Summer of Supernovas (13 page)

As if hearing my thoughts, Grant chooses
that
moment to look up from his guitar. Gazing directly at me.

I suck in a breath. Look away. Look away. Look anywhere…just not…at Grant. But even Tristan’s gyrations and throaty lyrics don’t break my trance. Because everything else has fallen away—faded into nothingness. But not Grant, he is real. As real and true and bright as the North Star herself.

Then he lifts his chin at me.

And…I think I might come undone.

This is awful.

By the time we head backstage, I’ve pulled myself together. Grant is nothing more than pollen. An allergen. It’s a simple matter of desensitization. Expose myself in small doses and, eventually, I won’t have any reaction at all.

And Seth deserves someone worthy of his generosity and kindness. Someone equally enamored of him. For the love of Venus, I vow that girl will be me.

“Wait.” I catch the hem of Seth’s shirt, stopping him short of the door, where postperformance festivities are going strong. I stand on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his, sealing my renewed silent promise with a kiss.

“Mmm.” Seth raises an eyebrow. “What was that for?”

I lower back down. “Because. Just…because.”

His mouth hikes up at the side as he curls a finger around my belt, drawing me closer. “Good enough reason for me. You know”—he peeks covertly left, then right—“Absinthe is full of dark corners. Say the word and I’ll offer a personal tour.”

I’m grateful for the dim light because I’m sure my cheeks are glowing. Seth’s breath is hot on my skin as his lips graze my shoulder. My knees forget they’re supposed to be supporting me. Which complicates standing. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” I murmur.

“Well, of course. Can you keep a secret?”

“Yeah,” I reply uneasily.

Seth drops his voice to a low whisper. “This is where I store the Batmobile. There’s this elaborate underground cave system where I hide the—” He laughs when I slap his chest, and pulls me closer. Then his expression sobers. “Listen, Wil, there’s something else I should…” Seth bites his lower lip uncertainly.

Uncertainty?
How un-Sagittarius of him.

The backstage door flies open. A girl with a wild mane of curls halts in her stilettos. Her miniskirt is…let’s say I’ve seen flexible Band-Aids with more coverage. “Well, well, if it isn’t Seth Walker.” Her tone is as lethal as the spikes of her heels. “Didn’t take you long, did it?”

Seth lets go of me and folds his arms. “We broke it off months ago. What do you want, Tessa?”

“What do I
want
?” She lets out an evil laugh. “I want someone to run that worthless heart of yours through a meat grinder—see how
you
like it! I want to never look at your stupid face again! Or catch you feeling up some ska—”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t come to a club my family owns,” he replies coolly. “Just a suggestion.”

Tessa’s jaw clacks shut; her nostrils flare. “Mark my words, Seth. One day some girl’s gonna bring you to your knees. And nothing, not even that perfect little smile, will save you.” She mumbles a few more colorful phrases before stalking away.

“Yeah, nice to see you, too, Tess. And, uh…real creative use of the f-bomb. Seriously.”

She doesn’t turn around. Instead, her middle finger has the final say.

“She wants to study acting, so”—he offers an apologetic look—“drama’s kinda her thing.”

“I’d say she has a solid future ahead of her,” I reply. “Seems very in touch with her emotions.”

Seth chuckles with evident relief. “You’re not mad?”

“Well, drama’s not generally my thing.”

“God, I’m so in like with you.” He pushes open the door. “All right, we’ll just make an appearance. Long enough for the guys to drool over how hot and drama-free you are, and then I want you to myself.” He grins, leading me into the testosterone lair.

Backstage has none of the fanciness I envisioned. In fact, it’s one step above a garage. There are crates and boxes for seating, and a brown plaid couch that looks donated by someone’s great-grandmother. The place is cluttered with people and other random things—like a garden gnome with sunglasses and a cigar stuck in his mouth. In the back corner there’s a skeleton with a sideways baseball hat guarding a popcorn machine. It’s a mishmash of weird. So of course I love it.

I process all this in less time than it takes for the keyboardist to use a lighter to pop the cap off his bottle.

“Dude,” he says as he fist-bumps Seth.

“Wil, this is Ryan. Master of the keyboard and brother from another mother.”

I smile. “You guys were amazing tonight.”

“Thanks.” He adjusts his hat, flashing a set of dimples. “And we’ve sorta met already.”

“You have?” Seth glances between us.

I’m as perplexed as Seth. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember—”

“Oh, you wouldn’t. I was the guy on the ground. You know, the one instructing you
not
to jump from the water tower.”

“Oh God, that was
you
?”

“In the flesh.” He chuckles at my obvious mortification. “Yeah, one minute we’re cruising to the music store to get some new amps—finally got Grant to admit it was time to trade in those relics.” Ryan shakes his head. “And the next, Grant’s running the wagon off-road and ranting about some girl about to jump. Totally wigged out, which I guess makes sense because of…”

“The heights thing?” I ask, smiling helpfully.

Ryan’s dimples fade as he gives Seth a peculiar glance. Seth responds with a subtle shake of his head. Well, seems I’m odd man out of the unspoken conversation. “Uh, something like that,” Ryan finishes vaguely. “Anyway, you guys survived, so”—he holds up the bottle—“cheers to that.”

I chuckle, part embarrassment and part resignation. “I’d love to say stuff like that is atypical. But…” I shrug.

“It’s true. You should have seen her today in the hot-air balloon,” Seth adds, snaking his arm along my shoulders. “Managed to con the pilot into teaching her Ballooning 101, right before she almost landed us in a tree.”

I elbow his ribs. “Hey, there’s no crime against being inquisitive. Besides, what if the pilot became incapacitated?”

