Page 4 of The Drummer

“How’d you find me?” he asks, his gaze fixed on the floor, like he doesn’t know if he can handle the answer to his own question.

“TJ. He didn’t tell me howhefound you, though.”

Luke nods and takes a sip of his drink. “How have you been?”

“Great. So, so good. It’s been awesome losing my best friend and career in one night.”

He flinches and finally gives me his attention. I try to rein in my anger, but fuck if I know how this is supposed to go.

“I’m sorry, Case,” he says quietly, looking away again. There’s no fight in his words. No emotion. Like everything else, it’s just a thin gloss of “human” stretched over a void.

“Yeah, me too. Although, I guess you knew that from the twenty messages I left before your mailbox was full. I’m fine, by the way. No permanent damage from that night. Unless you count the lingering trauma and constant nightmares. What about you?”

His gaze shoots to mine before diverting back to the floor. “I said I was sorry before I disappeared.”

“I’m assuming you’re referring to ‘the note,’because youhaven’tsaida damn thing to me for almost an entire fucking year.”

He doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look at me this time.

I suck back the rest of my tirade. I have months of anger, betrayal, heartache, and love to spew at him. Months’ worth of a phantom life he should have been living with me but chose to abandon instead. I could fill the next ten days with the hell I went through after he left, but now that I’m here, none of it seems right.

He’s already broken. I see it in the slow movements of his body, the empty look in his eyes. The few words he’s said prove there are none that will fix any of this. Handing him my pain will only destroy the little that remains of our relationship.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“No, I get it. You have every right to be angry. How’s your family? The band? Jana?”

“Jana?”

“I thought I saw something about you getting back together with her.”

I huff a laugh. “Yeah, I bet you did. She loved turning our business into a national headline. No, there’s nothing there. Never will be. And the family’s good, for the most part. Things with the band suck, but if you’re following headlines, you know that too.”

His jaw tightens, and I take a calming breath.

“What about you?” I ask. “How’s the last year been?”

It wasn’t supposed to be a joke, but his haunted look turns it into one. After a second, he directs his gaze back to the wall. The glass turns slowly in his hands as he considers my question. Or, more specifically, how to avoid it.

“Am I the first person you’ve spoken to since you left?” I try again, forcing a light tone. I even manage a weak smile when he looks up.

His expression doesn’t change, but at least he’s not kicking me out yet. “Actually, no.”

“Right. I guess you have the hotel staff.”

“Yeah, but I also made a friend. Sort of.”

Intrigued, and slightly jealous, I lean forward on the couch. “Really. Wow. Does this friend have a name?”

“Callie.”

Light flickers in his eyes for the first time since my arrival. It’s a strange contrast to the heaviness that surrounds him. Just as quickly, it’s gone, and he rubs a hand over his face.

“Callie, huh. So this friend is a she?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like that. She’s…” He shakes his head. “There’s no word for it. She justis.She’s just there. I don’t know.”

“I see.” The bitterness is back in my tone, drawing a sharp look from Luke.

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