Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (46 page)

“I’m with you. Thanks, Bran. For someone so stupid in love, you’re pretty smart.”

He laughs and just shakes his head. Just as he’s about to leave the kitchen, he turns back towards me. “I’m working on it little by little. You’re gonna be all right.” He pauses then gives me an indiscernible look. “I know I don’t say it often, but I love you, kid.”

His words cause me to choke up, and I blame it on the alcohol. “I love you, too, Bran. And hey, I’m always here to talk. You know, if you ever need to talk.”

He gives me a small smile. “I know, Coh. Appreciate it.”

With that, he leaves me, and I get up to grab a bottle of water, knowing that I need to preempt my hangover.

When I head back outside, the excitement has died down, the ambulance is gone, and the band has resumed playing. Charlie’s begging Knox to sing just one song before they leave for the hospital, and he’s shaking his head vehemently. She gets up on her tiptoes and whispers something in his ear, and the next thing I know, he’s marching towards the stage and giving Chris instructions on what to start playing.

As I look back and forth between Chris and Charlie, an idea—okay, not exactly an original one—pops into my mind, and I know just how I’m going to make things right.

IT’S BEEN two days since I left Cohen’s apartment and two days since I’ve left the couch.

Teddy and Sophie walk into the room, and he groans when looks at the television. “Rent again, Andi? Now I’m going to get depressed,” he jokes.

I just glare at him as he stands in front of the screen. “Move. I’m still pissed at you. Now leave me alone. It’s almost time for the I’ll Cover You Reprise, and you know that’s my favorite part.”

Teddy walks towards me and grabs the remote, pausing the movie. He sits down next to me and pulls me into his arms. I’m too tired to fight him.

“No, it’s just the part that makes you cry the most and you think it’ll mask the real reason why you’re crying. And you can be mad at me all you want. I was just looking out for you.”

Sitting up, I shove away from him, and he looks at me, shocked. “Why is it that all the men in my life think I’m incapable of making my own decisions?! Newsflash: Yes, I am a woman, but just because I have a vagina doesn’t mean I’m a freaking airhead. I told Dad I didn’t want to go to New York. I told you I didn’t want to go to New York. I told Cohen I didn’t want to go to New York. And not a single one of you will listen to me! I know what’s best for me. I know what I want, and it’s not fucking New York!” I scream at him, my chest heaving as anger rushes through me. Without thinking, I grab the pillow next to me and fling it at his head. He ducks at the last second, and it hits Sophie on the side of her head.

“Hey!” she exclaims.

I start giggling, probably looking like a maniacal fool. That felt really good, even if I did miss my intended target. Teddy laughs as well—until Sophie smacks him upside the head with a pillow.

“Stop laughing, asshole!”

“You are my new favorite person,” I tell her, the anger flowing out of me as quickly as it came.

She gives me a sympathetic look. “Boys are stupid,” she says, and I nod my agreement. “Plus, Cohen has a small penis.”

My smile falters, and Teddy turns to look at Sophie, his mouth hanging open.

“Shut up, Sophie. I may want to cut off said dick right now, but that’s still my dick. Plus, we both know that’s not true,” I retort.

A meek smile crosses her lips. “Right. That was probably the wrong the thing to say. I’m not good at this kind of stuff.”

Teddy covers his ears and makes a spectacle of himself. “Feel free to let me know when you’re not talking about the size of another guy’s junk around me.”

Rolling her eyes, Sophie leans over and pulls a hand away from his ear, whispering something that causes him to grin. I don’t even want to know. As soon as I get up to leave, Teddy catches my wrist and pulls me down to him.

“I really am sorry, Andi. I can talk to him if you want,” he tells me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

Cuddling up to him, I yank the remote out of his grasp. “Please don’t. You’ve done enough as it is. And it’s fine. He would’ve found out sooner or later. It’s my fault for banking on the later part.”

“If you say so. I’m here for you if you need me,” he says, and even though I’ve been mad at him for the past two days, I feel it melt away.

“I know, Teddy. I know.” With that, I turn the movie back on, and the three of us, probably an unconventional trio, cuddle up together. Even Teddy joins in on singing the songs.

For the first time in two days, my heart feels a little bit lighter. Yelling at Teddy was therapeutic, and I tell myself that I’ll give it one more day. Then I’m going to have a screaming match with Cohen until he gets it through his damn thick skull that Memphis is where my heart is. With my dream job and with him. I just hope he listens to me.

“WAKE UP, sleepyhead,” I hear Reese say as she shakes my shoulder.

Sitting up, I look down at the couch to see that we’ve fallen asleep, Sophie and I each taking up one of Teddy’s shoulders.

“As cute as the three of you look, you need to get your ass in the shower. I love you, girl, but you smell, and there’s no way I’m taking you out in public looking like that.”

Rising from the couch, I follow her to my bedroom and don’t speak until we’re down the hall so I don’t wake up the other two. “What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”

She pushes me into the bathroom, which is already steaming from the running water, and starts taking my clothes off. “I gave you two days to mope around, and I’m tired of it. It’s time to go out and drown your sorrows like most people our age.”

