Page 11 of Hard Rock Temptation
“Doesn’t mean I can’t still bask in the adoration of the public,” he pointed out with a smirk.
“You sure it’s adoration? You sure it’s not irritation?” I quipped.
“Fucking ow,” Finn said, feigning offense. “Why are you always taking pot-shots at me?”
“Why do you always deserve it?” I sassed.
“You gave a great reply tonight, by the way,” Finn said, easily moving on. “When the guy asked about your inspiration for your lyrics? I think he actually blushed at the idea of reading a teenage girl’s diary.”
“It’s not like I’m thirteen anymore,” I said. “I’m almost twenty.”
I made sure not to make eye contact with Micah as I said it. It was easy enough. Micah had retreated to the other side of the room, pretending to text on his phone. I knew he was pretending because the only people he ever texted were right here in the same room as him.
My phone, on the other hand, had blown up with a dozen texts, all timed to the moment we’d appeared on stage, live on TV. I was glad I’d turned it off during the taping. I didn’t recognize the number, but I knew from the messages exactly who it was.
It seemed my mother had found another way around me blocking her.
I only glanced at a few of the texts before swiping to delete them all. I put my phone back in my bag with a shaky hand, pushing down the nausea, the dread, that threatened to rise from seeing those angry messages. I didn’t want to deal with this now. Or ever, really. I knew I was only putting off the inevitable, though.
I took several deep breaths to calm myself, then forcefully turned my attention back to the others.
“Another great show, you guys,” I chirped. “Hopefully we don’t have to wait as long for the next one. This crowd was wild. I need more of that.”
“Adrenaline junky,” Finn teased.
“Like you’re any better,” I said, jamming my elbow into his side. “What do you say we all go get some fries?” I suggested to the room.
That was when Micah spoke up.
“Kay,” he said. “Hang back a minute?”
I let out a breath, unsurprised. This was it.
Anya turned to me, angling away from Micah, and raised a questioning eyebrow.
Want me to run interference?she was asking.
I shook my head slightly and gave her a small smile.
It’s okay,I was saying.I can handle this.
Zain and Finn sauntered on without another thought. Anya gave a reassuring touch on my arm. Chris shot me his usual pleasant smile, but this time there was also concern there, a question in his eyes. I gave him the same shake of the head I gave Anya. Ishould have known a guy like Chris would sense something was up.
When the others were gone, I turned to Micah, crossing my arms. There was tension in the lines of his face.
“So, you actually want to talk to me for once?” I asked. Maybe it wasn’t fair of me. Then again, the way he’d been acting wasn’t fair, either.
“Don’t do that,” Micah said, voice strained.
“Do what?” I retorted.
“Don’t act like…” He trailed off.
“Like what?” I shot back. “Like I’m surprised you want to talk to me? Like you’ve been ignoring me for months?”
Micah tilted his head back and closed his eyes briefly. If I’d thought he was exasperated with me, my anger would have grown. But I knew Micah’s tics. He was overwhelmed with a dozen thoughts and contemplating what to say next.
“I honestly didn’t realize,” he finally said, lowering his head back down to meet my gaze, his brown eyes surprisingly open and guileless. It made me want to believe him. Micah was a shit liar.
