10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Jax
What the hell am I thinking?
Heading to a very possibly married woman’s house to hang out with a group of women we don’t even know.
Yeah, stellar decision-making on my part.
Then again, this is more James’s fault than anything. He’s basically a golden retriever in human form and starts drooling the second anyone says Let’s go out .
I should’ve just stayed back with Casey. Since he’s not a social butterfly like James and Gareth, he opted out. And now look at me, kicking myself for not doing the same.
I’ve never been that guy; the one who goes out to meet new people. I’d rather stay home, maybe watch a few movies, write a song or two. Hell, I’d even rather clean. Even during the Overcast Tour, it was the same routine every day: play the set, slink back to the van, sleep, eat, shower, repeat.
So why the hell did I think now was the time to change?
My grip tightens on the wheel, fingers going pale as the blood drains. I should just turn around. But my brain won’t shut the hell up. It just keeps feeding me a million reasons to keep going.
Like how I promised I wouldn’t just hole up in the hotel for the whole trip. Or how I actually kind of want to talk to the woman who’s been taking up way too much of my brain space the last few days. Even if the anxiety is gnawing at my insides like I swallowed fucking battery acid.
I slow the car and inch forward when the house finally comes into view. A very large house at that. Like, “Better Homes & Gardens” huge.
“Do you think they’re… rich?” James asks from the back seat. He’s been bouncing around the entire drive until the last five minutes when he finally relaxed enough to sit back.
Like I said—golden retriever.
“Somebody sure is,” Gareth mutters, tipping up the peak of his cap for a better look.
I swallow hard, stretching my fingers to get the feeling back.
James’s door flies open before I even get a chance to put it into park. He’s halfway up the walkway before I can blink, but thankfully, Gareth catches up to him in only a few strides.
When I finally reach them, Gareth stops, whistles low, and gives the front garden a once-over.
“Didn’t I tell you we’d find some sugar mamas while we were here?” he says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes and punch him in the arm, making him stumble. “Knock it off,” I mutter.
James raises his hand to knock, but somehow, it feels like he’s knocking on my chest. Everything slows down, and all I can hear is the frantic pounding of my own heart.
Yeah… maybe this was a bad idea.
The door swings open, and for a second, it’s like the air vanishes. She looks like she just woke up, despite it being nearly six at night. Her hair is piled into a messy bun, and she’s wearing a thin, oversized jumper slipping off one shoulder.
And somehow, she still looks just as beautiful as ever.
She runs a hand over her forehead, trying to tame her wild hair.
“Hi!” she says with what sounds more like forced enthusiasm. “I… uh… come on in.” She steps aside, her hand still glued to her forehead.
James skips inside while Gareth and I slink behind. My eyes meet Allie’s the second I cross the threshold, and I offer her a warm smile. She returns the gesture, and her shoulders noticeably relax as she slowly closes the door.
I nervously look down, trying to think of something to say— anything to break the awkward silence.
Except awkward and I are old friends. I was always that shy, nerdy kid, and here I am, well into adulthood, about to produce an entire record with my band, and I still can’t figure out how to talk to a pretty girl.
Pretty fucking pathetic if you ask me.
“You have a lovely home,” I finally say, sweeping my arm out to the large space. If we thought the outside was huge, it didn’t even begin to compare to the inside. The high ceilings make even me feel small.
“Oh, uh”—she tucks a strand of hair nervously behind her ear—“thanks. It’s my aunt’s.”
She walks by me slowly, and my feet become glued to the floor the second her perfume hits me. Then I’m suddenly transported back to the day we first met. My heart swells with that same euphoric feeling, heat gradually spreading across my chest.
I finally start to follow her into the large living area, but then my eyes land on a gorgeous six-string acoustic mounted on the wall. My feet come to a halt, and I stare at it, awestruck by the sun bouncing off the wood.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Allie’s voice comes from behind me.
When I turn around, her arms are crossed over her chest, a small smile lifting at the corners of her mouth. She walks farther in and extends her hand slowly, running her fingers lightly over the strings.
