and I are just friends. When James goes away on business, Kade finds other ways to harass me.
Last night he sent me a picture of himself shirtless (wow) and the caption said ‘Kade and Nikki.’ There was no Nikki in the picture, so I texted back and told him so, thinking he sent me the wrong picture, but Kade texted back saying ‘she’s on her knees so you can’t see her.’ I choked on my coffee when I read that. Kade has no shame; he also sent me a message casually asking if I wanted to come over for a threesome. He better have been joking, you can never really tell with him.
I've met Nikki, the woman I found Ryder embracing. I obviously knew who Nikki was, heard about her from Layla and Kade, but I had never actually met her, so when I saw her with Ryder, I had no idea it was her. She admitted to knowing about me too, and when she heard I dumped Ryder, she took her chance. She was on the rebound from Kade, and she thought since Ryder was also recently single, it was a good idea.
At first we were both wary around each other, but we've become friends. She keeps telling me about Ryder and how much he cares for me, but then she let it slip that they dated after I left. I had no idea about it, for some reason I stupidly thought it was just the one kiss. That was the moment I agreed to go out with Derek. After I had left, heartbroken, Ryder resumed a relationship with Nikki. It didn’t matter to him one bit that I was gone. I’m not gonna lie – it hurt to hear it.
I walk around the bar, and groan out loud. I can see Kade, Chase, James, Nikki, Layla, and Tee, all sitting there, wearing smiles. Evil! The lot of them. I get my guitar and walk up on stage, taking a seat on the stool in the middle. The good thing is that it’s during the day and not many people are here. Steele turns into a restaurant lounge during the day, but today is pretty empty. Only a few customers are at the table besides Tee and the gang. I clear my throat and say into the microphone, “Just to clarify, Kade will leave me alone after this, right?” Everyone laughs, but I'm dead serious. His TMI messages and videos are driving me around the bend. The man is perfect until he opens his mouth.
“Hey! I thought we were BFFs!” Kade yells out, pouting. Everyone laughs, myself included. I start to strum on my guitar, and everyone goes silent. I gulp, and look down at my shaking fingers. Okay, I can do this, these people are my friends and family. I look at Tee and our eyes connect. She gives me a small nod, an approving smile. I nod in return and close my eyes. Everyone and everything fades away as I start to sing. One of my favorite songs ever to both play and sing is ‘The Special Two’ by Missy Higgins, so I chose that to sing today. As usual with this song, soon I’m completely lost in the music.
I sing the lyrics, my heart feeling each and every word. This song is really beautiful, and I can’t help but think of Ryder and what could have been. I sing effortlessly, the words and tune pouring from my voice and my fingers. When it’s done, and I sing the last note, I almost sigh in relief, and slowly open my eyes.
Everyone is standing and cheering, and a laugh bubbles in my throat. I can see the looks of awe from Layla, Kade, Derek, Chase, and James. Tee is the only one who's heard me before, which is probably why she's sporting a smug ‘I told you so’ look. Someone cheers louder than the rest, and my gaze goes to the back, where the cheers are coming from.
I do a double take when I see Ryder. He’s standing there, leaning against the wall, clapping away. His gray eyes are intent on mine, and he looks… proud. He's proud of me. He's wearing distressed jeans with a tight white t-shirt, and he looks amazing. His hair is longer, shaggier, curling around his chin. I feel like someone is squeezing my heart. I knew he would be back eventually, but today of all days? I tear my gaze from his and walk off the stage. I take a seat between Tee
Last night he sent me a picture of himself shirtless (wow) and the caption said ‘Kade and Nikki.’ There was no Nikki in the picture, so I texted back and told him so, thinking he sent me the wrong picture, but Kade texted back saying ‘she’s on her knees so you can’t see her.’ I choked on my coffee when I read that. Kade has no shame; he also sent me a message casually asking if I wanted to come over for a threesome. He better have been joking, you can never really tell with him.
I've met Nikki, the woman I found Ryder embracing. I obviously knew who Nikki was, heard about her from Layla and Kade, but I had never actually met her, so when I saw her with Ryder, I had no idea it was her. She admitted to knowing about me too, and when she heard I dumped Ryder, she took her chance. She was on the rebound from Kade, and she thought since Ryder was also recently single, it was a good idea.
At first we were both wary around each other, but we've become friends. She keeps telling me about Ryder and how much he cares for me, but then she let it slip that they dated after I left. I had no idea about it, for some reason I stupidly thought it was just the one kiss. That was the moment I agreed to go out with Derek. After I had left, heartbroken, Ryder resumed a relationship with Nikki. It didn’t matter to him one bit that I was gone. I’m not gonna lie – it hurt to hear it.
I walk around the bar, and groan out loud. I can see Kade, Chase, James, Nikki, Layla, and Tee, all sitting there, wearing smiles. Evil! The lot of them. I get my guitar and walk up on stage, taking a seat on the stool in the middle. The good thing is that it’s during the day and not many people are here. Steele turns into a restaurant lounge during the day, but today is pretty empty. Only a few customers are at the table besides Tee and the gang. I clear my throat and say into the microphone, “Just to clarify, Kade will leave me alone after this, right?” Everyone laughs, but I'm dead serious. His TMI messages and videos are driving me around the bend. The man is perfect until he opens his mouth.
“Hey! I thought we were BFFs!” Kade yells out, pouting. Everyone laughs, myself included. I start to strum on my guitar, and everyone goes silent. I gulp, and look down at my shaking fingers. Okay, I can do this, these people are my friends and family. I look at Tee and our eyes connect. She gives me a small nod, an approving smile. I nod in return and close my eyes. Everyone and everything fades away as I start to sing. One of my favorite songs ever to both play and sing is ‘The Special Two’ by Missy Higgins, so I chose that to sing today. As usual with this song, soon I’m completely lost in the music.
I sing the lyrics, my heart feeling each and every word. This song is really beautiful, and I can’t help but think of Ryder and what could have been. I sing effortlessly, the words and tune pouring from my voice and my fingers. When it’s done, and I sing the last note, I almost sigh in relief, and slowly open my eyes.
Everyone is standing and cheering, and a laugh bubbles in my throat. I can see the looks of awe from Layla, Kade, Derek, Chase, and James. Tee is the only one who's heard me before, which is probably why she's sporting a smug ‘I told you so’ look. Someone cheers louder than the rest, and my gaze goes to the back, where the cheers are coming from.
I do a double take when I see Ryder. He’s standing there, leaning against the wall, clapping away. His gray eyes are intent on mine, and he looks… proud. He's proud of me. He's wearing distressed jeans with a tight white t-shirt, and he looks amazing. His hair is longer, shaggier, curling around his chin. I feel like someone is squeezing my heart. I knew he would be back eventually, but today of all days? I tear my gaze from his and walk off the stage. I take a seat between Tee
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