by Erin Noelle
“Is it weird to say I’m going to miss you?” I asked. “I mean, since I’ve only been back a couple days and all.”
“I hope not, ‘cause I’m sure as hell gonna miss you.” He leaned in and kissed me. I nipped at the ring on his bottom lip, and he wrapped his arms around me and deepened the kiss. After a few minutes, we reluctantly pulled away from one another. I needed to get to my place I had yet to sleep in, and I was sure he had stuff he needed to do.
“I’ll call you later, Mase, and we will see each other in a few days. I just need to get settled into a routine with my classes. And you need to call your agent back, Mr. Hotpants… so you can become a big rock star.”
“Mr. Hotpants, huh? I get two nicknames?” He chuckled at me.
“You only get to be Mr. Hotpants when you’re playing hot, rocker bad boy. You’re always my Mase.”
I kissed him one last time and climbed into my car before I asked him if I could stay another night. I needed to learn to be happy by myself. I didn’t always have to have a friend or a guy near me to be content, and I didn’t need to fall back into the mindset of emotional dependence. The previous eight months learning to live without Evie had been complete hell. I had never realized how much I needed and depended on her for my sanity and happiness. It was wonderful that Mason had reinserted me into his life again so quickly. I was overjoyed and knew I didn’t deserve it, but I couldn’t make him my next crutch either.
The next several days were pretty rough for me. My classes were all tough, but what wasn’t at Rice? I felt like I was behind after just the first day, so I spent every free moment reading textbooks. Mason and I talked on the phone and texted as much as possible, but I missed the feel of his body holding mine and the taste of his lips. According to him, Jobu’s Rum was having some intense practices and they were rehearsing pretty much around the clock. They were preparing for upcoming shows they booked in Austin, Dallas, and New Orleans. There were supposed to be label scouts in attendance at each of the gigs.
I was so proud of Mason and the rest of the guys. Musically, they were incredible, and it didn’t hurt they were all pretty easy on the eyes. I knew that as soon as the right person saw and heard them they would be well on their way to stardom. I wasn’t sure where I really fit into that future, but I couldn’t worry about it. Whatever happened was what was supposed to happen. If we were meant to be together, we would figure it out. I mean, it’s how it worked out for Kiera and Kellan, right?
The one bright spot in my first week of classes was meeting Max for coffee Thursday evening. He texted me that morning to see if I could meet him at The Chocolate Bar at six. I needed a night away from Darius, Xerxes, and the rest of the damn Persians; my eyes were beginning to cross every time I read the letter X or K. Not to mention, any place named The Chocolate Bar couldn’t be bad.
Unsure of exactly where I was going or what the parking situation would be, I left my apartment with plenty of time to spare. I got there about thirty minutes early, but it appeared to be pretty busy, so I went ahead inside to grab us a table. The moment I stepped through the door, I was mesmerized. From the bright yellow walls and regal purple décor to the overwhelmingly sinful smells of chocolate and candy and expensive coffee, I felt as if I had walked into a dreamland. The multitude of shelves and containers of every sweet concoction you could ever fathom intimidated me, so I opted to sit at a table close to the window and wait for Max.
About ten minutes later, Max walked in, and I waved at him to get his attention. As he crossed the room, I couldn’t help but notice that even though he was still incredibly handsome, something was missing with him. I hadn’t gotten a good chance to look at him or talk to him at Empty’s last Saturday with all of the Ash drama. Before that, the last time I had seen him was at the funeral. My heart clenched inside my chest at the memory. I looked into his eyes as he approached the table and saw the sadness that still loomed. I realized that seeing me probably was just as difficult for him as it was when I saw him. I stood up and gave him a huge hug. I wanted him to know I understood his pain; I knew how hard it was to live without her.
“Hiya, Scarlett,” he said as we broke apart and sat down.
