Page 70 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
“What?”
“You were looking at me funny.”
My face grows so hot I might explode. Was Istaringat him? “Nothing,” I quickly say. “Just thinking about…cats.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Cats?”
“Yeah. I was, um, thinking about adopting one.”
Oh my gosh, what am I saying? Adopting a cat? I don’t even like cats. I’m a dog person. Not that I could adopt any pets, anyway. Dad’s allergic to anything with fur.
“Oh,” he says with a confused expression. “That’s cool.”
I make an unintelligible sound and turn away, walking to the mic stand. More like fleeing. He probably thinks I’m the weirdest person on the planet.
I warm up as we wait for Cody. Eric eats some more from the snack table before tuning his guitar. His eyes shift to me. I quickly look away, not wanting him to think I was staring again. Ugh, Phoenix made me so confused about everything. Now I can’t even look at him without dissecting every little thing he does.
Someone knocks on the door. Finally, Cody’s here.
“Great, let’s start,” Eric says as he stands in his place, holding his guitar carefully in his arms. He always treats it like it’s made of gold, which is so sweet.
Oh my gosh, there I go again.
“Remember, the concert is in two weeks,” he continues. “I want to perform three originals. The first is the one we’ve been practicing. I’m just about finished with the second, but I want to try it out and see if it fits our style. It’s a little slower than what we normally do. I think the audience will like it. It’s called “I’m Here But You Don’t See Me.”
“Another love song?” Ethan asks with a raised brow.
His brother shrugs. “Love songs sell.”
He hands us each a copy of the song. I study the lyrics. It’s about a guy who has feelings for a girl, but she’s totally obliviousto how he feels. She just sees him as a friend, or maybe just an acquaintance.
That’s…a little weird. He can’t be talking about…?
Nah. I already established that he just sees me as his dorky friend who happens to roll down stage stairs every once in a while.
“Our first concert!” Eric says with eyes so bright they nearly blind me. “Let’s blow the roof off.”
Cody slams his drums. “Yeaaaaaahh!”
We start to play and it immediately takes off. Even though it’s a little different from what we normally play, it fits us perfectly. Eric’s right, I think the fans will love it.
I nod and grin to Eric as I sing the amazing lyrics, telling him he did a phenomenal job. He returns the smile, his cheeks growing pink. I don’t know what it is, but I feel…good. Uplifted. Confident. Maybe it’s the song, but I’m not nervous or anxious anymore. My heart flutters as I watch Eric play the guitar and sing backup. I don’t watch anyone but him the entire time.
I guess…I guess maybe I do have a small crush on him. Okay, maybe a big one. I didn’t want to admit it to myself because I was scared. Liking someone is a really scary thing, especially because my heart is already broken. I didn’t think I could ever be happy because my mom’s no longer with me, but I don’t want to be unhappy for the rest of my life. Phoenix is right—my mom would want me to live my life to the fullest. If she were here right now, she’d tell me to embrace my feelings. To not be afraid of them because putting yourself out there could be scary, but it also could be rewarding. If you don’t risk anything, how will you ever gain?
Eric is such a good guy. I’m lucky to be his friend, his bandmate, and his costar. And maybe, just maybe, I could be so much more.
With that out in the open, I feel free. Unburdened. I take the mic and put everything I have into the song. It resonates with me. I, too, like someone who doesn’t know it, and it’s scary and exciting and nerve-wracking all mixed up in a tight ball. But I think I’m ready to take the plunge.
“That was awesome!” Eric says after Cody hits the last drum. “We totally smashed it. Keep it up, guys.”
“Love the song, bro.” Ethan fist bumps his brother. “This may take us to the top. Especially because of this one over here.” Ethan nudges me with his finger.
“What?” I ask.
“You sang it with so much feeling. And your voice was top-notch.”
“Agreed,” Cody says as he twirls the drum sticks. “You made a good call choosing her, Eric. I don’t think we’d be at this level without her.”
