Chapter 18 Ava
“Ava!” My eyes flew open, and I sat up as Mia called again.
“What?” I mumbled, swinging my legs off the side of the bed and opening my bedroom door. “Did I sleep too long?”
Mia popped her head out of the bathroom, her hair curled and down, her eyes smoky, and her nude lipstick in her hand. “Yeah, you have twenty minutes.”
“Who you trying to impress?” I asked her as I took in her skinny, dark gray jeans and a blood red off-the-shoulder top.
“No one,” she scoffed as she went back into the bathroom.
“Lead singer of Atticus Dawn perchance?”
“Perchance?” Mia’s light laugh from the bathroom had me grinning. “No one says perchance.”
“Elizabeth Bennet does,” I corrected her as I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge door, and stared at the contents of the fridge. When Mia didn’t respond, I rolled my eyes. “Pride and Prejudice, Mia. Did we drink all the soda?”
“No, I made up mixers,” Mia told me as she came into the kitchen.
“You look good,” I complimented her as she took out a jug and poured us a healthy glass each. “How long have I got?”
“Fifteen?” She grinned at me as we clinked glasses. “You’ll only need ten.”
“So I get dressed quickly.” I took a hearty gulp. “Ooh yummy. I’ll be back in five.”
My clothes for tonight were already laid out, and I tossed my sleep shorts and tank off, pulling on the black mid-thigh flippy skirt and simple black box top with a small shoulder-capped sleeve.
I slipped on my black and white Converse over my sneaker socks, and I went to the bathroom to brush my hair.
“Mia, come do a messy bun!” I called to her, and within minutes, she had my hair in two high ponytails before she was pulling them through the hairbands and then looping them through each other.
With a few bobby pins, she secured my messy bun, pulling a few strands of my blonde hair free to “soften” my face, as she called it.
“You need mascara and lippy,” Mia told me as she pulled my makeup bag from the cupboard under the sink. “Use the extra volume one I got you,” she said as she handed me the tube.
“You’re so bossy,” I muttered as I obligingly stroked the wand over my lashes.
“Red or rosy pink?” Mia held the lip gloss in her hands.
“Pink.” I decided. With a final look in the mirror, I was ready. “Did I make it?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “With time to spare. Let’s finish our drinks; I called a cab.”
“You did?” I asked her in surprise, and I picked up my flyers for tonight’s show.
“These pants are new, so I’m not sitting in Wade’s van on those seats where he puts his drive-thru food.”
I opened my mouth to ask how she knew what had been on the van’s seats, but one look from Mia made me simply drink from my glass instead. “This is all I’m having tonight, if we go to the party after the gig,” I told her as I pointed at the glass. “I’ve had enough party time already this semester.”
“I thought you would, that’s why I only made enough for two glasses and used extra soda.”
Briefly hugging her, I laughed when she squeezed me back. “This is why I love you.” I headed back to my room to grab my purse.
“Cab’s here!” Mia called as I entered the living room. “Got everything?”
“Yes, ma’am, let’s rock and roll.”
Wade’s band was playing in Cardinal tonight, so it was a ten-minute drive in the cab, and Mia talked to the driver the whole time while I checked my flyers, admiring the new design.
When we got to the bar, I told the bouncer our names, and he tagged us as underage with pink wristbands. We were early, and Wade and the guys were still setting up. “Hey, I have them. Where do you want them?” I asked as I held up the flyers and assessed the tables.
“One on every table, then they said we can put them on the shelf over there,” Wade said as he pointed to the shelf that ran the entire length of the bar.
We’d been in this bar before. It was bigger than some of the ones at campus, and the floor was always sticky from years of people spilling their drinks when they were dancing.
Sheryl, the lady who owned the place, was nice, and she always gave Mia and me free soda when we were here.
“Holy shit, you both look hot,” Wade blurted when he finally looked at us. “You are staying here, aren’t you?” he asked me worriedly.
“Yeah, but there’s a party at the basketball team’s house later,” I told him as I looked over at Mia, who was talking to Alex, the new singer. “Mia wants to party.”
“Cool, got that invite too. I’ll tag along with you,” Wade told me. “Posters are the shit, Ava. Love them.”
“Aww, thank you.” I batted my lashes at him, and he laughed. “Looking very JC tonight, Mr. Gordon,” I complimented him.
“Did you just tell Wade he looked like Jesus?” Shane asked me in confusion as he looked at the faux-mohawked, tattooed bass player.