Ryan’s green eyes glimmer. “Why would he be incapacitated?”

“I don’t know. Hostile takeover by…sky…
pirates,
” I finish lamely.

Seth squeezes me, tickling my side. “Sky pirates, huh?”

“The balloon’s not going to land itself! And I was
at least
twenty feet from that tree.
Stop!
” I giggle, doubling over. “You should be grateful I was prepared.”

“Oh, I’m grateful.” His voice rasps in my ear only loud enough for me to hear. “And I promise to prove it later.”

I shiver.

Ryan pulls out his cell. “All right, you two are gonna make me hurl. I gotta track down Ginger. I swear that girl’s a damn beacon for disaster. But then, look who I’m talking to,” he says to me with a wink. “Be back.”

Seth carries on with the informal introductions. “Where was I? Oh, that heathen over there is Tristan. He’s the one having the party next Saturday. Hey, Tris,” Seth calls, “this is Wil.”

Tristan pauses his conversation with a couple of fans and flicks the blond hair from his eyes. “Hey there,” he projects in a swoon-worthy voice.

“Hi.” I wave back.

“And the spaz next to the fridge is—”

“Succulent Wil!” Manny shouts across the room. “You bring the secret recipe or just the sexy tonight?”

“You did not just say that.” I laugh.

Seth’s eyebrows bounce up. “I take it you’ve met.”

“Sure have.” I’m still grinning as Manny joins us. “Ill-mannered Manny. You were fairly awesome tonight.”

He bear-hugs me like we’ve been friends for ages. And for some reason, it feels like we have. Of course, it’s partly because of his charming exuberance as a Libra. “
Fairly? Chica,
please, I lit those drums on fire, and speakin’ of fire…” We part. “Dig the dress.” He lets out a low wolf whistle.

“I was going to say the same thing about your shirt.” Which boasts:
LESS CALORIES! TASTES GREAT!

Manny smirks, then looks up at Seth. “Sorry,
vato,
but I’m stealing her. We’ve got some classified matters to discuss.”

Before Seth can voice an objection, Ryan returns. “Hey, man, you got any jumper cables? Ginger’s POS car won’t start and she’s stranded at work.”

Seth hesitates, briefly scanning the backstage scene. “Manny, you seen Grant?”

“Not my turn to watch him,” Manny quips. “Last I saw, he was with Lila.”

Ryan fusses with his hat impatiently. “So, Seth, you got cables or not? I had to loan my car to my sister, so I’m kinda up shit creek here.”

“Uh…yeah.” Seth turns to me. “I’m sorry, Wil. You cool with hanging here for a few while I help them out?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Seth reels me in by my belt loop once more. “Good, because this night isn’t over. Not by a long shot.” His eyes are full of promises that his lips will deliver later.

“I’m holding you to that.”

“Music to my ears. I’ll hurry, okay?” My Sagittarius lets go, pausing before ducking out the door. “And, Manny, I’m coming back for her, so don’t get any dumb ideas.”

“Whatever,” Manny mutters, hooking his arm in mine. “Thirsty, Wil?”

“Bottle of water if you’ve got it.”

He opens the refrigerator, graffitied with so many indie-band stickers I couldn’t tell you the appliance’s original color. He hands me a water bottle before snagging a Red Bull for himself. Yeah, he needs the extra energy boost like a jackrabbit needs amphetamines.

Manny motions toward a stack of boxes. “Have a seat.”

I sit down. “Thanks. So, uh, what’s this classified matter all about?”

“I’m trying to think of a tactful way to say it.” Manny scratches the back of his head. His eyes divert to the door.

“Okay, that’s ominous. What if I said I’d try not to be offended?”

“It’s a start.” He cracks open the can and takes a swallow. Then levels me with his brown eyes. “What are you doing with Seth?”

My stomach capsizes like a vessel caught in a violent squall. I right my innards, which really have no reason to be affected by the question. “It’s called dating.”

He takes a seat beside me. “Yeah, I figured. What I can’t figure out is why.”

“Well, it isn’t exactly a great mystery of the universe. He asked me out and I said yes. Not that I owe
you
an explanation.” I’m joking. But I do find his keen interest in my dating habits bizarre.

“You don’t,” he agrees. “Except I think things would’ve played out different if Seth hadn’t barged in like he did. Kinda dickish, if you ask me.”

I frown.

He nudges me. “All right, I know you
didn’t
ask me. Look, I’ve known Grant a long time.”

“From school?” I take a drink of water.

“Come on, do I look like preppy Hartford material? Hell no. My dad has a landscaping company. We service most of the houses in his neighborhood, which is how I met Grant.” Manny takes another swig of the energy drink. “Turns out I wasn’t much for landscaping.” He flashes an impish grin. “But I
could
tell you the color and pattern of every single bikini on the east side.”

I knock his shoulder. “You’re terrible. Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because Grant is like a brother to me. And here’s the thing…he won’t make a move if he thinks you and Seth are a thing. He’s pretty black-and-white that way.”

“And why in the world would you think I’d want Grant to make a move?”

Manny eyes me like I’m denser than moon rock. “Oh,
chica.
” He breaks into laughter.

I tuck a dark wave behind my ear. “Manny, we’re friends.
Just
friends. Why is that so hard for you to believe? Grant’s wonderful but we don’t mesh—astrologically speaking. It’ll never happen. Ever.”

Manny stops chuckling and drapes his arm around my shoulders, speaking low in my ear. “Whatever you say, Wil. But all I know is Grant hasn’t danced with a girl like that in over two years.”

My brows draw together. “Really? Why?”

“That’s his story to tell. And he just walked in, so I’m shutting up.”

Lo and behold, there’s Grant.

With a blond bombshell in tow.