Page 114 of Here's to Yesterday

23

Maura

“So, you live with a guy.”The way Tucker says it isn’t as a question, but I know he wants anexplanation.

It’s probably been an hour now since Tucker’s set ended, and we’re still up on the roof. We’ve been kissing, talking, and kissing somemore.

Fine. All we’ve done is kiss, but can you blameus?

“I do,” I answer. “He showed up at Clyde’s one night back when I worked there,and—”

“Wait. Past tense. You saidworked,” he interrupts. “Since when do younotwork there? And where do you worknow?”

“Since about three weeks or so after you left. And here. I work herenow.”

“What?Why?”

I shrug. “I’m thinking of getting into the business side of music. I enjoyed pretending to be your manager, and I think it’s something I might be able to make a career outof.”

“Huh,” he says. “So.Dallas?”

“Yes. Dallas. Dall. Anyway, he came around, heard I was thinking of looking for a roommate.” I shrug. “We clicked, and he moved in almostimmediately.”

“That’s it? No other info? What if he was a crazy sexpervert?”

“Well, I don’t have a penis, so I don’t think that’s aproblem.”

“Really?” he says in shock. “Didn’t see that onecoming.”

“Yeah, me neither. I thought he was just hitting on me at first and made Hudson come over while Dallas checked the place out just to intimidate him and make sure that wasn’t thecase.”

“Our friends are assholes. Those fuckers never said a word about you working here. And Gary is now on my shit-list for not tellingme.”

“If it makes you feel any better, they barely ever mentioned your name. It kind of made things easier. Besides, would it have made a difference? Would you have come backearlier?”

I peek over at Tucker, who’s looking over at the other side of the roof, staring off into the night. “No, probably not,” he says. “Honestly, I’m glad we didn’t talk during these last few months. It’s made this reunion evensweeter.”

“Is that was this is? Areunion?”

I’m terrified to know his answer, but I need to know. I have to get ready to put on my mask if it isn’t, because I honestly don’t think my heart can takeit.

“I’m here to stay, if that’s what you’reasking.”

I release a sharp breath of air.ThankGod.

He continues, “I’ve already talked with the tour manager, James, about it. My contract was short. Now it’s up to me to negotiate my new contract with the label if I decideto.”

“Are you goingto?”

Tucker looks back over at me. “I think so. This has been amazing so far. The only thing I didn’t like was being apart from you. But again, I think it’shelped.”

“I agree,” I tell him. “And it gave us time and space to figure out what wewant.”

You, Tucker. You’re what Iwant.

“Maura, it was never about me needing to figure it out. I’ve always wanted you, and I’ve always known that. This was us trying to find ourselves outside of Tanner and what happened with us. This was us finally doing something for ourselves,” he says, kicking my heart into overdrive. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you or miss you or desperately want to be with you. But three months ago, we weren’t the versions of ourselves that we are now. We’re better. We’re stronger. We’re more…us.”

I stare down at my lap, thinking about what he justsaid.

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