“JC. Johnny Cash.”
“Oh,” Shane laughed self-consciously. “’Cause he’s all in black?”
Wade grinned as he called Alex over. “First song tonight, as inspired by our poster girl, ‘Man in Black,’” Wade told him, and Alex nodded.
“Sure, it’ll take us right into the new song too.”
“Agreed,” Wade said as he squeezed my arm before they went back to the stage area.
“You look good,” Shane said as he looked me over appreciatively. “For someone? Or do you have plans later?”
“Party at the Orchard later.”
“Basketball guys?” He grinned at me slyly. “They told me football was your game of choice.”
“So? I can’t party?” I teased him, and he smiled at me in good humor.
“Okay if I join you later?” Shane asked as he looked over to the stage where Sticks was calling for him.
“Yeah, Wade’s coming too.”
His smile lost some of the shine, but he turned before I could clarify that I was aware of what he was asking me. I started putting the flyers on the tables and strategically placing them along the shelf on the wall.
“Why does the hot guitarist look like you threw up in his shoes?” Mia asked me curiously as she handed me a soda.
“He asked if he could come to the party later, and I said yes and that Wade was already going.”
“Oh.” Mia took a sip of her soda. “Maybe it could have gone smoother,” she said with a small smile my way. “You can make it up to him later.”
“How?” I pulled out one of the stools at the wall, sat and crossed my legs, and leaned on one of the flyers as I stared at her.
“Tell him he played well and he’s a great addition to the band.” Mia shrugged as she swayed her hips to the music coming from the jukebox, oblivious to the fact that she had Alex’s full attention from the stage.
“You okay here or do you want to move closer?” I asked her as I looked around the bar. “They won’t mind if we get closer. They’d probably prefer us to be further from the bar,” I added ruefully.
“We can move nearer the time.”
Nodding at her plan, we spoke quietly as we watched Wade and the guys make the finishing touches to the setup, and then Wade was scribbling in a notebook, and I knew they were making up the set list. I shook my head at his casualness to the set, but he had explained to me before that he didn’t like selecting the music too far in advance.
He needed to feel his vibe on the night.
More people started arriving, and as they did, Mia and I left the comfort of our wall and started mingling and handing out flyers.
Pretty soon, the band started, and that made my job harder as everyone seemed to unconsciously move forward as one.
Wade had a good college following, and they were loyal supporters, mostly always showing up when they had an off-campus gig.
An hour into the music, I was glad I had worn sneakers and a skirt; it was so hot in here. The music was great, the crowd was enjoying it, and all my flyers were safely in people’s purses or back pockets. Good result.
I was back at the side of the room, leaning against the shelf as I watched Mia dancing beside the stage.
She was with a girl from one of her classes, and they were having fun.
Wade started to play the intro to one of their best songs, and I pushed off the shelf to stand straight.
I loved this one, it was called “Stars and Dusk,” and he said he wrote it one night after watching a film about six demons and a witch. I loved this song.
As I sang along to the chorus, I felt a body press up against me, and I stepped forward. The presence behind me stepped forward with me, and as I turned to glare at whoever it was to back off, my words died on my tongue as Jett stared down at me.
He would never hear my protestations over the music, so I stepped forward again and startled when an arm slipped around my waist, pulling me back into his hard body. Again, I looked over my shoulder at him, and he raised an eyebrow at me in question before turning his attention to the stage.
So that was it? Was I to just accept his manhandling of me? Staying as rigid as I could, I jumped when his breath caressed my ear.
“Loosen up, Uptight, anyone would think you hated me touching you.” I felt the nip at my ear, and I was glad he didn’t hear my reaction. “We both know you have no problem with my hands on you.” As he spoke, his hand slipped under my loose top, and his fingers stroked over my skin.
I felt him straighten, but his hand never moved, his thumb rubbing light circles over my skin, and along with it, my heart thumped in rhythm. Should I move? Would he let me? Will he let me leave? Seriously? I grumbled inwardly.
He doesn’t own you.
He doesn’t even like you!
Then why is he touching me?
To throw you off-balance, Ava. And newsflash, it’s working!
As the song ended, my hand covered Jett’s, and I tugged. The guy had strong hands. I mean, he’d been flinging balls through the air since he was three, but seriously, were they glue?
Alex started to sing the cover version of a Michael Ray song, and as his gravelly voice wrapped over us, I felt Jett at my ear again.
