Page 21 of Between Brothers

Chapter 7

Hayley

I studied Blue’s profile as he watched the musical players and it was grim, unhappy, as if once again something had been ripped away from him. I thought about what he’d said, about his past, and I knew he’d been to prison – I just hadn’t known for what.

I mean, I could easily believe it of Cell, but Blue? I pressed my lips together and thought about myself. While I could never do anything that would send me to prison, I thought about what had led me here, to right now, and I couldn’t honestly throw stones. I mean, I’d once tried to kill myself. If ever there was a poor life decision, that was certainly a doozy, wasn’t it? So who was I to throw stones?

So far, even though this was our first date, Blue had treated me so well. I felt like a princess in his presence, a sensation I had never really had before with all of the law abiding men I had ever dated or been with before.

I reached out and touched Blue’s hand and he jumped, twisting back around to look at me. I tangled my fingers with his and he reached out his arm so that we were both comfortable and could continue holding hands. He smiled at me and it was almost heartbreaking with how beautiful it was. The rejection he’d been fearing sliding right out of his eyes as if it’d never been.

I hated that my reaction had left him feeling that way, and I wondered how many times before it’d happened. I suddenly thought I may have found something in common with Blue. Rejection was likely something he encountered daily and if it hurt him like it hurt me, then it was any wonder that it took him over a year to finally really ask me to go out with him. While I was sure that really had more to do with the fact that they were asking me to date both of them, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

For now, I just wanted to learn about Blue, and see where things went and not think about Cell too much until I was there… That would be soon enough and something I was uneasy about, but I had a feeling about Blue. A really good feeling, and I didn’t want to give up on that too quickly. I feared if I did it would be a great source of regret for years to come, if not the rest of my life.

The music was soothing and we listened, hand in hand, letting it carry most of our concerns away. When the set finally ended it was with several of us standing and applauding. I laughed lightly, my spirit and heart done good, refreshed by the night out. Honestly, I think that most of that had to do with the company I kept.

We let the café clear out, the parking lot empty some before we got up to leave. Blue saluted the girl who had brought the delicious cakes and she came over to us.

“So what did you think?” she asked.

“Oh my god… That was one of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted. You have to keep it. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.” I gushed, and I couldn’t help it. It really had been that good. Blue nodded emphatically in agreement with what I was saying.

“Really? You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

She squealed a bit and bounced on the balls of her feet. “I’m totally going to go ahead and have Mandy and Evy try it then.”

Blue patted her on the shoulder and she said, “You guys have a good night. It was nice to see you again, Hayley.”

“Nice to see you, too, Maren.”

“See you at the club sometime, Blue.”

He nodded and placed a hand at my lower back to guide me around and to the doors. One of the girls was standing by to lock it behind us.

“Good night!” she called as we slipped through and I looked back over my shoulder and called back, “Good night!”

It was wet out here. The air humid, but the rain had stopped for now. We went down the sidewalk back to the bike which was beaded with water, small puddles pooling on the leather seat. Blue told me to wait a moment and unlocked his saddle bags with a key. He pulled out a towel and wiped off the seat really well and handed me a helmet. He put the towel back and brought out his own helmet and sat astride his motorcycle. He started it and brought it up out of its lean, putting up the kickstand.

I waited for him to give me a wave before I got on behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, he took my hands and guided them into his pockets, tucking them down inside.

“Hold onto me, but this will keep your hands warm,” he called. I nodded and he took us carefully down the lot and out onto the street.

My heart was in my throat, more so on this ride than the last. The streets slick with rain, I was terrified we would slide but Blue seemed like he was an old hand at this. He piloted the beast of a bike over the wet carefully. The wind damp but fresh until we were probably less than ten minutes from home. That’s when the sky totally opened up and it began to pour.

I held tightly to him as he cursed and swore in front of me. He took the quickest route to my place but there was really nothing for it. We were soaked inside a minute. It was worse, somehow, for riding into the droplets as they fell. At least that’s what I imagined.

When he pulled down the long drive and shut off his bike by the back door, I couldn’t let him ride home in this… I mean, I was shivering already and just because he was a man didn’t mean he didn’t feel cold. That and illnesses didn’t care how tough you thought you were.

I jumped off the bike, taking off the helmet and grabbed his hand. The rain was still coming down in sheets, loud and fierce and rather than yell and risk worrying my dad I gave an insistent little tug on his hand, urging him to come with me. He shut off his bike and leaned it over at the same time he heeled down the kickstand, just like that in one fluid practiced motion and I was captured by how amazing and, well, how hot it was to watch. Slinging a leg back over the bike’s saddle, he stood and followed me.

I didn’t want to take him into the house because, well, my dad was probably asleep – or waiting up for me, and that wasn’t totally awkward despite the fact that I was a grown woman. It was a good thing I had another option, which is, I think, precisely why my father had helped me rebuild mom’s studio into one of my own. To give me privacy and the ability to have a moment like this, which I was totally grateful for right now, by the way.

I pulled my keys from my pocket and went through them, inserting the proper one into the deadbolt lock on the studio door. Blue was at my back, trying to protect me as well as he could from the rain which was adorable but completely unnecessary. It was already far too late for any of that. I mean, I don’t think either of us could get any wetter.

I got the door open and went in, hanging the helmet off to the side on the coat tree. Blue followed me and I flipped on the studio lights. He paused, letting his eyes adjust as I closed the door on the pounding rain outside and hung my keys on the hook.

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