I try not to smile but to no avail. I do love playing with Liam, and with him living in Beaumont, it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like.
“What pisses me off was that no one asked me. My dad comes over, under the guise of getting a new bike and taking me for a ride, only to stop at the studio where I’m ambushed.”
“I think he saw the error of his ways.”
Liam’s probably right, and maybe if I answered my phone or one of the fifty or so texts he and my mother sent today, I’d hear or see an apology from him. Knowing my mom though, she likely lambasted my dad for doing this. I am, after all, her favorite.
Liam finishes his bottle of water and I use this as an excuse to get up and grab him another one. I linger in the kitchen, longer than necessary, trying to compose my thoughts. Even if my dad asked, I’m not sure
if I would’ve jammed with them today, but I might have gone to listen. I owe my sister that much.
“Did you come to town for that impromptu session?”
Liam shakes his head. “Nope. There’s a wedding planning party going on at your parents. Josie and Paige were coming so I thought I’d tag along.”
“Wedding, right,” I sigh. My mom’s frantic about the preparations, especially because Peyton hasn’t given her much to go on. “Do we know where they’re getting married?”
Liam looks at me. “Thought you knew since you’re the best man?”
I shake my head. “Is that a question?”
“No,” he says. “A statement I’m hoping you’d spill the secret on.”
I throw my hands up in the air and laugh. “Sorry, I don’t know anything. I don’t even know the date of the shindig.”
He looks flustered, and it makes me wonder why all the secrecy. I’ll have to text Noah later and ask him what’s going on, and why he and Peyton won’t tell anyone when they plan to get married. I suppose it doesn’t matter since we’ll drop everything to be there, but a general idea would be nice.
“What’s the guitar for?” I nod toward his case.
Liam bends over and unhooks the latches, pulling out his acoustic. “I’ve been working on a new song and thought that maybe you could help me.”
“Is this a ploy to show me what it’s like to be in a band?”
He looks at me, studying me for a long minute. “Solo is a lonely life, Quinn. You only meet your band when it’s time to rehearse. You travel by yourself and don’t have any real connections with people. Being in a band, like I said, it gives you family.”
“I have a family,” I tell him.
“And a damn good one,” he adds. “But a band family is different. Creatively, they’re your constant sounding board because they get it. They get the lifestyle. They understand everything in our world. I’d never expect Josie to grasp why an amp isn’t working for me, but your dad or JD would, and they’d know how to fix it.”
I don’t know whether he’s here to convince me to join Elle’s project, to start a band of my own or to just show me what being part of a group can offer. None of it matters because he’s reminded me that while I felt isolated when I was growing up, always surrounded by adults, I had a family. A good one at that and that’s important. If it weren’t for Liam, my dad would’ve never met Katelyn and things would probably be a lot different for me. Maybe I should heed his advice and really consider what it’d be like to be a part of a group.
Liam starts strumming his guitar. The melody is soft. It’s a ballad and instantly I pull out the napkin, flip it over and start writing. After an hour, I show him what I have, and he plays his tune while singing the words I put down about the sweet southern girl who serves coffee.
14
Eleanora
It’s hot here without the sweltering humidity, and I love it. I could easily see myself living here, thriving in the all-day sun, and enjoying the nightlife. Last night, after I got off from work, Kellie and I went out again, to yet another club where we didn’t have to wait in line. Sadly, the bartender wasn’t as hot as Kellie’s brother, but we still didn’t have to wait or pay for our drinks. Honestly, a girl could get used to the VIP treatment.
The words on the page of my book blur. I’m focused on the couple in the pool. They’re cuddly, giggly and look like they’re immensely in love. Of course, I’m certainly not an expert on what a couple in love looks like, as my own example is far from glamorous. Roy and I were meant to be like this, back when we first started dating. In public, we were a match made in heaven, but the reality is that our relationship was the product of our fathers’ and grandfathers’ planning behind closed doors.
Nonetheless, we hit it off. He was sweet, romantic, and said all the right things. I wanted full on public displays of affection, and he didn’t want to cause a scene. He’d hold my hand when our friends were around, but there was no kissing. Close the bedroom door and things changed. He was different, and I was young. I fell hard and fast for his charm.
It didn’t take long for the rumors to start about Roy Aldridge being a ladies’ man. I’d confront him. He’d deny it and profess his undying love to me, and only me. We’d make up, in ways that would give my daddy a heart attack if he knew, and the rumors would start again almost immediately. Yet, I stayed because it’s what my family expected.
However, watching this couple, I find myself wanting what they have or at least what they’re showing to the prying eyes of the apartment complex. They seem to not have a care in the world, the way they’re canoodling, kissing, and doing who knows what under the water. It can’t be that hard to find a flirtatious kind of love, can it? One that gets your heart beating so fast you think you’re going to pass out from exhaustion even though you’re not tired. How fun would it be to be so enthralled with the person you’re with that you lose track of time or don’t care about your surroundings? That you just need to be with that person, no matter what? Never in a million years will I have this with Roy.
My phone vibrates against my leg. I have to shield my eyes in order to see my brother’s beaming face staring back at me. A bit of dread rushes through my body. Is my time up? Did I miss my deadline? I try to think of the date before I answer the phone all the while coming up with some lame excuse as to why I’m not home yet. Somehow, telling Rhett that I don’t want to go home, won’t suffice.