The other brother is wearing a pair of cargo shorts, checkered Vans, and a 3PM tee. Not sure what that means. I’ll have to remember to ask about that one.
The third guy looks a little on the younger side and has a cute head of strawberry blond hair, a little heavier on the strawberry than the blond. His look is very understated: a relaxed, worn-in pair of jeans, a plain black tee, and a pair of Chucks that look like they should have been thrown out weeks ago.
He looks to be around the same age as Abbie and looking at him reminds me of how much I miss her. I bet she would have a great time hanging out with these guys. I wish Mom and Dad would get their heads out of their asses so we could all be together again.
Flynn calls the guys over, and I can tell Chloe has her eyes on the brothers. I bet one of them is the guitar player. Chloe’s always had a thing for guitar players.
“Ashtyn and Chloe, these are the guys in my band. Hudson is our drummer, Jax is the lead guitarist, and Jude is the bass player. Guys, this is my girlfriend, Ashtyn, and her best friend, Chloe.”
Did I just hear that right? He said girlfriend! I swear I heard the word girlfriend leave his mouth!
I grin up at him before looking over to the guys. It looks like Hudson and Jax are the brothers, and Jude is the younger guy. I was right about Chloe being interested in the guitar player. It’s always guitar players for her. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you.”
Chloe turns on a flirtatious smile and looks right at her next victim. “So what’s the name of your band again?”
“It’s Marlowe,” Jax says to her as he points to the very tight T-shirt he is wearing.
He’s tall which checks off one more box on Chloe’s perfect guy list. Funny that we had to come all the way to Oregon to find her perfect California surfer guy. From the looks of it, Hudson has his eyes set on Chloe. That little triangle should be interesting.
Chloe wrinkles up her nose in either disgust or confusion. I’m guessing it’s the latter.
“So why Marlowe? Is there something I’m not getting here? Sounds like an old person’s name.”
Jax leans his head back and lets out a full body laugh.
“Ashland is kind of famous for its Shakespeare Festival,” Hudson pipes in. “We wanted our band name to pay homage to our hometown. Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were alive at the same time back in the day. Some people say Marlowe wrote all of Shakespeare’s plays while others say Marlowe and Shakespeare were the same person. Jax just thought it sounded good but I’m the theater geek that came up with it. He’ll tell you otherwise though.”
“Doesn’t matter who came up with the name of the band, I’ll always get the ladies little brother.”
Chloe looks back and forth between the guys. “Okay, so you’re brothers. I noticed a family resemblance. I get Jax’s tee but what the heck does yours mean? Do you have a thing for time too?”
Confused, Hudson looks down at his shirt and back up at Chloe. “Nope. They’re an upcoming band, like us, from Baltimore. You should check them out.”
“Okay little brother, that’s enough flirting for now.”
Jax wraps Hudson in a headlock and they start wrestling on the ground. I hope they never get into any serious fights because having brothers in a band together could cause some issues. Maybe it’s all fun and games with them.
Trying unsuccessfully to talk over them, Flynn pulls me out of my own head. “I’ll be right back, guys. I’m taking Ashtyn to get a drink before we finish setting up and start playing.”
We walk away and Chloe’s obviously in the zone because she isn’t even paying attention. I just shrug and continue following Flynn to the patio. He reaches into a cooler and grabs a couple of beers and hands me one.
“Sorry, this is all we have. Is that okay or do you want me to go get you something else?”
“No, this is fine.” I pause for a minute for effect before asking, “So I’m your girlfriend, huh?”
I’m surprised to see his cheeks turn a little pink. “Well, yeah. Aren’t you? I mean you aren’t seeing anyone else, are you? I guess we haven’t talked about it and I just assumed.”
He is so cute when he’s flustered. I’m secretly doing a mental happy dance. It’s kind of nice being on the other side of this for once. I contemplate letting him squirm for a minute but I’m not that mean of a girl.
Saving him from himself, I say, “I’m not seeing anyone else. I was hoping you felt the same, but we never had the ‘official’ conversation.”
“I guess you’re right. I figured since we’ve been pretty serious so far, then we were already there.”
I have to give him a little bit of a hard time for keeping me so wound up and antsy these past few weeks. “I didn’t want to be a girl about it and make any assumptions. But I guess you got that covered and did it for me.”
He grabs our drinks and sets them down before grabbing a hold of me. “So I’m the girl here, huh?” He starts tickling me, making me squirm. I laugh and wiggle like crazy.
“Stop! Stop. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. You aren’t a girl. Jeez, remember what happened last time you tickled me.”
Eventually he lets up. “I would hope you don’t think I’m a girl. Unless you’re into that kind of thing. In that case, can I watch?” He winks at me before kissing my nose.
I smile up at him and say, “No, I’m not into that kind of thing but good to know where you stand on the subject for future reference.”
We pick up our drinks and walk back over to where the band is. Chloe and Jax are talking and from far away it’s hard to tell who the bigger flirt is. It’s obvious Chloe has met her match. Where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like she has to try very hard. He’s eating up every word coming out of her mouth. As we get closer, Jax walks off toward the coolers, and Chloe comes running over.
