Page 15 of The Heartbreakers
“Caught me off guard,” Oliver said, finishing the sentence.
“Yeah,” I said a little breathlessly. “Exactly.”
We both stared at each other, and a moment passed between us that I couldn’t unravel. Oliver stood unmoving, with the exception of his bangs that stirred in the wind. His face was blank, but there was something busy and full about his eyes, and it made me want to take a step closer to see if those deep blues could tell me what he was thinking.
He cleared his throat, which made me acutely aware of how loud my heart was beating, and I lowered my gaze to my feet. The temperature outside had dropped with the sun, and the breeze cooled my hot skin but did nothing to settle the nerves swirling inside me.
“So,” Oliver said, his voice scratchy. “Are you really not a fan?”
His question made me cringe. “Oliver,” I responded, “I was being spiteful, which was totally ridiculous because you didn’t do anything to me.”
“But you still don’t like us, right?”
“Sorry,” I said as I fiddled with my camera, “but not really. My sister absolutely loves you guys though, and she would probably die of embarrassment if she ever found out how awful I was.”
Oliver was quiet as he listened to my answer, and I found the way he stared straight at me with his lips pressed together rather unnerving. He looked like a different person when he smiled, much less intimidating, and I suddenly wanted to see his dimples as his lips curled up.
I couldn’t stand his silence any longer. “I completely understand if you hate my guts,” I said in a rush. “To be honest, I came out here to yell at you, but then I realized you deserved an apology, so again, I’m sorry. I guess I’ll leave you alone now.”
As I turned to leave, I felt his fingers brush my shoulder. “Wait,” he said. His touch made me jump, and he quickly retracted his hand and stared down at it like he was just as surprised by his actions as me. Too unsettled to say anything, I wrapped my arms around myself and waited for him to speak.
He looked back up at me and sucked in a breath. “Can we start over?” he asked. It was the last thing I expected him to say, and I gaped as he stuck his hand out. “I’m Oliver Perry, lead singer for the Heartbreakers.”
I hesitated but then slowly slipped my hand into his. “Stella Samuel, amateur photographer.” His hand engulfed mine, skin rougher than I expected, but I liked the way my fingers felt against his.
“Well, Stella, amateur photographer, it’s nice to meet you.” He blinded me with that face-changing smile I had been thinking about moments ago. It was contagious and I found myself smiling back.
“Nice to meet you too.”
“So,” he said, rolling onto the balls of his feet. “You mentioned that your sister wanted an autograph?”
“Um, yeah.” I brushed my fingers against my throat when my voice jumped. “It’s a surprise for her birthday.”
“I’m sure the guys would agree that we’d be happy to provide you with one.”
“Really?” I asked, a tentative grin slowly blooming on my face. “You’d do that?” Even after what happened? Maybe Oliver wasn’t the jerk I’d imagined in my head.
He nodded. “Sure thing. Let’s head back in and I’ll find a pen.”
Chapter 5
Our walk back to the living room felt longer than the drive from Minnesota to Chicago. Oliver and I had come to a truce, but at the same time, we could never go back to being the people who met at Starbucks—just a regular guy and a girl. I couldn’t forget who he was, the lead singer of the Heartbreakers, and that put me on edge. My body was hyperaware of exactly where Oliver was as he walked next to me, and I made sure to keep my arms clamped to my sides so we wouldn’t brush up against each other again. Even so, the hairs on my arms were prickling.
When the narrow hall finally opened to the massive living room, I let out my breath and put some distance between us. During my absence, Drew had managed to make quick friends with the rest of the Heartbreakers, and he was in the midst of an intense game ofCallofDutywith JJ.
“I swear to God, this guy is cheating,” JJ said as he died on-screen. “He’s like a freaking ninja, popping up all over the place and slaughtering me.”
The round ended soon after, and Drew tossed the controller aside and flexed his arms like his physical strength actually had something to do with his gaming skills. “That’s right,” he said, a smirk on his face. “From now on, you can call me the Slayer.”
“Oh hey!” Xander called when he saw us. “You guys didn’t kill each other.”
“Surprise, surprise,” JJ added. “We thought we’d need to recruit a new lead singer. Drew, you any good?”
“Hey!” Oliver said. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That Stella was totally going to kick your ass,” JJ responded. “Obviously.”
Oliver crossed his arms and snorted. “You think I couldn’t hold my own against her?” I shot him a look and he added, “What? You’re like six inches shorter than me.”