“Hey, Max. I’m so glad you texted,” I replied with a smile. “You’ve let your hair grow out. I like it.” I reached across the table and flicked the light brown strand out from in front of his eyes. He hadn’t shaved in several days, but he pulled off the scruff nicely. And as always, he was dressed fashionably in some crazy name brand jeans and a fitted shirt. Evie and Max had been hands-down the best-dressed couple in the city, maybe even the state. I made the mistake of going shopping with the two of them one time, but after six hours of utter hell, I never repeated it.
“Do you know what you want?” His voice broke through my daydream. He was staring at me like he knew I was thinking about Evie.
“Oh no, I’m sorry. I was overwhelmed when I walked in, so I thought I’d wait for you. Have you ever been here before?”
He nodded and looked down at the table. I could see the tears threatening to spill over his bottom lids.
He had brought Evie here. Oh, God.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I offered as I began to stand up.
“No.” He grabbed my wrist and looked up at me. He closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. He opened his crystal-blue eyes and spoke with resolve. “I need to do this. I need to be able to go places I went with her. I need to be able to see you, because I want to be your friend, Scarlett. I need your help getting past this. I’ve just been surviving for the last eight months… not really living. I know you’ve managed to get yourself together, and I need you to help me do the same.”
My heart broke for him, but I held myself together. My breaking down and telling him that I was still a fragile mess wouldn’t do him any good. And maybe, just maybe, we could help each other heal from the devastating loss we had endured. I had always liked Max so much; I knew how happy he made Evie, and that was worth the world to me. We both deserved a second chance at happiness; Evie would want nothing more than for us to be happy.
“Max,” I began, sitting back down. “I’ll do whatever I can… whatever you need. I’m far from one hundred percent myself, but I think being friends could help both of us. She would want us to move on and be happy, and we both need to figure out where that is.”
He didn’t say anything for a few minutes; I had no idea what he was thinking. Finally, breaking the silence, he said, “This is the best I have felt since the last day I saw her. Thank you.” He offered a small smile and stuck his hand out toward me. “Let’s grab a coffee and something ridiculously rich and sweet.”
Over the next two hours, Max and I talked about what was going on in each of our lives. We never mentioned Evie again, but her presence was definitely felt. After we both demolished a chocolate-covered Rice Krispies treat and downed three lattes, we decided we should leave. Mason called and asked if I wanted to go to Empty’s and spend the night with him, and even though I knew Max was going up there as well, I declined. I had class the next morning, so I told him I would see him the following night.
Max made sure I got to my car safely, and we embraced before heading out. “I’m really glad we did this, Scarlett. Do you think we can meet like weekly or something, just so we can catch up?”
“It doesn’t have to be scheduled, Max. Whenever you need to talk or just hang out, let me know. I plan on doing the same with you.”
He finally gave me the first real smile I had seen all night, one that brightened his eyes. The way I felt with Max was so different than being with Mason or Ash. Even though he was obviously attractive and such a wonderful guy, in my mind, he belonged to Evie. I could never look at him in a romantic or sexual way, and in an unexpected way, it made me feel even closer to him.
“Give Mr. Hotpants a kiss for me,” I joked.
“Mr. Hotpants?” He scrunched up his nose in fake disgust. “I don’t even want to know wher
e that came from. I’ll tell Rat you said hello and goodnight.”
“That’ll work too.” I grinned. “Talk to you soon, Max.”
Hours later, I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Ever since I left The Chocolate Bar, I couldn’t get Evie out of my head. I felt guilty all over again for not pressing the doctor issue more with her. After seeing how shattered Max was, it reminded me of all the people who were crushed as a result of her death. I needed to talk to someone or be around someone. Tessa was out, not that we were close or anything, and everyone else I knew in the city was either at Empty’s or someone I really didn’t want to see. I looked at the clock, which read 10:24 p.m. I jumped up and made a beeline to the shower. My first class was at ten the next morning, so as long as I got to bed by three, I would be fine. I needed my Mase.