“I really hope you don’t want to leave. I don’t want to. Did you see Jax? OMG, he’s gorgeous and a guitar player. I can just imagine the things he can do with those fingers.”
She gets all swoony or maybe I should say lusty, and I almost gag on my beer. I don’t need to hear what some guy can do with his fingers.
Flynn leans over and kisses my temple and says, “As much as I want to sit here and listen to this very TMI conversation about my best friend, I’m going to help set up. If you need anything, I’ll be over there.”
I nod my head and turn back to Chloe. “Okay, seriously, Chloe? Grossness aside, does that mean you like him?”
“I wouldn’t go that far but he has summer fling potential.”
“Potential is always good. I was hoping you would find a hottie of your own.”
“Besides, how much more fun will it be if we’re both with guys from the band? I don’t have to worry about fighting Flynn for your attention.”
“You would never have to fight for my attention.”
“Whatever, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And after that serious make-out session earlier, I don’t know how you’re holding back from getting him into bed.”
“Not everything is about sex. And I’m not holding back, I just wanted us to be official first.”
“He introduced you as his girlfriend to the guys, did he not? When did that happen anyway? You never told me.”
My face heats up. Apparently, I not only blush when I’m around Flynn but when talking about him too.
“Um, I guess right now. We hadn’t ever talked about it until we were getting our beers from the coolers.”
“So he made it publically official before you did together? Bold move.”
“I was surprised too but I like him and it’s what I want. I wasn’t going to be the one to start that conversation. It doesn’t matter. We’re official and I couldn’t be happier. Flynn’s amazing and as much as it pains me to say it, I’m so glad my mom tricked me into this vacation. I would have never met him if we were still down in Santa Barbara.”
My face is starting to hurt from all the smiling I’m doing while talk
ing about him. I’ve never felt this happy before and it’s all thanks to Flynn. I can’t imagine my life without him now.
What am I going to do at the end of summer? I can’t go back to Santa Barbara now and, honestly, what’s the point? The only thing back there for me is Chloe.
Chloe waves her hand in front of my face.
“Hello, are you even listening to me? What were you thinking about?”
I hesitate before replying. “Don’t get mad at me but I was thinking about what I’m going to do at the end of the summer.”
“Okay? What about the end of the summer? And why would I be mad?
“To be honest, the only thing waiting for me back in Santa Barbara is you. I might just stay here with my mom. I can’t leave Flynn after how close we’ve gotten. I mean we would pretty much have to break up and that’s the last thing I want to do.”
A weird expression crosses her face before her hands fly to her mouth, and she starts jumping up and down. She’s freaking out like a crazy person, and I grab her shoulder to calm her down.
She leans over like she’s going to whisper to me and says, “O-M-G, you’re in love with him! It’s written all over your face when you’re talking about him. You’re totally in love.”
I’m shocked by what she’s saying. There’s no way I could be in love with Flynn after just a few weeks. I care for him deeply and I don’t want to spend any time apart from him. I can’t imagine my life without him and it truly makes me happy just being in his presence.
Does that mean I’m in love with him?
I’m not sure. It’s a possibility. I won’t be the one to say it first, though. I was chicken about the relationship talk; I can’t imagine saying I love you. That’s definitely a wait-for-Flynn-to-say-it-first thing. Besides, we just made it official. I don’t want to scare him away.
I don’t get a chance to say anything back to her because music starts behind us, and we move over near the stage. They perform a mix of cover songs from their favorite pop punk bands and a few of their original songs. Flynn’s pretty amazing by himself but when he’s performing with the band, he is truly in his element. The song ends and Flynn switches out his electric guitar for an acoustic one.
“I want to thank all of you for coming tonight. I know we’re a little rusty since we took some time off. This next song will be our last one for the night but it’s something new we’ve been playing around with for the past week. This is our first time performing it. I hope you like it.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket to make a video. Something tells me I’ll want to remember this moment forever. Flynn starts to strum his guitar and I’m entranced by the music.
I was lost
Fallin’ down the fuckin’ rabbit hole
Gettin’ sauced every night
It was always the same
Swallowed up by the darkness
Unaware of my own name
Day after day
Night after night
Chasing my demons away
Lost and forever alone
Numbing myself from all the pain
The pain, pain, pain
Unable to control my own life
You pulled me up, you pulled me out
You gave me the light
You showed me the way
Guided me through the madness
Hooked me right away
Smiling away my miserable existence
I knew
You chased those demons away
Gave the freedom and helped me find my way
Thawed that numbness and took away my pain
My pain, pain, pain
There’s so much passion in his voice as he sings. Did he write that song about me? It sounds like he’s singing about me. I don’t mean like a drunk girl at a party claiming every song is about her. I really think he wrote this about me.
