Chapter 29 #2
They both shoot their eyes over to Reid, the three of them having some sort of silent conversation. Reid stiffens but quickly recovers. “All bad things, of course.”
Jane plays with her necklace. “Please. Aspen, how long do you have? I have some stories about this one.”
“I’m sure,” I chuckle.
“I’m more interested in how you two met,” Nikolai says. “Or reconnected, I guess I should say. I remember hearing about you all those years ago. Reid’s sister.”
“Foster sister,” Reid and I both say at the same time. His hand pinches my waist.
“Apologies.” Nikolai grins, and I bet this guy never has a problem getting exactly what he wants. “How did you two meet again?”
I glance up at Reid, who nods at me to go ahead. “He came into my work. It’s this small coffee shop and bar place over by his boxing gym, and one day after his workout he stopped in for a drink.”
“Which she refused to give me,” he butts in.
“Because it wasn’t time to switch over yet,” I argue back. “But when it was, I gave you your drink, didn’t I?”
“I’m surprised there wasn’t spit in it.”
“How do you know there wasn’t?”
He shakes my shoulders playfully, and I tuck my hand into the back pocket of his jeans.
“Anyways, he didn’t recognize me, but I knew exactly who he was. And…” I trail off. Me singing that song he used to always sing, him recognizing his guitar, the moment of clarity…those details feel too personal. Like they’re just for us. “And he hasn’t left me alone since.”
Jane laughs, the sound bright and full, while Nikolai snickers behind her.
“Something like that,” Reid mutters, but there’s no sense of irritation on his face. “We lost touch when we moved out here,” he says to Nikolai.
“When did you move here, Aspen?” Jane asks.
“Three years ago. As soon as I turned eighteen.”
I see them both doing mental math. Yes, Reid’s seven years older than me. But that hasn’t seemed like a barrier between us.
Maybe because I don’t feel like most twenty-one year olds.
“Well, you’ll have to show me some of your favorite spots,” Jane offers. “There’s still so many places in the city I have to see.”
“Yeah, uh, I love the beach. Maybe when it’s a nice day we could go.”
Her face is kind as she says, “That’d be great.”
Reid’s fingers mindlessly twirl in the ends of my hair. “Do you guys want something to drink?”
He ends up opening a bottle of wine for everyone to share, which then turns into a second as we move into the living room.
Nikolai and Reid share touring stories, and for once, Reid doesn’t look sad as he reminisces about his career.
Jane tells me how she and Nikolai actually dated back in high school but broke up when he moved to LA with the band.
Then how they reconnected when she helped him look over his solo contract.
She’s easy to talk to, and the way she and Nikolai play off of each other is just as entertaining as it is sweet. Reid seems relaxed, sunken back into the couch, foot thrown across his other leg. One of his hands lays on my thigh, while the other holds his wine glass.
We could sit here for hours, but the darkening sky catches my attention.
I check the time. We’re supposed to be meeting my friends out in just over an hour.
I glance at Reid, who flicks his eyes to the clock.
Noting the time, he turns to his friends.
“We’re headed out with Aspen’s friends tonight, so we should start getting ready. ”
“Of course! We should get on to dinner. We probably missed our reservation.” Jane stands immediately and waits for Nikolai to do the same.
“They’ll hold it for me, don’t you worry, LJ.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say, pretty boy. Thanks for letting us drop by and for the drinks.”
I walk with them to the door, Reid and Nikolai murmuring to each other. When we get to the foyer, a few guitars are propped against the wall in cases.
Nikolai grabs one encased in white leather. “Thanks for bringing this out. Don’t know if we’ll get any use out of it next week, but it’s worth a shot to bring it anyway.”
“We’ll see,” Reid says. He unlocks the door and gives Nikolai a brief hug. “See you next week.”
“Have a good night.”
Jane pulls me in for a quick hug. I return it, slightly surprised by the connection. But Jane smiles warmly at me and says, “As soon as the weather’s nice, I want to see your favorite beach spot, okay?”
I nod. “Let’s do it.”
We finish saying our goodbyes before the two of them walk hand in hand to Nikolai’s car. Reid shuts the door, engulfing the house in silence. His eyes take on a predatory glint and I know exactly where his mind is headed.
I push his chest, smirking at him. “Oh no, no time for that. We need to get ready.”
“I’m good at multitasking,” he says, voice full of heat.
It goes straight to my core. My nipples tighten as he prowls toward me, step for step as I walk backwards toward the stairs.
As soon as I feel the edge of the first one against the back of my heel, I turn around and book it.
Laughter spills from my throat as Reid chases me up the stairs, through his bedroom, and corners me in the shower.
He makes me come twice in there before he finishes on my back. Even though I’m on birth control and we stopped using condoms after the first night we were together, he still pulls out sometimes. I know he does it for my own peace of mind.
His hands make quick work of washing away the evidence of his release. I kiss him quickly, the taste of wine still on his tongue.
He stays in the shower while I hop out and make quick work of drying my hair as best as I can. I start on my makeup just as he shuts off the water.
“I was wondering how long you were going to spend in there,” I tease, the bathroom now quiet without the water running.
His voice echos off the tile walls. “After years of being told not to waste water, and then living on a tour bus sharing a shower with so many other people, long showers have become my favorite luxury.”
“They’d be mine too if mine didn’t suck so bad.”
“Just another reason for you to spend more time here.” He comes up behind me, arms wrapping around my waist. I’m just in my bra and underwear, the bathroom too steamy for clothes just yet.
