Page 106 of Sky Full of Stars

I touch my hand to his cheek. He’s a little drunk, hell I’m feeling the effects of the booze too but there is something more going on here. I know how I feel, I’m not sure now is the right time to say it. His eyes are flicking between mine and I wait anxiously, wondering, hoping he is going to say it first, so I know I’m not the only one feeling this. But he tears his eyes away from me and barks at the driver.

“Fuck, man, are we nearly there yet?”

Chapter Thirty-One

“You have no idea how much I would kill to switch places with you right now.”

“Even after hearing I’ve been stuck in a stand still traffic jam for nearly two hours in a small van with dodgy air conditioning? Plus a level eight hang over?”

“Yes,” Brooke moaned.

She lay back on her office chair, slouching dramatically. I was grateful I snagged the back row of the van behind Kevin and Elle who are working on her laptop, they at least only have to hear my side of the conversation with my headphones in. My best friend’s hair is messy, something I haven’t seen for a while, she is always so put together.

“Why exactly are you going full on Scarlett O’Hara again?”

She glares at me. “There is no shame in behaving like Scarlett O’Hara,” she sniffs. “I quite like to be defined by my determination and drive to achieve what I want to the best of my ability. And the stupid Assistant DA on this case I’m working is hampering my abilities to do that by being a complete asshole.”

I didn’t want to know but I still asked, “Why?”

“It’s too complicated to explain,” she shook her head and sat up, knowing I wouldn’t want to hear about it. She leaned forward and propped her iPad up so she could still see me on the screen. “When will you be home?”

“By the end of the week,” I glance up as the van starts to move again, we’re not stop starting like we had been for the last thirty minutes, but there isn’t much speed. “We have a signing tomorrow in Birmingham then we fly to Dublin.”

Brooke makes a weird moaning sound. “See, jealous! If you run into Eoin Macken while you’re there, you better give him my phone number.”

“Who?”

“I despair of you,” she runs a hand through her hair. “Google his fine ass. Trust me, you’ll get why I’m so upset about you going to Dublin and potentially meeting him. You’re just being greedy, you already have a rock star.”

“You do realise Dublin is a big city, full of thousands of people?” I arch a brow.

She shrugs. “We need a night out when you get back. A proper night out, not McAllister’s. I need to get laid. Any of those band members of Adam’s looking for a fling with a workaholic, commitment-phobe, feminist?”

“I’m sure they’d all jump at that offer.”

“Bitch,” she smirks. “I mean it though, we need a girls night.”

“Okay,” I agree, but it will probably be the last thing I want to do after all this travelling. “How are things going anyway? Have you seen much of Meg?”

“It’s weird,” she says. “We caught up at McAllister’s last week. She was talking about that fighter from your gym, Joey?”

“They’re seeing each other?” I ask in surprise.

“I don’t think so, but they’re talking.”

Sam will keep an eye on them but part of me is cheering her on. “It might not be the worst thing that could happen.”

“Maybe,” she muses. “But I haven’t seen her since then, she’s text a few times but hasn’t wanted to meet up, she says she’s busy, although I’m super busy at the minute too, so I probably couldn’t spare the time.”

“Yeah, she told me she had taken on extra work and couldn’t train at the gym as much because of it.”

“We should definitely invite her on our night out,” she looks thoughtful for a moment but smiles evilly at me. “So, how are you holding up?”

“Huh?”

“After leaving Sir-Fucks-A-Lot behind.”

My cheeks flush and I glare for that comment. “I don’t know if it was a good thing or bad thing seeing him,” I say, noticing Kevin turn his head slightly. “Only because it’s harder being away from him again,” I add for Brooke and Kevin’s benefit. Then I lower my voice, hoping Kevin would take the hint. “Things got pretty intense.”

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