The song comes to a close and everyone is eerily quiet. Flynn opens his eyes and they immediately lock onto mine. Everything around me disappears and that’s when I know. I am without a doubt in love with Flynn.
I love everything about him, and it scares the shit out of me. In all the craziness of the world around me, I found my Flynn, and I’m never letting him go. My arms are covered in goose bumps and the crazy bats start up in my stomach again.
He sets his guitar down, hops off the stage, and wraps his very sweaty arms around me. The old me would be grossed out but with Flynn, it kind of turns me on. He whispers in my ear, tickling my skin, “So what did you think?”
“Are you kidding me? I loved it. You guys are absolutely amazing. I can tell you’re doing something you love and are passionate about. You can’t make music like that and not share it with people.”
He smiles at me. “I know.”
“I hope you aren’t mad, but I took a video of that last song you guys performed and sent it to my mom. She works for a huge record label and they’re actually building a studio here that she’s going to manage.”
A pained expression crosses Flynn’s face and before I even have a chance to ask him what that means, my mom sends me a text message back.
Mom: They sound great, Ashtyn. I could be wrong but the lead singer looks like Carl’s son. He lives in the area. I didn’t know you knew him.
Ashtyn: How do you know what he looks like?
Mom: His dad keeps a picture of him when he was younger on his desk.
I’m speechless. All of the air whooshes out of my lungs like I’ve been socked in the stomach. Flynn has been lying to me? He’s known who I am this entire time and never once said a word? What was the point?
My heart is pounding and I’m gasping for air. I peel my face away from my phone, and Flynn doesn’t even try to hide it. He says the one thing that could make my world come crashing down right now.
“You know, don’t you?”
I don’t say anything. I can’t look at him right now. I’m such a fool for falling for his stupid lies. How could I have been so naive? Why did I think Flynn was so special and different? All guys are exactly the same. And what was with the damn speech about making us official earlier? The whole situation is laughable.
I walk away from him and try to find Chloe. He doesn’t even try to come after me, and I refuse to look behind me. I don’t want to know what he’s doing now. After coming up empty trying to find Chloe, I head back to the car and send her a quick text.
Ashtyn: Hey, I’m going home. Do you want to come with me or are you sticking around?
I barely hit send before Chloe comes back with a very quick response.
Chloe: I was going to just stay the night. Is something wrong? Do you need me to come with you?
I don’t want to ruin Chloe’s night too so I just lie to her. I can tell her the truth later.
Ashtyn: I’m fine. Just tired. Have a good night.
Chloe: Okay. Drive safe. Love ya.
I turn my phone off so Flynn can’t get ahold of me. Not that I’m sure he would even try. Obviously, this whole relationship was a big lie. I hold back the tears that are threatening to flow because he’s not worth my pain and agony. I refuse to shed a single tear over him.
I was going to leave him at the end of the summer anyway. Just a summer fling. He should be the heartbroken one, not me. But it wasn’t just a summer fling to me. I’m completely and madly in love with a liar. I guess my summer from hell wouldn’t be complete without Flynn lying to me too.
I make it all the way home but the minute my head hits my pillow, the tears that I’ve been fighting let go. I don’t know how long I cry but eventually my exhaustion overtakes me and I fall asleep.
Chapter 10
Flynn
I’m an idiot.
It’s been a few weeks since the party and Ashtyn still won’t return any of my texts or calls. I shouldn’t have lied to her. The guys are starting to get pissed at how I’ve been acting lately. Apparently, I’m even more of a whiny bastard than usual. Jax keeps calling me Kurt. I may be mopey and depressed but I
won’t be joining the 27 Club.
Lately my life is working, running, and practicing. I can’t do anything about the situation between Ashtyn and me so I’ve been throwing myself into everything else 100%. As a band, we’re sounding better than we ever have before but the guys are getting sick of the intense practices I’ve been putting us through. We’re used to playing whenever we want but since I would rather focus on the music than what’s not going on with Ashtyn, I have us on a pretty set schedule.
They’re also pissy because I refuse to practice the song I wrote for Ashtyn. They won’t stop bugging me about it. I haven’t told them anything is wrong with Ashtyn and me. I can’t perform that song now that my mind is in a different place from when I wrote it. I’d be a complete fake to do that.
My phone starts buzzing and my heart starts racing with hope that Ashtyn is finally returning my multiple texts and calls.
Without checking the caller ID, I apprehensively answer. “Hello?”
A dude on the other end clears his throat and asks, “Hi, is this Flynn James?”
I kick myself for not checking first and I reluctantly reply back, “Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Hey, Flynn, this is Oliver Morris. I own an indie label up in Portland. I have a video that was passed along to me from Audrey Moretti along with your contact info.”
Ashtyn’s mom passed our info along? Why would she do that? I just assumed Ashtyn would have said something to her mom about what happened, but maybe she doesn’t know. I don’t even know how to process this. Obviously, her mom wouldn’t sign us because of my dad but I still can’t believe she passed our video along to another label.
“Flynn. Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m a little shocked right now.”
Finding Flynn Page 8
