Chapter Twenty-Six
Riley
I had a dream about my parents the night before. I hadn’t thought about them in a while, and it was strange to see their faces again. The dream was so vivid, and when I woke up, I almost expected to be back at home, hearing them fighting from the opposite room. I held my breath as I waited and then exhaled as I realized where I was. Did my grandmother know what a hard time I had been through with them? Had they told her that she couldn’t see me? Was this her way of telling me that she had always been on my side? I wished I could ask her. Why hadn’t she left me a letter explaining it all? I had a million theories going around in my head, but I had no idea which was right.
The house was quiet. I missed Silas even though it had only been one night. I walked over to his bedroom, looked around for a while and then walked out and closed the door. It felt weird being inside his room. I felt like I was snooping and kept thinking that he was going to walk in at any moment and catch me. I thought about taking one of his t-shirts to wear but changed my mind. He wasn’t my boyfriend, and there was a big chance he would come back and not want to be with me anymore. I was just a small-town girl, and he was about to be surrounded by stars.
I called Paisley and asked if she wanted to meet me for a late lunch that day. We were both working that evening, but I wanted something to distract me during the day. Thankfully she said yes, and we made plans to meet at the restaurant across the road from work.
I spent the rest of the day trying to busy myself with cleaning the house. I put some music on and went from room to room, cleaning. The house was huge, and this was not a job for one person. I did more of a surface clean than anything else, making sure to get rid of the dust and that things were in its place. But if I was going to continue living there, I was going to have to get someone in to help. It felt crazy asking someone to help when there was only one person in the house, but if I had to do it myself, I would literally spend all day, every day cleaning. For now, at least it helped get my mind off everything. There was something kind of soothing about cleaning, and by the time I was finished, I was exhausted. Who needed to go for a workout when you could clean a huge house? When I looked at the clock, I was surprised to see that it was almost time to meet with Paisley, so I quickly jumped in the shower and got ready to meet her.
Paisley was already at the restaurant when I arrived. She was talking to the waiter, and I could tell by their body language that they were flirting. I wasn’t sure if I should interrupt or wait until they parted, but when she saw me, she grinned and waved me over. The waiter glared at me as I walked up to them, clearly put off that I had stopped their flirtations and I shot him an apologetic smile.
“Someone likes you,” I said as I hugged her hello.
“Who knew such a cute guy worked across the road from the pub all this time!” she exclaimed.
“He’s cute. But not the friendliest. He was not happy that I came in and ruined all his fun.”
She giggled. “He was friendly with me.”
“I’m sure he was. Did he get your number?”
“No, but he knows where I work. If he really wants to ask me out, he can come and find me.”
I laughed. “I like the way you think. Well, with the way he looked at you, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came over tonight.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I could use a man in my life again. I’ve been single too long.”
“I thought you liked being single,” I said as I scanned the menu for something to eat.
“I do. I mean, I did. But it’s getting boring now. I think I’m ready for a relationship.”
“And you think he’s boyfriend material?”
She shook her head. “Hmm, actually he’s more flirting material than dating material, but who knows. Speaking of, what’s going on with you and Silas? Has he left?”
Just then the waiter came back to take our order. This involved mostly the waiter ignoring me and staring lovingly at Paisley. He scribbled down our orders and walked off smiling like a cat that just got the cream.
I groaned as he left. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m going to get a tiny meal while you’re going to get all the extras?”
She giggled. “I hope so. I’m starving. Anyway, enough about me. I want to hear about you and Silas.”
I sighed. “He’s gone. He left yesterday. I took him to the airport. He called me last night, and he seems very happy. And I’m so happy for him.”
She looked at me suspiciously. “You don’t sound happy.”
“I’m happy for him. I’m just not happy for me. I know it’s only been a day, but I really miss him. That house is huge without him. He’s just one person, but he made the house feel more alive. It’s weird staying there by myself now.”
“I’m sure. That place is huge. Have you thought about getting someone else to stay?”
I shook my head. “Nah. That would be even more strange. I’ll see. I guess it depends on how long he’s going to be away for. But for now, I think I’d rather just stay there alone. He’s paying for his room while he’s away, so I don’t really need anyone to move in.”
“Are the two of you a couple?”
