Page 11 of Heartbeat Highway

We are just friends.

I know this, really I do, but it’s hard to hear it sometimes.

While I wait for Lily, I order at the counter and then take my number to an empty picnic table toward the back. Despite the early hour, the place is filling up quickly, and if my nose is any indication as to why, the food is bound to be Best of All Times level.

I slide my drumsticks out from my back pocket and sip my soda. My phone chimes with an incoming text, and I glance at the lock screen.

Dan: WTF are you? We need to leave

Shit. I forgot to tell him what happened, and all my gear is back in my hotel room. Fortunately, when Dan checks us into a place, he keeps a spare keycard for each of our rooms. Blame K for that one, since he once lost his key twice in the span of two hours.

The thought of K sends acid churning through my gut. Poor Lily. I hesitate for a brief moment—a very, very brief moment—then decide to tell Dan the truth. I don’t need to protect some lying cheater.

Me: Sorry. Lily walked in on K with some other woman. I had to get her out of there. On our way to Nooga

I have no idea if people in Chattanooga actually call it Nooga, but I also don’t feel like typing out the whole name.

Dan’s reply is almost instantaneous.

R u fucking w me?

No. Saw it all go down

Three dots appear and bubble on my text screen.

I’ll take care of it. See you at the concert

Since Dan is a master of handling crises, I return to sipping my soda and waiting for Lily.

She stalks out of the bathroom, her hair now up in another floppy bun, arms crossed over her voluptuous chest. My brain knows she’s furious and hurt and grieving, but my cock has not gotten that message, because it really wants to come out to party at the sight of her in that sexy, curve-hugging dress. If I had Maxim’s songwriting talent, I’d write an ode to whoever invented sundresses.

“Did you know?” She melts into the seat opposite me, her expression uncharacteristically dour. “You probably have some bro code with K where you can’t tell me, but I thought we were friends, Bo.”

There we go. Yet another reminder that even though I’m in love with her, we are just friends. “We are friends. And I haveno bro code with K.” I hand her a soda. “He doesn’t deserve that from me. Not when he can’t even be honest with you. I didn’t know he was cheating, Lily. I know he’s an asshole, but I’m pretty sure you knew that, too.”

She bites her lip, and a little of the anger fades from her expression. “I made so many excuses for him over the years. Why did I do that? I’m a smart person.” Her voice breaks on the last words.

“You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met,” I tell her. “Sometimes we lie to ourselves to make it easier, to make things simpler.” Like me. I tell myself I’m not really in love with her so that it’s less painful at the end of every day to watch her with K. “Over time, we get so good at the lies, that we have trouble seeing the truth underneath all of it.”

She tilts her head to the side, pensive. “I’m so sorry, Bo. This must bring up all the stuff about your mom.”

I drain my cup of soda. “If you really love someone, you shouldn’t look for something better or different. It’s not fair to anyone.” Runner Harley’s legacy. Fucking everything up for everybody.

A waiter brings over a large tray of food, plastic baskets filled with slaw and biscuits and pulled pork and glistening brisket. “Sauce is over there.” He jerks a thumb toward the end of the picnic table. “Try the whiskey one. It’s the best.” With that, he leaves.

I reach down to the end of the table and pick up three bottles: the Carolina mustard sauce, the whiskey one, and one that just sayssweeton the side.

Lily nods and sticks a fork into the pile of pulled pork. “I’m done lying to myself, Bo.”

I take a piece of brisket and put it into my mouth, letting the rich, sweet meat melt on my tongue. It’s angels-singing-to-the-choirs-of-heaven good. If there can be barbecue this good in thistiny town in Tennessee, then I don’t have to let Runner Harley make me afraid of taking a chance. “Me, too.”

CHAPTER 6

Lily

The food is beyond delicious,some of the best I’ve ever had, and the joy of eating combined with the pleasure of Bo’s company helps me to start relaxing. He goes back up to the counter to order a plate of hush puppies when he sees me eyeing the ones on the table beside us, and they’re delicious, too. Then we get into a semi-heated argument about whetherDrumlineorWhiplashis a better drum-based movie—which is an impossible argument since they’re completely different genres.

I feel more like myself. Pre-exams, pre-finding out K is a lying, cheating fuckhead. This is who I like to be. Fun and relaxed with my best friend.

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