Chapter 24
Connor
Watching Tai at karaoke was incredible, but it’s nothing compared to seeing him on stage. His skin becomes a living canvas for the shifting colors of the lights. They paint him in shades of red, blue, and green, but out of them all, blue is my favorite.
Blue is ocean horizons and rainstorms, blueberries and saltwater. It’s tranquility, stillness, and peace.
It’s him.
He’s hypnotizing, and I can’t tear my eyes away. Bruce’s voice reaches me from my left, but I simply nod, blindly agreeing to his latest idea. Whatever it is, he’ll figure it out, with or without my input. Right now, nothing could pull my focus from Tai.
Leaving the resort without him is my biggest regret, and I don’t know how to make it right. He won’t even look at me, so how the hell do I get him to sit down and actually listen to what I have to say?
I was so scared of what I felt for him, so terrified that he would break me, that I ran. In the end, both of us were hurt, all because I was a coward. He has every right to hate me.
I’m still not over the shock of seeing him in that restaurant. Dante had mentioned his name a dozen times in emails and conversations, but it never once connected to the ‘Ty’ saved in my phone alongside a string of unanswered texts.
I keep wondering how things might have been different if we’d known each other’s identities from the beginning.
Would we have played it safe to protect our friendship with Dante, knowing the risk of running into each other and tearing apart loyalties if a relationship failed?
Or would living in the same city have given what was supposed to be a vacation fling the foundation to become something real?
Either way, that’s not what happened.
We didn’t learn the truth until it was too late. A thousand tiny decisions, if made differently, could have prevented this entire mess. We wouldn’t be standing here nursing two halves of the same broken heart.
I scan the crowd, then my eyes return to the band.
Eric owns the stage, his voice so strong he barely needs the microphone.
I track him as he jumps around the stage, then runs over to Tai.
Eric grips his shoulder and leans close, sharing the mic while Tai joins in a series of harmonies that send goosebumps racing across my skin.
“They’re amazing, huh?” Aaron moves closer so I can hear him over the blaring music. “I still cannot get over the fact that my boxing coach is friends with Falling Absent, man. They’ve been one of my favorites for years.”
“I never listened to them before now,” I admit, my eyes glued to Tai once more. “But yeah… they’re incredible.”
After two hours, they step off stage drenched in sweat, clothes clinging to their skin. Exhaustion and exhilaration mix on their faces, and for a split second Tai looks almost at peace. The venue staff rushes to assist them in breaking down their instruments, and we jump in to help.
Two large vans have been chartered to accommodate the band, my team, Monica, and the equipment. They’re waiting outside in a private loading dock, and after we finish packing, the band members pile into the vehicle parked in front.
Seeing my opportunity, I turn to Bruce and Aaron and gesture toward the second van.
“One of us should always be with the band. I’m going to jump in with them and have a discussion with Dante about proper procedures, too.
You two load up with Monica in the other one—Bruce, you’re driving.
” I toss him the keyring, which he snatches with a one-handed catch.
“Not fair,” Aaron whines, but Bruce smacks the back of his head and grunts at him to get moving.
Dante takes the driver’s seat with Theo beside him in the front, while Eric and Dmitri join them in the middle row and Tai settles into the third. Dmitri reaches to close the door, so I rush over.
“Hold up!” I call as I grab the handle and let myself into the van. “Thanks.”
Fully aware of how much space I’m taking up, I squeeze into the back and drop down beside Tai. He stares, jaw dropping, as I buckle my seatbelt.
“What are you doing?” he hisses.
“My job. Dante, from here on out someone else should be driving. I don’t want any of you guys in the front seat where you’re visible.”
Dante grumbles but begrudgingly nods.
“Going forward, we split the band, and there should always be one of us accompanying you.”
“Does it have to be you?” Tai demands, finally meeting my eyes for the first time tonight. “There isn’t room for you back here.”
I glance at the space between us and offer a small smile. “There’s plenty of room. I’ll stay on my side if that makes you more comfortable.” My voice softens as I add, “I just want to make sure you’re safe, Tai. That’s all.”
“And if I don’t want you here?”
Theo gawks from the passenger seat. “Why are you being mean?”
Tai’s face reddens, and he shifts his gaze out the window. “I just don’t understand why we need security. We’ve been managing without it this whole time.”
“That’s no reason to be rude,” Theo pushes. “He’s here to help, and you’re not being very nice. This isn’t like you, Tai. What’s go—”
“Theo, it’s alright,” I interrupt gently. “It’s a big change, and to be fair, I did come charging back here like a bull.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Tai mutters, quiet enough that only I hear.
I continue without comment. “You guys are gearing up for a long flight tomorrow, and everyone is exhausted from the show. You guys were incredible, by the way.”
The compliment redirects the focus of the conversation from Tai’s bad mood to the concert.