I stare at her while she marvels over the instrument, my pulse ripping through my wrist.
“Beautiful,” I reply, although now I’m not so sure I was talking about the guitar anymore.
“I always wanted a Taylor growing up,” she says before her hand slips from the guitar and she turns to face me. “My mom always said an acoustic was plenty loud enough, and I didn’t need an excuse to make it louder with an amp,” she adds with a chuckle.
I want to respond to keep the conversation going, but I can’t tear my eyes away from her smile—how effortlessly it shines, especially now when talking about music.
Then a question slams to the front of my brain with every alarm flashing.
My eyebrows furrow. “Wait, you play?” I ask, trying not to sound as shocked as I feel.
“ Played ,” she corrects me. “All throughout high school. I found any excuse I could to play. I always thought that’d be my career, but life had other plans.”
Her eyes return to the guitar, and that same storm I noticed the other day is raging now. I can see the sadness she holds behind those bright blue eyes, but somehow, she still has a smile on her lips every time I see her.
“Do you mind me asking what direction you went in?” I ask softly.
Her eyes meet mine, and she gives me a small shrug. “I decided to go with my second love”—her smile widens—“I chose—”
An arm suddenly appears around my shoulder, making me jump. I turn to see James grinning ear to ear.
“Mate, you have to see this!”
I don’t even have time to protest before he yanks me away from Allie, dragging me into the living room. I stumble over my own feet as heliterally pulls me by the neck.
We finally stop in front of a large flat-screen TV, and I’m more confused than ever.
“That’s great, bud,” I say, trying to hide my confusion.
He bends at the knees, shaking his head. “No, you prat. I’m talking about this,” he says, gesturing to a collection of vinyl records below it.
My eyes widen, and I kneel beside him. It’s like a fucking gold mine—everything from Alice in Chains to AC/DC, even Metallica still sealed.
James reaches for one, and my heart lurches before I quickly swat his hand away.
He yanks his hand back, rubbing it. “Ouch, dude! What the hell?”
“They’re a collection ,” I say, eyes still on the shelf. “You think they’re gonna want your grubby hands leaving prints all over them?” I say with a chuckle.
He rolls his eyes and mutters, “Rich people and their collectibles.”
“Well, well. What do we have here?” Gareth says, grunting while he bends to join us. “Oh, shit. They have Black Sabbath,” he says, reaching for the vinyl, and my heart plummets— again.
James whacks Gareth quickly on the hand before he can reach it, and it takes everything in me not to burst out laughing at the look of betrayal on Gareth’s face.
He shakes his hand out before giving James a death glare. “The hell?”
“Jax said they’re collectibles. Don’t touch them with your nasty hands,” James says with a smirk. “Plus, I just wanted to slap you.”
“So, people just collect these things and don’t even listen to them? What the hell’s the point in that?” he asks while standing back up.
James shrugs. “Just to say you have it, I guess.”
I scoff before looking up at Gareth. “They hold value when you take care of them. Like this one.” I point to the Led Zeppelin LP resting on the end. “This one’s gotta be worth something.”
“Whatever you say,” he mutters, shaking his head.
I watch him turn to walk away and catch Allie still standing where I left her.
Except now, she’s talking with Ana and her other friend who I still can’t remember her damn name.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I can see the way Allie has splashes of red spreading across her neck while she keeps shaking her head, biting back a smile.
I can’t place my finger on what exactly it is about her that draws me to her. The way she has my curiosity piqued every time we meet and how much I just want to know more. Her voice is quickly becoming my favorite sound with the way her laugh is so light but is still full of life at the same time.
It’s definitely a weird feeling, but I’ll just chalk it up to an innocent attraction.
There’s nothing else to really call it. She’s gorgeous, and sweet, but there’s nothing to pursue here.
She even said this wasn’t her house, so clearly she’s just on vacation and will likely be returning to a whole ass family when she leaves here.
But there’s nothing wrong with new friends, right?
Are you really on vacation if you don’t meet at least one new person?