“Wow.”
“Yeah I know. Shocked myself with that.” He laughed and looked embarrassed which had me trying to hide a grin, but by the scowl on his face, I didn’t think I’d succeeded.
“It’s complicated.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I better get back and rescue Donovan; he hates being put on the spot.”
“Yeah, I gathered that.”
As we came out of the forest Dahlia was climbing into her car looking pissed.
“Why does he bother with her? He could have anyone he wants. Fuck, the girls throw themselves at him, but he always goes off outback with her.”
“Don’t be too hard on her, she has it rough. Reece has known her since they were kids. I think he’s her only friend.”
Ryder walked back into the bar through the back door while I stayed put, wondering why he was so bothered about what Reece got up to and with her.
“Well thanks for abandoning me,” Donovan grouched walking out the same door Ryder had just disappeared through.
“Us,” Reece pointed out. “He abandoned us.”
Donovan frowned at me then looked back at the door then back to me. “You been having a heart to heart with the marine?”
“Maybe…that for me?”
I reached out and took the beer from Reece before jumping up to sit on the wall to the side of the steps.
“How’d it go in there?” I knocked the beer back while I watched and waited. I knew it would have been great, because Donovan could sing he just lacked confidence in front of so many folk.
“Great,” he grumbled. “I’m more interested in how it went in there with the babe.”
Exhaustion settled in as I wiped my hand down my face, just wanting the night to be over with.
“It was fine. In fact it was great…then I told her I was sorry and walked away… I let her think I was apologizing for touching her, when I was apologizing for leaving her with Liam. I’m an ass.”
“We could have told you that,” Reece said.
I ignored him.
“Can I bunk at your place again?” I looked at Donovan who nodded his head before walking back inside.
“Why do you never ask to bunk at my place?” Reece whined like a fuckin’ two year old.
“Too much traffic.”
He smirked and followed Donovan back into the bar while I wondered what Thalia was doing. Whether she was still upset after what I’d said, or whether Liam was cheering her up.
Although I prayed for the latter, the thought of Liam cheering her up put a ball of fire in my gut.
“Will you stop acting like a girl and get in here!”
Hearing the door slam back into place behind Reece, I jumped down from the wall and made my way back inside to find the place loud and packed.
When I climbed on the stage the noise level hit fever pitch with a lot of the audience shouting my name ‘Phoenix’.
That was what it was all about. People enjoying the music the three of us had created over the past ten years since high school. My family had never understood my need for this release. As far as they were concerned I’d given this up when I left for college.
But standing in front of two hundred people, hearing them shouting ‘Phoenix and Deception’ had my heart missing a beat. I wanted Thalia standing out there watching me; watching us. She’d understand the pull this had for me. She’d understand and she’d support me; I knew that without even having to think about it.
Reece started up on the drums, a familiar beat, which was the introduction to one of our more popular songs, ‘Fallen from the Sky.”