Page 66 of Next to Everything We Wanted
“You’re not that wet.” Raina pressed a hand to his chest. It was one of her favorite things to do with him, feeling his storming heartbeat underneath what she called his “super firm” chest. Would I get another chance to feel Gavin’s heartbeat? Would I be able to feel the firmness of his chest again?
Crap, had kissing him been a mistake?
Because I’d never be able to see him as a friend now.
“You’re grinning like a fool again,” Hayden said.
“Sorry.” I swallowed, rubbing the dog I was playing with. “Just been in a good mood today. Playing with the dogs and all.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s just the dogs?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
A smirk spread across his full lips. “Did something happen between you and Ivan?”
“What happened with her and Ivan?” Arielle asked as she came back outside, wearing a pink crop top. It showed her tan stomach, and I noticed Hayden’s gaze travel to it.
“You’re staring,” I whispered to Hayden.
He shot me a glare, snapping his gaze away from Arielle.
“What happened with Ivan?” Arielle asked again, trying to cover as much of her stomach as possible.
“Yeah, what happened?” Raina asked as she sat next to me, a teasing glint in her eyes.
“Why do you think that something happened with him?” I asked. “I could be happy for a bunch of reasons. Maybe I came up with a new sketch or got my paycheck or?—”
“Shut up, did you write a new song?” Her eyes went wide.
“I would’ve told you straight away if I did.” I sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write a good song.”
“Maybe you just need someone to help you out,” Dallas said as a dog sat in his lap. “I wasn’t getting anywhere until Hayden and Raina started helping me.” He grinned at Raina, his deep brown eyes so warm that Raina was probably melting in them.
Raina beamed at him, and, yeah, she wassomelting. “And now we’re unstoppable.”
“I’ve never written a song by myself either,” Arielle said. “Hayden helps me all the time.”
Hayden smiled at her. “Sometimes you just need a little push.”
“You guys are made to songwrite together,” I said, waving a hand. “I want to be able to write a song by myself. No help, just my own thoughts.”
“You don’t have to do everything by yourself, Sienna,” Raina said.
“I want to.”
Hayden sighed. “Gosh, you sound so much like Caleb right now.”
“Ouch, no need to insult me.” I put a hand to my chest, and everyone shared a laugh.
“Hey,” Arielle said, a grin forming on her face. “Maybe yourboywould want to write songs with you.”
“What boy?” I asked, trying my best to play dumb. “Caleb?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know who I’m talking about.”
Ugh. I thought I’d successfully shifted the conversation away from him. “First, myboyhas a girlfriend. And second, he’s way too busy to help me write a song. His band comes first.”
“Didn’t you see his Instagram bio change this morning?”
