Page 38 of Falling Faster
I angle my head to the spot he vacated. "You have an open invitation to join me in bed anytime you want."
The mug finishes filling with coffee. He snags one of the containers of creamer. "Did you see the texts yet?"
"No. I'll look now. Come back to bed. You're too far away." And I want to hold him.
A dozen messages from Cody show a photo timeline of last night's activities. One of him and Luke singing and dancing in the center of the lounge. Another of Landry and Patrick, labeledtwins, due to their jackets and mirroring poses leaning against the bar. One of Devon and Luke on the couch, huddled close in conversation. Selfies of Cody with Zander and Brendan, then more of him with Devon and Patrick. A yearning ache to be there, sharing the experience with my friends, hits me in the chest.
Ty returns with a steaming mug. Biting his lip, he climbs onto the bed. "I'm sorry you missed out on spending time with them." Voice soft, he inches his hand onto my thigh, as though he's unsure of his welcome. "We should've stayed with everyone."
"No." No way will I let him walk on eggshells, worriedthat I'll resent him for this. I rush to set the coffee mug and phone on the table then turn toward him and frame my hand along the side of his face. "I'm not sorry about stealing you away so we could be together. I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything."
The lines of uncertainty smooth and he curls into my side. "I wouldn't trade my time with you either. But?—"
"But nothing." His hair is soft. I love sliding my fingers through it as I cup the back of his head. "You're here.Here. With me. When I didn't think I'd get to see you for weeks. Do you know how happy that makes me?"
His brows lift and hope fills his eyes. "Very?"
Nodding, I lean in and brush my lips across his. "Ecstatic."
Light returns to his gaze and his smile warms his features like a sunbeam. He sets his coffee aside, then wraps his arms around me. "Me too."
Holding him close, I settle against the pillows. "What's our plan for today? We have to check out of the room by eleven, but we don't have to be at Luke's until four. There's a cafe nearby. We can get breakfast there. Then drop our stuff at my place. After that, we’ll figure out what's next." I want to experience everything with him, but would also be content lazing about and doing nothing together. The together part is all that matters.
"Can we go to that coffee shop again? And maybe you could give me another piano lesson?" His gaze dips to my mouth, then those light brown eyes burn with an intensity that takes my breath away. "I don't care what we do, Craig. I just want to be with you."
This man is going to wreck me.
Music twists and pulses through Luke's home studio. I play the chords, with Brendan on drums, Patrick on bass, Cody and Luke singing into a mic together, then Zander joins in, harmonizing with them. They sound good, really good. And Cody has the theatrics that make him a great frontman. Just like Luke.
We've been at it for close to two hours. All of us who can play multiple instruments have taken a turn on just about everything. We've played in duos, trios, quads, and singles in the case of Devon's drum solo, and in combinations of our own band members, and mixing them up too. Even Ty played the drums under Brendan and Devon's tutelage.
Ty meets my gaze and my skin prickles with awareness, whether he's watching me or he's laughing and talking with my friends, there's a connection threading us together. The way he felt under me last night, and how he and I touched as much as we could throughout the hours we claimed for ourselves this morning and afternoon has strengthened it so much, I wouldn't be surprised to see a current of energy connecting us to each other. He lights me up, like he's flicked a switch and everything is brighter and better. I wish he didn't have to go home tomorrow.
The song draws to a close. Ty and Landry applaud us, then Cody turns to Luke and gives him a winning smile. "I thought you and Paddy were going to sing for us."
With his arm around Cody, Luke swings them to face Patrick. "You up for it, Patrick? We did say we'd do it."
He rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "Fine." With quick movements, he slips his bass off and places it in his guitar case.
"Yes!" Cody punches the air. "You guys need anything, like groupies holding up their phones with the flashlights on and swaying to the music? I can do that for you."
Barking a laugh, Zander rolls his shoulder and flexes the arm he'd broken. Today, he was finally able to play without pain. He waves Cody to his side. "I like this one. He's fun."
"Fun. Right." Patrick's tone is as dry as dust. He drags a stool forward and accepts the acoustic guitar Luke hands him.
He strums it as Luke settles onto a stool too, then plays the opening chords. I remember this song, and this period of time in a tumultuous few years of disastrous bands filled with drama that Patrick endured.
Luke starts off singing. There isn't much he can't do vocals-wise, and this song is right in the middle of his range. Then Patrick takes the next verse. His voice has a bite to it, a snarl that grabs the listener by the throat. It's a sucker punch, and it's awesome.
I look at Devon, Ty, Zander, Landry, Brendan, and Cody. They're all riveted. When the song ends, silence reigns for a good ten seconds before everyone bursts out with how much they loved it.
Luke claps Patrick on the shoulder. "This guy owns the rights, so we could do something with it."
The right side of Patrick's mouth lifts in a partial smile. "You want to record it? It's a good song, but I only want to do it with you."
"We'll talk." Luke gets off the stool and drags it to the side of the room. "I'd love for you and your bandmates to do a song for us."
Brendan welcomes Devon to his drum kit, handing over the sticks with a flourish. Patrick straps on his bass again. Luke waves Cody over to his mic. My friends get situated, chatting and joking with the band. And I stay where I am, guitar at the ready, saturated in the surreal feeling of being in this space with my friends.
