Jax and Rose held up most of the conversation after hearing our attempt at dialogue in the backseat. Hi. Hey.
Tracy and Hepburn we were not.
I found the banter up front oddly soothing. I was getting used to being around Jax as part of a couple, and I was a fan. Rose was good for him, and I approved.
Also, with the two of them so caught up in each other, Jax hadn’t asked any questions about why tonight of all nights Rose found it imperative to treat me like her own personal Barbie doll. And he hadn’t even blinked over the fact that Andrew wanted to come with us.
Although, to be fair, Andrew hung with the party crowd, so maybe Jax just assumed he was looking for a good party. And as for the ride? Everyone knew that Jax didn’t drink so he was often the go-to guy for a ride home at the end of the night.
So really...there was nothing to stress about. Except, of course, for the fact that I was going to see Tony tonight.
Outside of the usual band practice and while wearing makeup.
My hands started to sweat.
What was I thinking?
Nerves made my chest feel too tight and this shirt? It was so clingy I could barely move. I looked like an idiot. Tony would take one look at me and know that I was trying too hard.
I rubbed my palms on my jeans over and over, trying to calm myself down. Then I froze.
“Relax, Simone.” Andrew’s voice was low and quiet—too quiet for the front seat couple to hear. But it was the feel of his hand on mine that made me freeze.
Large and calloused from no doubt loads of baseball practice, Andrew’s hand on top of mine was warm and steady. A heavy weight that forced my hand to stop in the middle of my frantic movements.
I stared at our hands for a long moment before turning to see him slouched down in his seat like he’d never been more at ease, his heavy-lidded gaze fixed on me. His lips curved up on the right side. “You’re going to do great.”
I blinked.
Um… Was I getting a pep talk from Lakeview High’s star pitcher?
Why, yes. Yes, I was.
My life had seriously taken a turn for the surreal and I wasn’t sure how that had happened. Maybe this was what occurred when you got a Rose in your life. Her crazy high-drama lifestyle came along for the ride.
Yup. I cast a glance over at Andrew who’d left his hand on mine as he tipped his head back and settled in for the ride. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with his hand—jerk mine out from underneath? Flip my hand over so we were holding hands?
Both felt too weird, so I just...sat there. With his hand on mine. And maybe it was the weight of it, or the heat, or just the distraction of having a guy touching me, but…
I forgot all about my nerves and my fears, and by the time we all piled out of the car and into the house where the music was thumping, I was almost feeling like myself again.
5
Andrew
What was I doing here? I mean, seriously. Did I not have better things to do with my life than chaperone a cute little nerd on her first…
What was this exactly? A date?
I didn’t think so.
Her first...flirt, I supposed.
I had questions. Lots of questions. Had she ever talked to this guy before? What did she know about this guy?
As I followed Jax and Rose into the house, a nervous looking Simone trailing behind me, I had to admit—I had very little knowledge of this girl or her crush or why on earth she needed a dummy date to practice on.
All I knew was the little I’d overheard between her and Rose, and from what I could gather, Rose saw me as some sort of sweet and harmless stand-in for Simone’s adventures in flirting.
While my ego didn’t exactly love being thought of as some guy’s understudy, I didn’t mind helping Simone. I’d like to say I had better things to do with my time, but that wouldn’t be the entire truth.
Baseball season hadn’t started up yet, and weight training and cardio only took up so much time. I looked around this sea of new faces around me, reaching back and taking Simone’s hand, because as tiny as she was, she could get swallowed up by this crowd.
I had a sneaking suspicion the girl wouldn’t mind getting lost in the crowd. She had this tendency to try and fade into the woodwork—in the cafeteria, in classes...she was like a chameleon hiding in plain sight.
Or trying to.
But tonight there was no chance she’d blend in with her surroundings. The girl cleaned up good. I mean, she was cute without the makeup and the tight clothes, but they sure didn’t hurt.
Her lips, for example. I hadn’t noticed when we were talking the other day that her lips were so perfect. Movie star lips. The rest of her might be somewhat average, but she had the lips of a supermodel.
Had this crush of hers ever told her that?
Probably not. The moron couldn’t even figure out how to flirt with her.
I glanced back at her and was glad I’d taken her hand. Her head was bent down so low all she could see was the floor beneath her feet. I rolled my eyes as I gave her another tug that had her almost at my side. Close enough that I could smell her shampoo and it made a welcome escape from the stench of stale beer and smoke.
Luckily Jax and Rose led us out the back door off the kitchen. We landed on a deck that was filled with people and a stereo that was blasting loud enough that I had no doubt this shindig would end with the cops being called.
“Come on,” I said, pulling Simone along until we were down
