that had me holding Leif back at a distance. It would be wrong now to allow things to go any further. Leading Leif to believe we could go further in our relationship wasn’t fair to either of us. Dank would always be there in my mind. Leif deserved more than being second best. Even now as he pressed against me and his breathing sounded ragged, I felt nothing but security. His hand slid beneath my shirt and I knew it was time to stop. Just as he brushed the underside of my bra I broke away from the kiss.
“No,” I whispered and his hand slowly retreated. His breathing sounded labored and I could feel his heart thumping against mine. Slowly he sat up and reached for my hand to pull me up too. He ran a hand through his tousled blond hair and laughed shakily.
“Wow,” he said, smiling. I wasn’t sure what to say because “wow” wasn’t what I felt. “I’m sorry, I got carried away,” he apologized staring down at my shirt that was still hitched up just above my belly button. I tugged it down and smiled reassuringly at him. It wasn’t as if he’d just attempted to rape me.
“Don’t apologize. We just needed to stop. Your dad is waiting.”
Leif nodded, his expression still a little glazed over, and stood up. He slipped his jacket on and grabbed his books and keys.
“Are you going to be okay until your mom gets home?” he asked.
I wanted to laugh at the answer to that question. Instead, I nodded and smiled. It wasn’t like I could tell him a deranged soul wanted to kill me for reasons I didn’t understand.
The door closing behind Leif made the lead weight on my chest vibrate. I thought of going outside and standing in my yard so I could see other houses lit up and people inside them. Somehow, knowing other people where inside them sounded safe. I glanced back at the stairs and the thought of going up to my room made me tremble. I walked over and stood at the front door. I could stand here until my mom got home. If anything showed up I could take off running down the street and screaming. Granted, everyone would think I was mental, but still it would draw some attention.
“I don’t think such drastic measures will be necessary. Go on up to bed Pagan, I’ll be here.” I turned at the sound of Dank’s voice. Relief and anger washed over me simultaneously. I wanted to throw my arms around him but then I also wanted to punch him in his perfect nose.
“I’d prefer you do neither. Just go to bed.” His cold tone hurt worse than the fear. He wasn’t looking at me, but instead at a sports magazine Leif had left behind. His boots were propped up on the table as he reclined in a chair. Tears burned my eyes, but I would not cry in front of him. That was one humiliation I refused to give him. Instead I ran up the stairs.
The hot water washed away my tears as I stood in the shower much longer than necessary. In here my sobs were camouflaged. Once the tears stopped falling and all that was left was a hollow ache, I turned off the water, stepped out onto the white fluffy rug and wrapped a towel around me. I studied the girl in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy. No amount of hot water could wash away the sadness they reflected. He was here and I was safe. I had something to be thankful for. Why he was here I didn’t have the courage to ask him. I did not want him to see me cry. I didn’t want him to know I’d just spent thirty minutes in the shower crying over him. He may have stolen my heart or had he taken my soul? I couldn’t be sure but I refused to let him have my pride too.
I wrapped the towel tighter around me and headed for my bedroom. I stepped inside knowing it would be empty. Dank didn’t want to be anywhere near me. A small part of me had hoped to find him sitting in the corner chair with his guitar in his hands. Fresh tears sprang to my eyes. I needed to get control over this agony or whatever it was. I reached for my cut-off sweats but I couldn’t bring myself to be near anything that reminded me of Dank and the nights he spent singing me to sleep. Instead, I took out my nightgown and slipped it over my head. It was pale pink. I smiled sadly, realizing that I’d never thought of that before. I immediately took it off and let it fall to the floor. I couldn’t wear it either. I opened my closet and pulled out a t-shirt I had of Leif’s and slipped it on. I could still smell Leif and it gave me a sense of power to be able to snub my noise at Dank and embrace Leif with my actions, even if my heart felt differently. I walked over to my bed and laid down, thinking of the music I wouldn’t hear. The silence echoed through the house but I knew I wasn’t alone. He was watching. I didn’t want to close my eyes, hoping he would come to sit in his chair and play music just for me. The only sound I could hear was the slow drip of the faucet in the bathroom and the settling of the house. Had Dank not been downstairs, each small sound would have had me jumping and running for the door. However, with him watching over me I was able to close my eyes and be softly lulled to sleep by the silence.
Music drifted into my dreams. Hauntingly sweet music filled the hole torn in my heart. I smiled, reaching for the source of the sound but I found nothing. It was only a beautiful dream.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning Dank was gone. I expected it but I still ran downstairs in case he’d stayed. The days went by and Dank continued to ignore me. During the days at school he continued to flirt with Kendra. I had become invisible where he was concerned. At night he would walk into the living room around bedtime and sit on the couch without acknowledging me. Nothing made sense. No matter how many times I tried to get him to talk to me he remained silent. A person could only suffer a certain amount of humiliation and I’d reached my quota. If he wanted to ignore me then fine. I’d let him.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. If I have to personally come to your house and dress you and then have Wyatt pick you up and haul you over his shoulder to the concert, I will. Do not doubt me.” Miranda stood with her hand on her hip and a determined set to her chin. Arguing with her when she was like this was pointless.
Wyatt chuckled. “I’ll haul her if I have to but maybe we should discuss the hauling part with Leif first. I’m not real sure he’s going to want me throwing his girl over my shoulder.”
Miranda waved a hand at him, “Whatever! He won’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. You’re going to have to haul her and I’m going to have to tackle Leif and sit on him while you make the get away.”
I laughed and it surprised me how good it felt. “What is this about you sitting on me?” Leif asked as he walked up and slid his arm around my waist.
Miranda rolled her eyes. “I am trying to explain to Pagan that I’m not taking NO for an answer. She’s going to the concert tonight and that is final.”
Leif lightly squeezed my hip. “So we’re talking about a possible hostage situation then?” he said in a teasing voice.
Wyatt chuckled. “Apparently so.”
Leif gazed down at me, grinning wickedly. “You wanna make a run for it and see if they can keep up?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll go if it is so important to Miranda.”
Miranda let out an overly dramatic sigh. “Oh good, I wasn’t looking forward to tackling him.”
“It would’ve been hilarious to watch you try.” Wyatt chortled and I tried really hard not to think about the fact I’d just agreed to go to the benefit concert Cold Soul was giving down on the beach. Seeing Dank on stage with the same guitar in his hands he’d played for me so many nights and hearing his voice being shared with thousands of people made the hole in my heart throb. If I could figure out a way to fill the aching, I would. Nothing seemed to help.
“It’s going to be amazing, Pagan. I know you don’t really care for Dank Walker but trust me he can blow.” Miranda slipped her arm inside Wyatt’s and gazed up at him with a coy grin. “But he can’t shoot three pointers like you can, baby, so wipe that frown off your sexy face.” Wyatt grinned and kissed the top of her head.
Seeing the love in Miranda’s eyes when she looked at Wyatt made the hole in my heart ache even more. I would never love Leif that way. Dank Walker had damaged my heart and claimed it in the process.
“Just so you don’t start drooling over the rock star. I’m a fan of his stuff, too, but I can learn to hate him real quick if I feel the need to be jealous.” Wyatt’s tone sounded teasing but no one doubted what he said was the truth.
Leif chuckled. “I don’t think I need to worry about Pagan drooling. Cold Soul doesn’t sing her type of music. I have a feeling we won’t be there very long.”
Miranda glared over at Leif. “Don’t give her any ideas or excuses. I’m not kidding. I will attempt to tackle your ass if you even look at the exit the wrong way.” Leif threw back his head and laughed.
“I’m really glad you have a good sense of humor,” Wyatt said with a grin, “Your arms are much bigger than