“You trying to get rid of me, Uptight?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “You don’t need to hold onto me.”
“I can’t hear you.”
Leaning back, I turned my head as far as I could so he could hear me.
I saw the amusement in his eyes when my ass pressed into him, and when I tried to jerk free, he took a step back and turned us both before I was spun in his arms, looking up at him.
The move was so sudden, I didn’t know how I was facing him.
Two shadows moved and stood in front of Jett, shielding us, and I realized Ash and Gray were here too.
Why? This wasn’t something they would normally be at.
I went to ask, but the hardness in Jett’s stare made me bite my tongue. “Every time I try to find an answer about Friday, you’re there.”
“I don’t understand.”
He said nothing, but swiftly he stepped away from me. I realized the music had stopped and Alex was telling the crowd they were having a ten-minute break.
“Ava, there you are!” Mia looked at me and then Jett, her eyes widening when she realized all three Santo guys were there. “You okay?” she asked me as she looked over Gray and Ash, who had just turned to face us.
“I’m fine,” I answered her as I maintained eye contact with Jett.
“Jett,” Gray said quietly in the loud bar, and Jett flicked his eyes away from mine to look at his brother. Wade was heading to the bar, and Jett coolly stepped away from me without a backward glance, Gray on his heels. Ash lingered, but his eyes were all for Mia.
“Don’t you need to run after him too?” I snapped at him. Mia’s eyes widened in surprise at my obvious animosity, but she said nothing as she looked at Ash.
Ash smiled; it was slow, and goddamn it was sexy. I was thankful that I wasn’t on the receiving end of it, or else I was sure I would have felt my knees weaken. But Mia? She looked completely unimpressed.
“Ash,” he told her.
“And?”
His smile was now a grin, and with a dip of his head to her, he walked past. I noticed his hand skimmed her arm as he passed her, and I don’t know if he would have felt the goose bumps that ran over her arm at his touch, but there was no denying he had affected her.
“Holy shit, what was that?” I whisper-hissed at her when he was far enough away.
“I was hoping you would tell me,” Mia said, giving me her whole attention. “What did Jett want?”
I stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. “Huh?”
Mia blinked as she gave her head a quick shake. She looked at me, as if my reaction was confusing her. “Dude, you were just in a huddle with the Saints number eight.”
She was either ignoring my obvious question, or she was so used to guys hitting on her that she was now oblivious. I would probe later, I decided. I looked around and saw Jett and Gray talking to Wade, and I pointed them out to Mia. “He wanted to meet Wade.”
Lame, lame, lame . . . lame!
“But you didn’t introduce him,” Mia said to me in confusion.
“Ladies, how did you like the set?” Alex asked as he came up to us.
“You were great,” I told him truthfully and smiled when Shane joined us, handing a bottle of water to Alex.
As Mia talked to the guys, I couldn’t help but track the Santos as they spoke to Wade. Wade looked like his usual self, and he was talking happily to them. There was no universe that existed where Wade and the Devils were in the same orbit. What on earth were they talking about?
“That okay with you, Ava?” Shane asked me, and I turned back to them.
What? “Of course,” I agreed.
He smiled at me, and then both guys were heading back to the stage.
“You have no idea what you just agreed to, do you?” Mia said to me, her voice heavy with amusement.
“Tell me,” I urged as I watched the Santos leave the bar. Jett didn’t even look over his shoulder or in my direction at all. It was as if I didn’t exist. He had held me to him and hadn’t let me go when I tried. What did that mean? Did any of it mean anything?
“It’s nothing to worry about, we’re going to hang back at the end and then go to Orchard together.”
I nodded and flinched back when her hand appeared in front of my face.
“Now, are you going to tell me why you were all up in Jett’s space?” Mia asked me curiously.
“I was?” I asked her incredulously. “Did you even see the way you and Ash reacted to one another?”
Mia looked around the room. “Ash?”
“You’re ridiculous,” I murmured as the band began to play, and the music made it impossible to speak anyway.
Mia and I helped clean the tables when the music was over, and Sheryl was delighted with our help. When the band was all packed up and the bar had its normal Thursday night clientele, we waited outside for the guys to load the van.
“Who’s ready to party?” Wade cried when we were all in the van, and I laughed as he waggled his eyebrows.
I felt my shoulders relax as we got ready to leave the bar. I was looking forward to the party.