“That’s the thing, Pais, we just never talked about it. I’m not sure why, either. Maybe he didn’t want to commit to something with me now that he’s going to be a big star. Who knows? We sort of left the question hanging the whole time.”
“First, you don’t even know that he’s going to be a big star. Second, even if he does become famous, it doesn’t mean he’s going to forget about you. Third, he might not have said anything to you, but you also didn’t say anything to him.”
I laughed. “You make some valid points there.”
“Of course I do. I’m your best friend, so I wouldn’t say this to you if I didn’t mean it, but he really seemed into you on the few occasions I met him. Remember when I was flirting with him back when I had no idea you liked him? Well, even then I could tell that he was interested in you. I wouldn’t worry, Riley. And anyway, he’s not going to be gone forever. He’ll come, and then the two of you can finally talk about how you feel about one another. Maybe this break will be what you both needed. If you still like each other after a few months apart, then it’s obviously meant to be.”
I smiled. “You’re right. I’m being silly.”
“You’re not being silly. I would also be upset if the hot guy I was living with suddenly went away. But he’s coming back. And you have nothing to worry about.”
“You’re a good friend. Thanks, Paisley. Oh, here comes our food,” I said.
I tried not to laugh as the food was put in front of us. Paisley and I had bothered ordered a hot tuna melt with a side order of fries, but the waiter had somehow managed to make Paisley’s look like it had been cooked by Gordon Ramsay. He put it down with a flourish, shot her a winning smile, and walked away.
I chuckled. “What did I tell you? Special privileges for you.”
“I like this place,” she said and smiled at the waiter who now stood at the other side of the room waiting for her reaction.
“I’m sure you do.”
We stayed long at the restaurant and then made our way over to the pub, where we got ready to start our shift. Paisley spent a bit more time getting ready in the bathroom than usual, and I was sure it was because she thought the waiter from the restaurant was going to come for a visit when he was done. I teased her about it, and she fully admitted that she was going to flirt with him.
“This time we will flirt on my territory,” she said.
I chuckled. “Lucky boy.”
As we walked out of the bathroom, the boss saw me and called me over. I hoped he wasn’t going to reprimand me for not dressing like the rest of the waitresses again, but thankfully he didn’t seem to care. I think he had gotten used to my stubbornness over the years.
“Riley, I wanted to talk to you about Silas.”
I frowned. “Silas? Why? Did something happen?”
“No, nothing happened. But he was such a big hit that night, and I thought it would be a good idea to have him back again. Everyone loved him here. You were definitely right about him. I forgot to get his number that night, but maybe you can talk to him?”
“I wish. But there was actually an agent here that night who liked him even more than we did. He offered him a deal, and he’s moved out of the house to stay near the agent to record an album.”
“Really? All because of his night here? Wow, if he becomes famous, hopefully we can get some decent media coverage about the pub.”
I wasn’t sure why he cared really. The pub was busy enough without any more media coverage. “Yeah, it all happened pretty quickly. I’m sure he’d be interested in playing here again when he’s back though.”
“You think? That’s good. Well, please send him my regards and tell him that we would love to have him here when he’s back again.”
I smiled. “Absolutely. He’ll be happy to hear that.”
I didn’t have much time to think about the conversation because as soon as I walked away, a group of guys walked through the door. After that, things seemed to just get busier and busier. I spotted a guy at the bar who looked so much like Silas, I found myself staring at him in shock. It took me a few moments to realize that not only was it not Silas, but that I was staring. He then took my staring for interest and came right up to flirt with me. I tried to move away from him, but he took this for shyness and kept asking me if I was single.
“No, I’m not,” I said even though it was a lie.
“You have a boyfriend?” he said.
I nodded. “I do. Sorry.”
“Are you just saying that because you’re shy? Or do you really have a boyfriend?” he asked. I hated the way he was looking at me. I had been wrong about him. Up close, he looked nothing like Silas.
“I have a boyfriend,” I insisted.
He left me alone then, and he must’ve told his friends because after that nobody bothered me. Thinking of Silas as my boyfriend made me feel both good and bad at the same time. Why had I asked him to come and sing at the pub? If it wasn’t for me, he would still have been there. With me. Of course, he’d be without an agent then, and I felt guilty all over again. No, I was happy for him. Even if the two of us just ended up being friends, I should be glad to have him in my life. I put the thought out of my head and tried to stop thinking about him as a boyfriend.