16. Stasi
sixteen
Stasi
I must be hallucinating.
Too many sleepless nights and long shifts at work are getting to me.
But when I do a double-take through the windows of the group fitness room, I confirm that yes, it is indeed Beau striding across the parking lot toward the gym, dressed in a fitted gray tee, dark athletic shorts, and pink flip-flops.
A flurry of emotions hit me all at once. Happiness that he’s still here. Panic that he’s about to tell me he’s leaving or that Liam doesn’t want us.
Instead, he walks right into class, grabs a mat stacked along the back wall, and rolls it out on the floor.
Heart skipping, I rush over to him. “What are you doing, Beau?”
Blue eyes glitter with warmth as he toes off his flamingo-patterned flip flops. They look like the flimsy kind you’d get from the cheap shelves you have to walk through to get to the checkout.
“Liam suggested I come work out the kinks in my muscles. He told me I hunch too much in the studio.”
“Oh?” My brows raise. “No other extracurricular activities that might be causing muscle pain?”
He shrugs, dimples popping. “Might have to engage in a bit more of that activity to draw a conclusion.”
Shaking my head, I return to my mat at the front of the class. I catch Beau stretching in the mirrors, and I already know he’s going to be a distraction. I can’t just kick him out of class, though.
It hits me that somehow Beau knew where I taught yoga. I don’t think I’ve ever told Liam. I didn’t tell Liam where I live either.
This reeks of twin meddling.
Scooping up my phone, I fire off a text to Hail. Have you been dishing about my life to Liam?
His response is quick, which means he’s clutching his phone in hopes that Z reaches out. Yeah, he’s been asking about you. He needs a friend. I’m about to be on tour again.
The word friend has my pulse spiking.
Do friends do filthy things with each other?
Yeah. I’m not about to ask my brother that.
By some miracle, class goes without a hitch. I manage to keep my voice level and my eyes mostly off Beau as he bends and twists with a surprising amount of flexibility.
As people trickle out, Beau ends up in a conversation with Ryan. Can he go anywhere without making friends?
When Beau finally goes to put his equipment up, Ryan wanders over. “Another great class, Stasi. So who’s the boy toy?”
Hot blood rushes to my cheeks. “Um. He’s… a friend.”
“Oh, honey. He doesn’t look at you like you’re a friend .”
Beau decides it’s a good time to interrupt with an arm around my waist. “Nothing friendly about what I want to do with you.”
“Oh my god. I knew it.” Ryan breaks into a wide grin. “You two should come to brunch with the gang this morning.”
“Yeah. Love to,” Beau replies immediately, patting his stomach.
I throw him a look that earns me an expression of pure mischief .
“Great! We meet at Sunny’s at eleven. See you there.” Ryan waves and struts from the room.
My frown must indicate I need some sort of talking to because Beau holds up his hands in submission.
“Hey. He told me he’s been trying to invite you to brunch for weeks. He said you just put your head down and rush out of here like the place is haunted. It made me a little sad. And I’m severely hungry. Bad decision hungry.”
I rub at my brows. “I don’t know what to think about this right now.”
Beau brings me into his arms. “Then don’t think. Let’s just go have fun and fill up on mimosas.”
His words melt the tension in my body.
“Fine.” I sigh. “We can have breakfast.”
He drops a kiss to my temple. “Mind if I hop in your car? Ubered here.”
“Hijacking my class, bumming rides, forcing me to make friends…” I rant off, unable to stop my smile.
Beau scoops me up in his arms again, and I giggle. “Don’t forget coaxing you into a threesome.”
“Oh, yes. I’d nearly forgotten about that.”
“Maybe we need to refresh your memory.”
I break out of his hold with a breathy laugh. “We are not going to make it to brunch with your new best friend if you keep doing that.”
“Hmm. Mimosas or sex. Hard decision.”
Smiling, I hold out my hand to him. “I’ll make it for you. Come on, trouble.”
It’s a perfectly acceptable day. The sun is out, but not quite angry. We’re shaded beneath a giant teal umbrella on the side patio of a trendy breakfast joint.
Beau keeps my hand in his under the metal table as Ryan introduces his husband and two women from my yoga class with their significant others. Apparently, it’s tradition to come here after I bend them into weird shapes.
Normally, I fade into the background in a crowd, but Ryan keeps the conversation flowing.
I had no idea he worked in the medical field as a nurse.
Penny, another regular from my class, introduces her wife as a sonogram tech.
I’m deep into a conversation with her about our baby nieces when a towering figure walks through the side door.
My heart drops.
Again, I have to question if this is a mirage brought on by the Texas heat or if I’m stuck in some sort of strange dream.
That can’t be Liam walking toward us, sunglasses on and black tee fitted to his muscled form, right?
I haven’t seen him out in the real world for anything but music and workouts.
A tidal wave of nerves crashes over me. What will the group think about my two “friends?” I wish I could say I don’t care about outside opinions on my life choices, but unfortunately, my confidence has been eroded by the suffocating pressure of a strict upbringing and bad friendships.
“Hope you don’t mind. I invited him,” Beau leans over to whisper.
I don’t speak as Liam drags out the empty chair on my other side. A table of captivated eyes watches as he pushes up his sunglasses and sits down.
Those curious gazes soon turn to me when Liam rests his arm along the back of my chair .
Seeming to realize I’m floundering for words, Ryan comes to my rescue. “Dear god, Stasi. I think you just became my new favorite person.”
Laughter breaks loose, and then introductions happen again for Liam’s sake. He’s perfectly polite, if not quieter than me. We’re both exercising muscles we don’t normally use, all thanks to the smiling man on my left.
After dining on pancake flights and fresh-pressed juice for two hours, Ryan checks his watch and complains about weekend chores that need to get done. The other couples soon drift off as well to start their days.
I glance at Liam. “Are we doing this?”
There’s a calm determination in his eyes. “If that’s what you want. I’m willing to try.”
Swallowing, I look over at Beau, but he doesn’t seem to be paying attention. He’s slouched in the chair, eyes closed and head tilted back like a lizard baking in the heat.
A soft laugh breaks free from me. “You really are a Phoenix boy.”
“Born and raised, baby.”
I have a thought to ask if he misses it. Time at home is precious when your career is in music.
Shouldn’t he be out touring?
Beau’s head tilts my way. “Hey, pretty girl.”
Shoving down my sadness, I force a weak smile. “Hi, Beau.”
“You come here often?”
“Nope. This weirdo dragged me here and cleaned my plate.”
Beau jerks upright, his expression twisting. “ Shit . I’m sorry. I thought you said you were done. We can order you more food—”
“I’m teasing, Beau. I offered you my last pancake.”
Blowing out a breath, he drops his forehead to the table. “And here I thought I’d fucked it all up. ”
Liam chuckles. Pushing up from his chair, he says, “Gotta get back to work. You're coming to the studio, Stas.”
My smile grows at his demand. “Yeah.”
I expect Beau to hop in Liam’s car as we walk to the parking lot, but for some reason, he climbs into my passenger seat instead.
What would it take to convince him to stay? Is that fair to ask when I've witnessed firsthand how much Hail and Liam fought for their musical careers?
Burying those thoughts, I hold out my phone with Spotify pulled up. “Put on your band. I wanna hear you play.”