line of view. His hands lower to reveal a backpack from which he retrieves a black shirt. I accept it when I notice it’s the same as the one he’s wearing. “Mending Hearts” is written on the front in bold, white letters. I had no idea they were making one for the team.

“Um, thanks. Is that all?” Ben nods, and I rush up the stage to join them before he speaks again.

Calum smothers me in a hug. I suspect he’s doing it to piss Ben off, but I do nothing about it. They haven’t fought or exchanged insults since last week, so that’s a bonus. I lean into him and allow him to kiss me on my cheek. He’s honestly not that bad. Mira hugs me next. Imani too. Lucas sashays in like we didn’t tell him to be here earlier. He is so full of himself, but you can’t hate him because he’s easygoing and makes everyone laugh during practice. When he’s around, Calum and Ben don’t remember to hate or glare at each other from the other side of the room.

Someone comes up to tell us to get ready. Mira shudders after he is gone, and Imani pulls her to one corner of the stage. From my periphery, Imani kisses Mira’s forehead, and I blush as much as Mira. It’s crazy how love turns the metallic girl into mush. Mira catches my eyes and winks.

I like all of them.

Amid the chaos and preparations, I am left alone. Calum, Sam, and Lucas discuss their parts. Mira and Imani do the same. Someone wraps a hand around my wrist, and I jerk back. Tingles shoot up my arm, and my wrist burns from the brief contact. I step another foot away from Ben.

“Sorry,” Ben says with a grimace. I scan the place. People have gathered to watch us. I’m not the center of attention, but I grow incredibly conscious. My palms sweat, and my breathing drags. I take an involuntary step back. Ben stands in front of me to block my view of the crowd. “We should get off the stage.”

“Yeah.” I nod again, my arms crisscrossing over my stomach. “We should leave.”

Everyone is in their position by the time we leave the stage. Calum’s brows furrow when he sees Ben and me together, and I offer him a small smile. The manager of the pub directs us to a small room upstairs. The space is just enough for me and Ben to move a few inches without touching. We find the best spot for us and our cameras. I am trusting my Samsung phone to do a great job. Ben pulls out an iPhone XR from his backpack. It looks brand new. How have I not noticed it?

Ben’s older iPhone was okay, but an upgrade was due. He suggests moving the sofa closer to the railings for a better view. I nod. This feels like another setup. There is only one couch. I try to sit far away from this heartbreaker, but it’s impossible since they designed the seat for two people.

He raises the phone. I don’t realize I’ve been staring until Ben says, “Josef got me a new phone.”

The Josef he’s convinced is the source of all his problems? What else is new with his family? Is he still saving to pay them back? That thought makes my heart clench with the need to help him.

“Your Josef?” I whisper.

“Yeah.” He stares at his feet for some seconds, then adds, “We are cool now. He bought it last month. I was so confused about what to pick, but Asher suggested this. We—he misses you.”

I miss him too, but I don’t need those details. They are things you tell your girlfriend, and I am not his girlfriend. We broke up the minute he walked out of the changing room after my pleas.

---