Page 3 of The Fangirl and the Crooner

Only one thing’s for sure––it’s going to be uncomfortable for both of us.

Chapter

Three

Pressley

Iheave a sigh of relief as I pull into the parking lot of Evening Shade’s only apartment complex. I’ve made that drive dozens of times, but this time, it was so much harder. Maybe it’s because I left my old life behind to start a new one here. Maybe it’s because I knew I wouldn’t be driving back in a few days.

Maybe it was because of the tension between Bram and I, a tension I know I’ll have to come face to face with sooner, rather than later.

And I’m not ready.

Willow is supposed to meet me here so she can give me the keys and a tour, but I don’t see her anywhere. Climbing from the car, I spot her recognizable green hatchback a few spots over, and a sense of relief fills me as I lean back into my own car to grab my purse from the passenger’s seat. Straightening, I close the door behind me and make my way toward my new home.

My steps stutter when I look up and see the front door of the apartment gaping open. Streamers made of yellow plastic crisscross the doorway, and streaks of black mar the previously white doorjamb.

I just stand there, gaping, until I hear a familiar voice call my name. Spinning toward the sound, I see Willow rushing toward me with a pained expression. Trace and Keegan follow behind her with similar looks on their faces.

“What happened?” I ask, jerking my head toward the apartment as a sinking feeling spins in my stomach.

“I’m so sorry, Pressley. I don’t know exactly what caused it, but there was an electrical fire early this morning. The fire department put it out before the flames could spread to the rest of the building, but the apartment is a charred and flooded mess.”

“Wh-what?” I stutter, unable to form a coherent thought, much less speak the words.

Where am I going to live? I don’t have many other options, not until someone in Evening Shade puts their house on the market, and the options I do have, I’ve already discounted. I can’t go back to Seattle, either. There’s nothing for me there.

“We’re going to figure this out,” Keegan says, cutting off my internal freak out. “You’re going to stay with Trace and me until you find something else.”

“Or you could stay with Gavin and me. We have a guest bedroom you can use for as long as you want,” Willow adds.

I look back and forth between them as I fight thedespondency trying to drown me. I love them for offering, and it isn’t the first time, but I am loath to intrude. Both of their living situations are fairly new, and they’re both still in the honeymoon phases of their romantic relationships. It’s why I refused both their offers before Willow and Gavin came up with the idea to offer me her apartment.

My eyes flit back and forth between them, then fall closed as I blow out a long breath. I don’t have a choice here, really. I need a place to stay, even if only for a little while. And I’ve known Keegan longer, we’re closer than Willow and I are, and her relationship with Trace isn’t quite as new as Willow and Gavin’s is. Plus, Trace and Keegan have a bigger house, which will allow me to give them more privacy. But of course…

I meet Keegan’s eyes. “You just got engaged.”

“It’s fine. Really,” she says, then looks at Trace.

He smiles, wrapping his arm around her. “We’d love to have you.”

“Okay,” I say, scrunching my nose against the burning in my sinuses as my eyes start to water.

“I really am sorry, Pressley,” Willow says, and I sniff before waving a hand in her direction.

“Please don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“But I promised––”

“Really, Willow. I’ll be fine. Thank you, all of you, for being such great friends.”

Pulling myself together as best I can, I offer Willow a watery smile. She reaches out and hugs me, whispering another apology before releasing me and taking a step back. I wave off this apology like I did thefirst––it’s in no way her fault this happened––then turn to Keegan and Trace and nod.

Once we disperse, I follow them home, taking a deep breath before climbing from the vehicle. They meet me by the trunk of my car, and Trace grabs my two large suitcases from inside while Keegan and I grab a few smaller boxes from the backseat.

Keegan chatters happily about how much fun we’re going to have living together as Trace leads the way up to Willow’s childhood bedroom. After setting down my luggage, Trace mumbles something about grabbing the remainder of my things while Keegan and I plop the boxes down on the bed.

I take a moment to look around, a wave of nostalgia nearly overtaking me. The room looks exactly as it did in the Cursed movies, when it was the main character Aria’s bedroom. And though I’m not quite the fan Keegan is, I did watch and enjoy the movies when they came out. Plus, I’ve sat through several re-watches every time Keegan insisted weneededit over the last few years.

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