Truth

Brooklyn’s face relaxed, the corners of her mouth barely rising. “You just… looked like you needed a hug from a friend.” Then, she pulled back a little farther and shook her head. “I mean, I just… sorry. That was uncalled for and really unprofessional.” Her face burned bright red. “We, um…we need to figure out how we’re going to tackle a song—and where—since the tour is over and we live in different time zones.”

Brooklyn ran her fingers through her hair and rocked back on her heels, her cheeks still blazing with a reddish hue.

My nostrils flared as I tried to push down all the feelings that were slithering up along my neck like a sneaky black cat. “Can we just figure it out tomorrow?”

Brooklyn’s entire face grew serious. “Of course, Reid. You get your rest, and we can figure out our next move tomorrow.” Then, she turned around to walk away, her hair swaying behind her. My entire body spazzed.

“Wait!” I all but shouted, reaching my hand out to hers. She quickly turned around, her hair a swirl of reddish-brown hues. “Stay.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “You want to work on a song right now?”

I swallowed, knowing damn well I was crossing the line that I drew for myself. “No. I just don’t want you to go.”

Brooklyn’s shoulders relaxed as surprise flicked across her features. I, for sure, thought she’d shake her head and leave, but instead, she breathed out the word, “Okay.” And I couldn’t help but feel another piece of my wall come crumbling down.

And by piece, I meant the whole thing.

Chapter Sixteen

Brooklyn

My eyelids felt like they were glued together. They wanted to open, but I was too comfortable to make myself do it. My breathing was calm, my heart relaxed, and I wasn’t feeling crammed on the couch like usual.

Then I sprung my eyes open, staying completely still. My stomach dropped as I realized there was a heavy arm draped over my torso. My head slowly turned to the right, the soft pillow making a scratching noise, and then I trailed my gaze over a rounded bicep, all the way up to the strong shoulder and the rugged jaw that belonged to one person and one person only.

“Hi,” Reid rasped out still with his eyes closed and an arm draped over me.

Are we cuddling?!!

I cleared my throat, still staring at his relaxed face. “Um, hi.”

Reid didn’t say anything; he just lay there with unmoving muscles. Is he asleep again? Maybe he doesn’t realize we’re lying with one another.

I remembered last night very vividly. I hugged Reid because I had never seen such a wretched facial expression than I had when I stormed into his room to yell at him for giving Jackson and Finn the wrong idea about us. Then, he’d asked me to stay in his room with him, and the feeling I had when the words left his mouth were unexplainable. I couldn’t say no, even if I wanted to. Reid needed me, and I wanted to be there for him more than anything.

I went to lift Reid’s arm up, but his face scrunched. “Stop. I haven’t slept this good in months.”

My heart pitter-pattered in my chest, and I wanted to squeeze the thing to make it stop. I moved my head back to its rightful spot so I would stop getting absorbed in Reid’s features.

“Why don’t you sleep?” I rasped, my voice no louder than a whisper.

Reid stirred a little bit, and he raised his arm off my body to roll over onto his back, just like I was.

I couldn’t control the speed of my heart. It felt like it was about to race out of my chest, pounding like a little drummer boy, waiting for Reid’s response. I shouldn’t have asked. I did this to myself often. I would think Reid and I were on the same page—friends, or something similar—and then he would pull back and put up his walls again. He did it all the time while we “worked,” too. One second, he was putting himself out there, feeling whatever it was he needed to feel, and then he snapped back into reality like a taut rubber band, vanishing before my eyes.

That was why it surprised me that he actually answered. His voice was low, like gritty sandpaper being rubbed along my skin. “Because I have things going on in my head that just won’t stop.”

I nodded, because I understood that. There were times that I had trouble sleeping at night because I was so worried about my sister, or even more recently, worried about the debt that our family faced.

I understood that, and I understood Reid, even with as little as he told me. I felt like I knew exactly what he was feeling, just like I knew he needed a hug last night, and I knew he needed me to stay in his room without probing him for answers.

Reid turned on his side and propped his head of messy yet adorable hair on his hand. “Why don’t you ever ask?”

I shifted uncomfortably, moving to a sitting positio

n. “Ask what?”

His mouth formed a slight frown. “You never ask what’s keeping me up, or why I’m so stuck in my own head, or why I’m a jerk most of the time.”