Page 9 of Speechless

“I’m sorry, I still don’t get it. Why ham?”

“It stands for Henry’s Australian and American Musicians.”

“No—it stands for Henry’s American and Australian Musicians.” The shortest one holding a saxophone speaks up this time.

“And this is why I just stick to HAAAM. All right Lucy, let’s go pick out your room so you can get some sleep.”

* * *

I didn’t really feelcomfortable evaluating the rooms in his house. I ended up just asking which was closest to a door to make early walks with Rowan easiest. But I’m sure this is the room I would have chosen. Everything is shades of white and blue, from cerulean to periwinkle. Huge gossamer curtains cover two of the walls and sway gently in the breeze. It has a beachy, dream-like quality. My mom would have adored this room and I feel a pinprick of sadness that I can’t bring her here. She always loved the ocean. Every vacation I went on growing up was somewhere coastal. It hurts to think about how long she was stuck in the midwest, unable to travel to her favorite places.

There’s a sliding glass door on the wall opposite the bed that leads out to a small patio. It’s almost two in the morning but I take Rowan outside quickly to get him acclimated to his new surroundings. I can hear the crashing waves of the ocean and I’m pleasantly surprised to notice the absence of mosquitos.

I decide to leave the door cracked open so the sounds of the ocean can lull me to sleep, and so Rowan can do his business in the morning without waking me. But once I’m lying in bed, my brain starts working overtime and sleep completely evades me as I start spiraling once again.

What am I doing? Did I really just agree to stay at a complete stranger’s house? I’m living in Malibu withfivemen. Is this going to be like anEntouragesituation? Parties every night, half-naked women floating around the house, trays of cocaine and tequila shots always available? Oh God, are Rowan and I just going to spend every minute hiding in this room avoiding debauchery? Henry hasn’t exactly given off that vibe, but I don’t really know him, only his music.

At first glance, my new life looks like the start of a romance novel.Girl starting over after a devastating breakup suddenly winds up living in a mansion with five gorgeous men. One who happens to be the celebrity crush she never knew she’s had for years!

Sounds like something I’d read, even though I’ve never been a fan of writing anything based in reality.

And I know my life is not rom-com worthy. My love story ended a while ago. And in a shocking twist—no happy ending for this girl. Maybe this is just my really weird epilogue.Well, Lucy didn’t get the happily ever after she was hoping for, but hey, she’s still having adventures and her new roommates are hot!God, it sounds more like fanfiction. Maybe that’s the best I can hope for at this point.

Rowan hops up on the bed and curls into me, warming me up and calming my nerves immediately. The image of Henry holding my hand on the plane enters my mind. Such a simple gesture. So much warmth emerged from that single touch. It gave me the same sense of calm that I get from listening to his music. It’s the last image I see before I finally fall asleep.

6

Henry

“HAAAM, kitchen.Now!”I yell as soon as Lucy’s out of earshot.

I can’t believe Graham orchestrated that entrance in the last twenty minutes. Actually, I can, but I’m pissed at myself for not expecting it.

“She’s cute Henry. How on earth did you get her here? This isn’t a kidnapping situation, is it?” Graham raises his eyebrows at me while he brushes a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. He is really on a roll tonight.

The rest of the team filters in and I’m hoping I can get this over with quickly so I can manage a couple hours of sleep before getting to work.

“The Dragon Warsis officially ours. This is the nextGame of Thrones, lads. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.” I pause to let the news sink in. We’ve been hoping for something like this for a few years now.

They start to ask questions but I’m honestly too exhausted. I silence the group with a stern look.

“They want us on everything. I’m going to start work on the theme and opening credits. Once they have more footage to send over, we’ll get going on the rest. Expect to be very busy for the next few months, hopefully longer.”

“This is all very exciting Henry, but what we really want to know about is Lucy.” Graham doesn’t seem to know when to shut up.

“Seriously, though. Who is she?” Jayce looks mystified, offering one of his signature grins.

Unfortunately, the rest of them start nodding in agreement. I guess this is what happens when you’re thirty-three and have never brought home a girl. I thought I’d made the boundaries clear in this house. We have a working arrangement, nothing more. Graham may refuse to accept it, but the others have never bothered me about my social life, or lack thereof.

I fill them in on our chance encounter and the conversation from the plane but stick to facts only. They don’t need to know everything, especially not how good it felt to hold her hand. They have a million questions, but the most pressing one seems to be if I’m planning to date her.

“No, of course not. I’m just helping her out. I’m sure I’ll barely even see her; I’ll be busy working.”

“What’s so special about her anyway? You can get much hotter girls.”

“Craig—what the fuck?” Graham jumps in to defend me, or maybe he’s defending Lucy.

“What? It’s true. Remember that time he went out with that Victoria’s Secret Angel? She was an absolute smoke show. What happened with her anyway? Did you ever actually speak to her?”

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