Page 56 of Game Winner
His smile turns wistful. “I kind of wish I had what you have.”
“No reason why you can’t.”
“I did, and then I lost it.” His tone is as soft as a whisper, and he seems almost lost. But then, he shakes his head and fists his hands. “It’s so stupid, getting so upset about a guy.”
“The one who inspired the song? You’ve kept it to yourself long enough.” I drape my arm over his shoulders and tuck him into my side. “Tell us. Who was it?”
His sigh is so forlorn, I swear we can all feel it. “Thorne.”
Everett’s eyes bug out. “The security guard we hired for you at the show on Halloween?”
“We had a real connection. He took me home, and we hooked up, saw each other for a couple of weeks. It was a whirlwind. I’d never felt that way before. I fell in love. And then he broke things off. Told me he couldn’t do this anymore.” He sniffs and winces and his voice breaks. “I chased him away.”
I bristle at some asshole makingmybest friend feel less than the talented, amazing person he is. “Why would you think it’s your fault?”
“I’m a lot to handle.”
“Fuck. No, you’re not.” Maybe I can get Thorne’s information from the security company and track the jerk down and… What? Shake him until he knows what a fool he is for giving up Layne? I breathe through my irrational, protective thoughts, and hug my friend closer.
“You sure about that?” He elbows me in the ribs. “I seem to remember you saying something about having to babysit me all the time. And that watching out for me is exhausting.”
Fuck. My stomach churns. I’m an even bigger asshole. “I’m sorry I said that. You can’t take what I said when I was angry and hurt to heart.” I spin him so we’re facing each other and clamp my hands on his shoulders. “You know I don’t mind looking out for you because you look after me in return. Your high energy and jumping from one thing to the next are what make you who you are, and I love you for it.”
Eyes glassy, Layne bites his trembling lip and nods. My stomach keeps churning because I was no better than Thorne. Worse, in fact, because I know Layne’s insecurities, and I still said shitty things to him in anger.
“Ethically, the guard probably isn’t supposed to date the person they’re assigned to protect,” Gavin pipes up, defusing some of the tension.
“That never made any sense to me. If you look at the Sacred Band of Thebes, they believed couples would fight more fiercely for each other. If I were in love with someone, I’d burn the world down to save them.” Like I was ready to burn down everything we’ve worked for as a band, and possibly my friendship when I felt like my relationship was being attacked. So, maybe it’s not all positive. I need to find a balance.
“Same,” Layne says. “Anyway, I promise I’ve pulled my head out of my ass. I’ll be better.”
“Me too.” I give him a playful punch in the arm. “You mean so much to me. That’s never changing. I promise I’ll make more time for you.”
He pulls me into another hug and when he sniffles and wraps around me tighter, I hold on. “We’re good?”
I squeeze him harder. “Of course.”
Loud ringing startles me into knocking my chin into the top of Layne’s head. Rubbing the spot, he pulls away. “Ow.”
“Sorry.” Slinging my arm around his shoulder, I kiss the spot.
Gavin grabs Layne’s phone from the table. “Holy shit. It’s Luke Thompson.”
Layne stabs the button. “Hello?”
“Layne? Luke Thompson here. How are you and guys?”
“Luke, good to hear from you.” Layne turns wide eyes on all of us. “We’re all here together. Waiting to go on Jett’s show.”
“Jett’s always been a good friend to my band and our label.” Luke’s voice echoes like he’s in a large room. “I won’t keepyou long, but Furious Records wants to offer Flame Shade a contract.”
My ears ring, and I’m sure I didn’t hear that correctly. We all look at each other with mouths agape. Layne’s the first to come back to his senses, and he pumps his fist in the air. Everett and Gavin grasp hands, and I reach for Layne, resting my hand on his shoulder.
Layne mouthsWell?
The three of us nod.
He does one of his fancy footwork moves and spins, and I can’t help but laugh. Then he brings the phone closer to his mouth. “That’s amazing, Luke. Thank you so much. You’ve made our year.”
