Page 97 of Trusting You
Shit. Did I fuck up? “That’s not what I—”
Carter laughs and smacks me on the arm. “Relax. I’m fine with it. Is he the source of all this?”
I shrug, but he is. For a guy who hates social media, East sure gets his presence noticed.
Carter hmms in approval as she scans the people, mostly female. “He’s silent, hot, and I guess very talented at—what does he play?”
I frown at the back of her head. “Drums.”
“It makes total sense now.”
My frown deepens.
The bartender comes over and asks us what we want. Carter looks to me, so I ask for the special, which is a domestic, watered down lager all chicks seem to dig, and a tonic with lime.
“Where are the rest of the guys?” she asks as a chilled brown bottle is slid over to her.
“On their way.” I tip my own drink to my mouth as I lean back against the bar.
The stage is directly in front of us, and the small wooden platform is already set up with a microphone and two big speakers with wires trailing across the floor.
“Do you normally go to his shows?” Carter asks, taking up a comfortable position beside me. “And support him like this?”
“We all support each other,” I admit. “It’s like an unspoken pact we had as freshmen. Ben and me, we were put together in a dorm room, and Ash and East were next door. When we realized we didn’t hate each other, we figured we might as well tolerate each other.”
“And that led to everlasting friendship,” Carter says, smiling. “How sweet.”
Her lips, the delighted curve to them, act as a sledgehammer between my eyes. I’m made all too aware we’re having a pleasant conversation, no pressure, no expectation, simply talking. And now that I know it, I’m gonna make it awkward.
“We’ve helped each other through a lot of shit times,” I say.
Carter sighs. “You’re lucky you have each other.”
My attention slides from rattling the ice in my glass back to her. “I’m sorry you lost yours.”
She nods, her turn to look down into the depths of her bottle. “She was my only.”
“If you ever want to talk…” I shrug. “Like, if you ever want to tell me about her, I’m here to listen. You know, if you need to.”
She catches me by surprise by meeting my stare. “You never told me. How you and Paige met, and what…what happened between you two.”
See, that awkwardness I promised? Here it is. “Oh, that.”
“Yes, that turned into Lily.”
Damn it. “I guess it did.”
“So, you want to tell me? Paige never did. I didn’t push her, and now I really wish I had. Since I’ve met you, for real and not just heard of you or run into you on campus, you’re not exactly the guy I’d picture Paige with.”
“We fooled around,” I say, and place my empty glass on the bar. Shit, I sucked that back too quick. Now I have nothing to do with my hands. “There’s not much to it.”
“Yeah, but—while Paige slept with a lot of guys, she never kept them a secret from me. And for some reason—” Carter stops herself, seeming to answer her own question.
“Paige slept around?” I’m honestly curious, because the girl I remember, she wasn’t…adept, the way I’d think an experienced girl would be.
“She’s not a slut.”
“Not what I’m getting at.” I raise my hands. “I’m all for woman power, believe me.”