“Reese,” I begin to protest, but she shoves me in the shower. I jump from the scalding water, but once I get it to an acceptable temperature, I have to admit that it does feel good to wash off the dirt, grime, and dried tears. “I can drown my sorrows here in the comfort of the living room.”

She doesn’t respond, apparently having left me alone. After I finish showering, I feel refreshed and think that maybe a night out on the town is just what I need. Entering my room, I see Reese already has an outfit waiting for me on the bed. It’s Reese’s favorite little black dress, and it reminds me of the one I was supposed to wear to the engagement party. A sharp pang hits my heart at having missed it. I still have an unread text message from Charlie on my phone, but I can’t bring myself to open it.

Once I’m dressed and ready, I head to the living room where everyone is waiting for me. Teddy whistles, and Reese beams.

“Wow. Was I really that bad?”

“You were getting there,” Teddy admits, and Sophie slaps him on the arm. “What?! It’s tough love! But you look gorgeous, Andi. He’s—” Once again Sophie slaps him, and Reese glares at him before she hops up and declares that it’s time to go.

As we pile into Cy’s SUV, I turn to Reese. “Where are we going? You never said.”

She twirls a finger in her hair, and I don’t miss the look she exchanges with Teddy. “My boss called earlier and told me there was a last-minute band change tonight. There was a sudden cancelation and that guy, Chris, from Second Star to the Right, agreed to fill in. The whole band couldn’t make it, but he said he didn’t mind doing a solo show. I figured you’d want to go watch. I know how much you enjoyed it last time they were here.”

My heart flutters and falters at the same time. When she mentioned going out, I was thinking dancing and getting drunk until Cy and Teddy had to help me back to the car. I’m not sure a repeat of my first date with Cohen is a great idea when I’m trying to nurse my broken heart, especially since the man who made the date so perfect isn’t going to be there.

Apprehension washes over me, and dread settles in the pit of my stomach. I thought I could do this, but now, I’m not so sure. The closer we get to the bar, the more nervous I become. Closing my eyes, I rest my head against the back of the seat and tell myself that, once I get a few drinks in me, I’ll be able to let loose and enjoy the show. In fact, I’ll just treat it as a work assignment and perhaps I can already get started on an article for my new job in Memphis—because Cohen or no Cohen, I’m still taking it. He’ll just have to deal with me in the same city whether he likes it or not.

At the bar, the guys go to order drinks while Reese, Sophie, and I go to a booth nearest the stage. I try to stop farther back, but Reese insists we get as close to the stage as possible, saying that she couldn’t hear that well the last time he was here.

Chris takes the stage shortly after we get there and plays through a set of upbeat, fun songs. After a while—and three glasses of wine—I’m finally feeling relaxed enough to enjoy myself. Chris’s voice sounds so much more pure without the background instruments, and when he brings a stool out to the middle of the stage, the lights dim and he winks at someone in the back of the room.

“This one’s for old time’s sake,” he says and begins to croon a cover of Great Big World’s Say Something.

It’s even more stripped down than the original version, and the pain lacing his voice as he sings the last bridge has tears streaming down my face. It reminds me of my last conversation with Cohen, and suddenly the pain of our separation is too much to bear. It’s one song I can apply to our situation that I don’t want to, and for the first time in two days, I power on my phone, hopeful to have a missed call from him. Or at least a text.

Disappointment rushes through me when I see that I have nothing. Almost as if no one noticed that I was hiding away, miserable, and needing comfort. As sobs threaten to bubble up, I’m about to excuse myself to go to the bathroom, where I can cry in peace and then hopefully feign a headache and get Cy to take me home. Until I figure things out with Cohen, I don’t want to listen to another damn song. It’s funny. What once used to be my greatest comfort has become the source of my greatest pain. No longer does a song lift me up, because I hear his name, feel his touch, taste his lips, in every lyric I hear.

Just as I go to move, Reese tells me to hold on and refuses to budge. Swallowing hard, I bite back my tears and turn my attention to the stage, where Chris is eyeing me.

“It’s nice to see some familiar faces out there,” Chris says into the mic, giving me a wink. “Ever since I was kid, music’s been a part of my life. It’s the best expression, the perfect outlet for when you want to convey how you feel but you’re just not sure how to formulate it into words. You don’t have be a famous lyricist or be able to write the next greatest symphony. All you have to do is open your ears, open your heart, and listen. And feel.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath, nodding to someone behind me. “I wasn’t actually supposed to be here tonight, but I received a request I just couldn’t say no to. I’m a sucker for love, and I’ve needed my fair share of forgiveness over the years. What better way to ask for it than through a song that speaks to you? Tonight, there’s someone in audience who has a message to send, and even though he may not have written the words—and he’s not even singing them—it doesn’t make them any less meaningful, because he’s chosen them just for a gem of a girl named Ruby.”