I meet his eyes in the mirror. “I’d be over more if Macaroni were here.”
“So bring him with you.”
I freeze, mascara wand halfway to my eye. “Are you serious?”
He shrugs. His wet hair drips onto my shoulder and back. “If that’s what I have to do to get more time with you, then I’ll deal with it.”
I’ll deal with it. In Reid’s words, that’s just about one of the most romantic things he’s ever said to me.
I crane my neck, reaching for a kiss. His hands grip my waist as he ducks his head, obliging me. “I’ll bring him over sometime for a trial sleepover.”
Reid scoffs. “Trial sleepover? He just better not scratch my shit.”
I clamp my lips shut and resume my makeup routine. He’s most definitely going to put a few scratches on the couch downstairs.
“I like your friends,” I say, changing the subject.
Reid walks into the adjacent closet to browse through his clothes. “They’re alright.”
I chuckle at his sarcasm. “Did you know they were swinging by?”
“No. They were headed to dinner and Nikolai asked if he could take one of my guitars to the retreat next week. We’re all driving together, but guess he wanted to pick it up early.”
“I didn’t think you guys were going to be working on music while you’re there?”
“That’s not the plan, but if it happens…” There’s a slight lift at the end of his words, a small bit of hope woven into them. God, I hope that doesn’t get snuffed out next week.
He grabs a few items of clothing and tosses them on the bed before moving to the sink next to the one I’m getting ready at.
“Do you think Jane was serious when she told me she wanted to hang out?” I ask.
He frowns at me in the mirror. “Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know.” I apply another coat of mascara. “I didn’t know if maybe she was just trying to be nice for your sake.”
“She wouldn’t do that just for my benefit.” He flicks his razor on, running it over his jaw and cheeks. “She’s a genuine person.”
“It seems like you two get along well.” He was just as comfortable shooting the shit with her as he was with Nikolai. She didn’t balk from his biting taunts, instead returning them with fervor.
“Yeah, guess you could say that.” He leans forward to closely inspect the stubble on his face.
There’s something about the way he says it that tickles something in the back of my mind. I grab my hairbrush and run it through my still-drying strands. “Why’d you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, just the way you said it. Sounds like there’s something more behind it.”
He pauses for a moment before continuing to shave. “I mean…yeah, we get along well. Guess I should probably tell you. We’ve uh—slept together.”
I blink. My hand falls from my hair. The bathroom goes cold, despite the lingering steam. “What?”
His eyes meet mine in the mirror, hesitant but unremorseful.
“You slept with Jane?”
“Yeah.”
“Your best friend’s sister.”
“Yeah.”
“Your other best friend’s girlfriend.”
“It was a group decision.”
“A group decision?” I choke, my voice high-pitched and almost unrecognizable to even my own ears.
My head spins, gut churning. It feels like I just got punched. Not only because of how blunt and nonchalant he seems about it, but because he never told me.
And I just spent hours talking with her, none the wiser.
I’m suddenly rethinking every single interaction from earlier. Was Reid looking at her that way I sometimes notice him looking at me? Was she watching him through a lens of more than just his best friend’s girlfriend?
“It was a while ago. Before I met you again.”
“Well I would fucking hope so!”
He rears back, almost like he’s taken off guard at my shock. Why should he be? “You should’ve told me.”
He rubs a towel over his hair, another one tied loosely around his waist. “I just did. There wasn’t exactly a great time to bring it up.”
“I don’t care. I feel like an idiot. Like there was an inside joke the three of you were all a part of and I was ignorant to.”
“If you expect me to tell you about everyone I’ve ever slept with, we’d be here for quite a while.”
His words land sharp blows to my stomach. That old, familiar defensiveness of his underlines his tone. It makes my shoulder hitch.
“Well, would you prefer to give me an overview, or should I just expect that every woman I meet through you now you’ve probably slept with?”
His face hardens. “That’s not fair.”
It’s not, but my anger and insecurities flood the logical part of my brain. I knew he wasn’t celibate by any means, but I didn’t expect to be hanging out with a girl that he slept with, completely ignorant to their history together.
Especially not so soon after just losing my virginity to him.
“Whatever,” I say and drop the hairbrush to the counter. “I shouldn’t have expected that you’d consider my feelings in this. After all, you’re always used to worrying about your own.”
I take off toward the bedroom where my bag sits open on the bed, and I quickly grab my clothes. I slip my dress over my head as Reid follows me in there. “Are you seriously pissed about this right now? I told you. I could’ve just kept it a secret.”
“That right there.” I point at him. “The fact that you’d consider keeping it a secret from me just to keep yourself from having to face my reaction is just as much of a problem as you not telling me earlier.”
He runs his hands through his hair, clearly agitated. “Did you want me to tell you in front of both of them?”
I put my back to him, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on my boots. “It’s not even—” I cut myself off, unsure of how to explain it to him in a way he’ll understand. “Whatever. I don’t think you should come tonight.”
“What?”
“I’m going to go by myself.” I finish zipping up my right boot and stand. My feet wobble, not from the heels. But I tilt my head back, feigning confidence I haven’t felt since his admission in the bathroom.
Frustration hardens every line in his face as he wars with himself, trying to keep his anger in check. “Are you being fucking serious right now? You’re making this a way bigger deal than it is.”
I grab my purse, phone, and keys because I’m sure as hell not coming back here tonight. Without another word, I slam his bedroom door on my way out.