I showered, shaved completely, and lathered coconut-raspberry lotion all over my body. I slipped into a charcoal-gray mini dress with a scooped neck, threw on my silver flip-flops, and grabbed my overnight bag. Exactly forty-five minutes later, I walked out the door and headed toward the person who could rescue me.
I parked my car in the back of the building next to Mason’s motorcycle. Not sure if the back door would be unlocked, I tested it and was pleased when it opened. It saved me from walking all the way around the building. I stopped at Marcus’s office as I passed by and said hello. He looked very surprised to see me but said hello in return. I opened the door and entered the main bar area. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting, but I quickly began making my way to Mason. Because of the crowd of crazy women ogling whoever the band was on stage, I couldn’t take a direct path to the table, so I walked around the back of the stage and froze.
That’s when I saw her. That’s when I saw them… together.
Mason was standing off to the side of the bar, and there was a girl— No, scratch that, a woman standing next to him, whispering something in his ear. His focus was forward and his arms were crossed against his chest, but her hands were on him and he was doing nothing to remove them. Because of how we were positioned, he couldn’t see me unless I stepped out from behind the stacked amps, so I stood there watching them. My stomach hardened into a rock and my face was on fire.
She was absolutely stunning, dressed in a solid black, skintight dress that showed off all her assets. Her heels must’ve been four or five inches tall, which accentuated her already mile-long legs. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pinned up stylishly, and her face was flawless. She rubbed her palm across his cheek, and when he didn’t move, she grabbed his chin and yanked his head in her direction.
She pulled his face to hers and traced his lips with her tongue until she reached his lip ring, where she sucked on it. Again, he had no reaction—he didn’t try to touch her or kiss her, nor did he try to stop her; his arms remained locked in front of his broad chest. Her hands traveled down his chest, and when she reached the bottom of his shirt, she lifted it up slightly and stuck her fingertips inside the waist of his jeans. I decided I had seen enough. I had two choices—I could either confront the situation or I could run away again. Uniting all my inner strength and courage, I stepped out from behind my cover. I took two steps in their direction, when Mason saw me. His eyes doubled in size, and he immediately pushed her away from him. He made a beeline toward me, ignoring her yelling after him. He reached me in a matter of seconds, grabbed both my arms, and looked me directly in the eye.
“Angel, it’s not what it looks like. I promise I can explain.”
You have got to be kidding me.
Mason
What the fuck? I could not believe Scarlett picked that moment of all fucking moments to walk in and see me. I planned on telling her about Bentley, and I planned on telling Bentley about Scarlett, but I just hadn’t had a chance. I didn’t want to ruin Scarlett’s and my first weekend together by telling her the entire story, and it wasn’t something I wanted to do over the phone, so I planned to explain everything to her the next time we had time to talk. And I was definitely going to tell Bentley she needed to back off—whatever thing we had going was over, now that my angel was back. But because I had been ignoring her calls and texts all week, she took a two-day break from the VanderBlue tour to come check on me.
Fucking awesome.
I told her I wasn’t in the mood to fuck around when she showed up unannounced earlier in the night, but she just kept at it… trying to touch and kiss me. I thought she would get the picture when I refused to touch or kiss her back, but instead of discouraging her, it gave her a night’s mission. And the more she drank, the more aggressive she became.
When I reached Scarlett, her eyes told me that I was losing her quickly and I better do something or our reunion was going to be short-lived.
“Angel, it’s not what it looks like. I promise I can explain.” I cringed as I heard the lame words come out of my mouth.
“Rat, what in the fuck is your problem?” Bentley’s voice was fast approaching. I turned around so I would be standing in between her and Scarlett.
“Bentley, like I’ve told you all night—I. Am. Not. Interested.” She needed to understand the warning in my voice. She could be a brutal bitch, and if she said one fucking thing to or about Scarlett, I would lose my shit on her.
“Who are you hiding there, Rat?” she asked, trying to get a good look at Scarlett. “Aww, did Ratboy get him a little fangirl to kiss his feet and suck his dick on command?”
