Page 16 of Composed
I huff a laugh and sigh. “Yeah. Probably.”
“Here.” He pushes off the wall, slips his hands into his pocket and digs out a white rectangle card which he offers me.
A number is scrawled messily across the paper in thick black ink.
His fingers brush mine as I reach for it, sending a spark shooting through my veins “Call me later?”
“Sure.” I push my hands into my pockets, my fingers tight around the card.
He reaches the door, flicking a final glance over his shoulder before he pushes the handle and steps out.
My chest twists when he raises his hand in a goodbye.
I don’t even think as my feet move over the threshold. “Hey, Cole!”
“Yeah?” He pauses at the door of a sleek black Range Rover, peering at me over his shoulder.
A sad smile tugs my lips. “It was really good seeing you.”
“Yeah, you too.” He hops behind the wheel and the engine roars to life before his glances back at me. Eyes lit up, a glorious grin brightening his face. “I’ll see you around, Rixie Moore.”
My heart skips a beat, then it fucking shatters as he swings his car around and slips out of sight. “Bye, Cole Hayes.”
Talia is sitting on the bottom stair when I come back inside, two steaming mugs planted beside her.
“Spill it."
I sigh, snatch a mug, and lean against the railing. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” She laughs. “You know Cole Hayes? How did this never come up in conversation? We’ve known each other for seven years and you’ve never once said his name.”
“We were…” I brush my thumb over my inked wrist. “Friends.”
She looks at me like she’s never seen me before. “You were friends with Cole Hayes?TheCole Hayes of Reckless Abandon?”
“I was friends with all of them, actually.” I wrinkle my nose. “Once upon a time.”
She blinks. “You were friends with Reckless Abandon?”
“Uh-uh.”
“How do you just not mention being friends with the most famous rock band in the world?” She shakes her head. “Hendrix, we bonded because you were wearing their tour T-shirt that day at work. How do you just bypass the fact that you knew them?”
Because how do you admit you’re a fan girl of your ex-boyfriends band and have spent years following their every move?
Pathetic, much?
“I didn’t want to name drop,” I say, instead. “Plus, I wasn’t even friends with them when we met. Imagine just randomly saying,Hey I used to be besties with that guy who plays lead guitar. Cool, huh?”
Her mouth drops open. “You were best friends with Saint Parker?”
I pinch my fingers together, leaving a slither of space between them. “Just like this much.”
“Holy. Fuck. Charlie is gonna scream when I get home and tell her.”
“Please don’t.”
“What? Why? You’ll totally win the maid of honour title with that tidbit.”
