Page 4 of Heartbeat Girl

The lie flowed so easily off my tongue I felt bad for lying to her. I wished that were true. Iwasattracted to muscular guys until a laid eyes on a certain lead vocalist. I seemed to gravitate toward the bad guys, and Liam screamed bad from top to bottom. And I was so done with bad.Never again.Nope. The fact that I was so drawn to Liam when he made me so nervous I ran in his presence should speak for itself.

Ruth wiggled her brows. “Liam isn’t so skinny anymore. He put on some muscle. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”

Ihadnoticed. He was still lean, but the corded muscles in his arms and abs weren’t there half a year ago when the band signed on with Black Hearts. Everyone saw those pale ridges of perfection when he took his shirt off. The crowd went nuts every time he did it. There was a feisty glint in his azure eyes as the bright lights shined down on him. He lived for that world. Same as Ruth. I understood why. He had the voice of an angel—a fallen one.

“Regardless…” I grabbed my arms and held them tightly. “Like I’ve always said, something about them makes me iffy.”

“No,” Ruth laughed. “They make you nervous.”

“Yeah, because there’s something mechanical about them.”

“Mechanical?”

“They move in sync, haven’t you noticed?”

“Huh.” Her nose crinkled. “Now that you say it, yes, I have. But that makes you iffy. Why?”

“Shouldn’t you be performing right now?” I dodged the question.

“M-hmm, don’t think I don’t see how you react around them. But…” Herbutwas loud and direct. “Maybe it’s for the best that you run when they’re near.”

“I don’t run.”

“Righhhtt.” Suddenly, she hugged me.

“What’s that for?” My chest tightened. We’d always been affectionate and sometimes obnoxious with each other, but I couldn’t remember us hugging as much as we had the last month. Something was coming, and I wished she’d tell me. I squeezed her back.Don’t avoid it like everyone else. Please.I could handle whatever Ruth wasn’t telling me.

“Just because you’re you.”

Throat feeling tight, I squeaked. “All right. I know I’m cute, and I’m ready to get married whenever you are.”

She cackled until she snorted. “You keep saying that and I keep thinking we’ve already been married all this time.”

“SoulGoddess, it’s time to put on your mic!” someone yelled at the doorway, and Ruth grinned.

“It’s showtime,” I told her.

Chapter Two

JAYNE

From a distance, I watched Ruth smile and easily converse with The Oppressors. I gripped my hands, chest still uncomfortably tight, as if weighed down by some unseen force. I’m crazy. Nothing was wrong. Ruth’s smile seemed sincere that night. For the first time since Amit’s disappearance, her face brightened.

Why did her happiness scare me most of all?

For a moment, I wanted to rush on stage and demand answers. My heels clicked as I stepped backward instead. Liam turned his head instantly and locked eyes with me. Freezing in place, I forgot to run or look away. I even forgot how to breathe. My heart pounded. And that was when he flashed a smile. Did he search for me? Or was it by chance that he found me in my little corner? Why did he look in my direction, anyway? And why did our eyes always,alwaysmeet?

Overthinking. Overthinking. Overthinking.

Even so, Liam was strange. I didn’t care how the rest of the world saw the band. Their expressions and mannerisms were more than knowing half the world was in love with them. It went beyond that of a cocky rock band. I met them half a year ago when they were nobodies, and they still carried themselves the same way. I couldn’t figure them out, but I never stayed in their presence long enough to learn more.

I ran.

Always.

He tapped his ear. What? Why was he poking his ear? I rubbed mine, trying to figure out what he tried to tell me. Then he touched his chest and patted it.He slapped his shirt for every time he moved his lips and my eyes widened.Thump. Thump. Thump.I swore he mouthed those words to me before going out to the unveiled part of the stage. The crowd went berserk.

Realization flamed my cheeks. I dropped my hands to my sides and fisted them. I hated he knew how nervous he and his band made me. It was more than being afraid of a mere bad boy that made my heart tighten. It was the unknown, and I suspected that was why they teased me so much. They could see I was weirdly afraid around them.