“Stop. Right fucking now.” I had never before in my life wanted to hit a woman, but in that moment, I wanted to slap the shit out of her.
Surprisingly, Scarlett stepped out from behind me and grabbed my hand. “You heard him. He said to leave him alone. He’s not interested.” I could tell by her voice that she was nervous as hell, but I was so fucking proud of her.
“He’s always interested, doll. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.” Bentley sneered at her.
“Angel, just ignore her. She’s trying to upset you,” I said to Scarlett. I did not like where the conversation was leading. I just wanted Bentley to leave.
Ignoring me, Scarlett replied matter-of-factly, “It didn’t appear that was the case a few minutes ago when you were pathetically rubbing yourself all over an unresponsive statue.”
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it most certainly did.
“Pathetic? We’ll see who’s pathetic when he’s living down the hall from me in Austin in a few short weeks. That will probably be you, angel, since you’ll be the one here by yourself. He has told you he’s leaving soon, hasn’t he?”
Fucking shit.
I felt Scarlett’s hand squeeze mine as her whole body tensed up at Bentley’s announcement. But then she shocked the fucking hell out of me.
“Of course he’s told me he’s moving, but how we handle our relationship while living apart is none of your fucking business. Just keep your skanky hands off of him… stupid whore.” Scarlett looked up at me and I could see the fury in her face. “I’m going to have Max take me to your apartment. Take care of this now. I’ll be waiting up for you.” She stood on her tippy toes and kissed me briskly; she then disappeared into the crowd of people. I was too stunned to do or say anything.
Bentley walked up behind me and whispered in my ear, “You’ll be back in my bed soon enough. Until then, I’m still your fucking manager. So enjoy the next few weeks with your angel, because after that, your ass is mine.”
Seven
Secrets
The Fire—Rev Theory
Stay—Rihanna (feat Mikky Ekko)
Scarlett
Pissed did not even come close to describing how I was feeling as I tore through the crowd to get to Max. I could not fucking believe Mason was moving to Austin sometime soon and he hadn’t told me, and I didn’t even want to begin to think about what affiliation he had with that woman. It obviously wasn’t someone he had a passing fling with.
Why in the world did he even pretend like we had a chance to be together? Did h
e just want to get back at me for hurting him? Well, if so, he had succeeded brilliantly. I had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
As soon as Max saw me approaching, he jumped off his barstool and threw his arm around my shoulders. “Scarlett, you came!” he exclaimed.
“I need you to take me to Mason’s apartment.”
“Why? What’s wrong? You just got here, right?”
I took a step back from him and looked at him dead in the eye. “I hate to call in the ‘need a friend’ card so quickly, but I really need you to get me out of here.” I was doing my best to stay calm; my insides felt like a bomb had gone off.
“Where’s Rat?” he asked, and I saw his eyes drift over my head and look in the direction of Jobu’s Rum’s table. I knew the precise moment he found him by the look of recognition and then distress that crossed his face. She must’ve still been with him.
“Come on, Sam. Let’s go.” Max grabbed my hand and led me to the door, taking the path in the opposite direction of them. Minutes later, we broke out into the open air and I gasped for breath. I was suffocating in the deceit and deception I had just been slapped in the face with.
He continued to lead me across the parking lot to his car. We got inside and then just sat there. Despite the oppressive heat, my body was shaking and covered in chill bumps. Max turned and looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
“So, you met Bentley I take it?” he asked nervously.
“You know about her?” I yelled. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I crossed my arms across my chest. I felt completely ridiculous that I had apparently been played for a gullible fool.
He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned his head back on the seat. Staring at the car ceiling, he said, “Yeah, I knew about her, but it wasn’t my place to tell you, Scarlett. I didn’t know what, if anything, Rat had told you, and I just couldn’t…” His voice trailed off.
I didn’t say anything. I was so terribly furious and crushed that I could not even conjure up a meaningful sentence. I really just wanted to yell “Fuck you!” over and over again at anyone and everyone.