He doesn’t engage with the others, only huddles against the side of the van as he stares out the window.
His hand rests on his leg, and those long, slender fingers beg me to reach over and weave them between mine.
I don’t give in to the temptation, though. He’d either scream at me or attack me—maybe both—and then everyone would be asking questions. That wouldn’t earn me any points with him.
“Jugs, you got the schedule memorized for tomorrow?” Dante asks, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
“Yes, boss,” I tease. “Flight leaves at ten, and we’ll be in the air somewhere between ten and eleven hours. That will have us landing in Warsaw around four a.m. local time.”
Dante nods as he merges into traffic. “Your guys got their passports squared away?”
“I thought you were taking care of those?”
His eyes bug out in the mirror, but my attention goes to the quiet huff of a laugh that comes from beside me. I glance at Tai, but as soon as he realizes I heard him, his scowl returns and he curls back into his little ball.
I look back at Dante. “Yeah, we got our passports. Don’t have an aneurysm, please.”
“I’ll give you an aneurysm,” he mutters under his breath.
I chuckle despite the tension. “Sure you would, buddy. When’s the last time you took me down?”
He tries to glare at me, but there’s humor in his eyes. “I’ve made you bleed a few times.”
“That means I trained you properly.”
“I know a few moves that can take a man to his knees,” Theo says with his signature wolfish grin. “Not very complicated, and extremely effective. I’ll give you a demonstration if you want.” He tosses me an exaggerated wink.
“I think there have been enough demonstrations in my gym to last a lifetime,” I deadpan back.
Dante makes a panicked little grunt as his head turns red, while Theo cracks up. I feel Tai’s eyes on me, but he looks away the moment I glance over. The rest of the drive is uneventful as everyone settles into their own private conversations.
When we get to the hotel, I wait for Eric and Dmitri to exit the van and then take my time climbing out. Tai ducks under my arm and tries to dodge past me, then freezes when I gently catch his wrist.
“Are you ready to talk yet?” I ask quietly.
He doesn’t look at me, just shakes his head, but I’m not ready to let him go just yet.
“Will you at least consider it? Not tonight, but when you’ve had a chance to process?”
He still doesn’t meet my eyes, but this time he shrugs.
“If I buy you breakfast in the morning, are you going to throw it at me again?”
“Probably,” he mutters.
“Will that make you feel better?”
His eyes finally lift to mine. “No, Connor, it won’t. No matter how cute you try to be or how much you pretend to care, it doesn’t change what happened.”
It hurts my heart knowing that he believes what we shared was fake—that he thinks I could ever feign the type of connection we had. “It’s not pretending, sweetheart,” I say softly. “Of course I care.”
“Don’t call me that.” He yanks his arm free and storms toward the hotel. I fall in step beside him, matching his pace. “Stop following me.”
“That’s hard to do when we’re going to the same hotel. Where would you like me to walk?”
“How about off the side of a cliff?” he asks, voice deceptively sweet.
I sigh but say nothing else as we step into the lobby. Across the room, the elevators are closing with the rest of the band and Aaron inside, and we wait in a long, tense silence for it to return.
Tai steps into the elevator, then spins and presses a hand to my chest. He leans closer and his gaze climbs to meet mine, those dark eyes full of something I can’t quite read.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my voice coming out deeper than I intend.
He holds it for a moment, then shoves me. I’m so surprised by it that I take a step back, and the elevator doors start to close. “Get your own ride,” he snips.
“Like hell,” I mutter, and turn toward the stairs. Cardio is not my friend, but I dig in and sprint up to the fifth floor as fast as I can, taking the steps two at a time. I plant myself in front of the elevator with my arms crossed.
Tai steps out and barrels straight into me. “Oh, what the fuck?!” he yelps.
“I wasn’t done with you yet.”
“Except you are done with me,” he snaps. “You made that very clear.”
“No, I’m not.” I shake my head, stepping closer as he backs up and collides with the closed metal doors of the elevator. My finger waves back and forth between us. “This isn’t over, Tai. We aren’t finished. If you need time, I’ll give it to you, but eventually, you will talk to me.”
“Oh, I will?” he demands.
“You will, and we’ll figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.”
“Stop being so stubborn,” I say, my voice softening despite my frustration. “All this anger and animosity? This isn’t you. This isn’t us.”
“You never even knew me.” That obstinate chin lifts in defiance, and the only thing I want to do is lean down and kiss it. “And there was never an us.”
“Sweetheart, we both know that isn’t true.”
He fixes his eyes on me with all the hate he can summon. “You might’ve known me, but I sure as shit didn’t know you. You made sure of that.”
“Tai—”
He dodges past me, heading toward his door. “Goodnight, Jugs,” he calls over his shoulder, slamming his door and locking it.