Page 60 of The Sounds of Her
“Space?” Elsa eyes her with a brow lift.
“Nothing like that,” she waves off the suspicion. “I need time with my best friend. I wasn’t there for you when all of this happened.”
“I’m a big girl, Jen. I can handle it.”
“You don’t have to,” she takes my hand. “That’s all I’m saying. I get why you didn’t tell me before the wedding and I appreciate you thinking of me, but from now on, when something this life changing happens, please, talk to me. You’ve been there for me through so much, I want to be there for you.”
“You’re here now,” I say. I don’t do emotional. It freaks me out and Jenna knows it.
“Okay, so tonight, we dance, we drink, we make those boys leave us alone. Even if for a little while.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about me not hanging off Archer.”
“Isn’t that the point of all this?” Elsa asks.
Why does she have to be so logical suddenly? My head has been reeling for the last few days, from one thing to the next. But I’ve gone into this like it’s a business arrangement.
Yes, Archer is doing me a favour, but I need to make sure there is a label on it, something I can compartmentalize in my head that makes sense of it all.
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
I’m going to get up and close and extremely personal with Archer Harris over the coming days.
I barely saw Archer before he left the hotel, so the band can do a soundcheck and whatever else it is they do to prepare. At the arena, It’s loud and chaotic and there are people running about everywhere.
The thumping beat of instruments, and the roar of the crowd comes from the stage. It’s for the support act. BreakNeck doesn’t go on till later. They’re around here somewhere, but right now I’m content to take it all in. I don’t miss the women hanging around. I’m pretty sure they’re hoping to get a shot with someone from BreakNeck, but they have no chance. Well, maybe with Archer.
Or not, I need to remember that.
Spotting a bar, I make my way over.
“Well hey there beautiful, what can I get you?”
Less of the beautiful, but I’m not in the mood to correct him. He’s only being friendly.
“Vodka on the rocks.”
“Sure thing,” he winks at me before turning to make the drink.
I had nothing fancy in my wardrobe, thanks to my plans to spend two weeks in a bikini being derailed. Nothing the girls have fits me, so I slipped out of the hotel to find a dress after Archer left.
Something tells me I have to look as hot as possible tonight. The dark purple dress has thin spaghetti straps, dips low at the back and has a square neckline across the top of my breasts, so no cleavage, but it clings in all the right places. It stops above my knee, hugging my body all the way down. I at least had the nude heels I wore for the wedding.
A commotion behind us has me glancing over my shoulder. Jordan and Archer are walking into the room. The women in the corner perk up, and people move towards them. Stone gave me a lanyard with an access all areas pass when we first got here, everyone else here is wearing them too.
Does someone pick these women to come back here? Or do they win a competition? I’m not sure. I watch them swarm around the two guys, leaning one elbow back on the bar.
“Not interested?” the bartender asks as he sets my drink down.
I glance back at him. He’s cute, a little young, but he’s grinning at me like he’s interested.
“I don’t need to chase any man,” I tell him, making his grin grow.
“Well, don’t look now, but I think you’ve caught someone’s eye,” he nods with his chin, and I turn back around.
Archer is breaking away from the crowd, heading straight for me. It doesn’t escape me how his eyes take me in. Slowly. From my feet to the top of my head and back to my face. I try not to move, but I feel the way he looks at me, as if he’s reached across the space between us and his hand is caressing everywhere his eyes are roaming.
There are no two ways about it. Archer is gorgeous. I haven’t known him long, but he’s never been the type to dress up or put on a persona. He’s the same around his friends as he is while working in a professional capacity.