CHAPTER NINE
**
She opened the door seconds after I knocked, as if she’d hovered on the other side until I arrived. I had no doubts she most likely had, with an eye on the clock, timing me and wondering why I was taking so long. Odds were good that she heard me pull up, and forced herself to wait until I actually knocked before opening the door.
I met her eyes and tried to smile, but I could tell she wasn’t buying it. She pulled me inside, where it was lighter, and gasped.
I averted my face. “Don’t look at me. I know I look awful,” I protested, my voice hoarse from crying for so many hours.
After pushing me down onto the couch, she hurried to the mini bar and poured me a drink. Detouring by the half bath in the hall, she brought a damp washcloth, too, so I could wipe my face. Setting a box of tissues within reach, she finally dropped down beside me and demanded, “Oh my god, Callie, what happened?”
I blew my nose, cleared my throat, and whispered, “I went to another concert.”
“Jessie’s concert?” I nodded, and she continued, “Was there a riot? Did you get hurt? Who did this to you?”
“I did. I have no one to blame but me.” I told her everything that had happened, wiping fresh tears as I spoke.
“And you’re sure she was pointing at him? Did he have any band members nearby?”
“He did, but if you could have seen the look on his face. Oh, Lucy, he looked guilty.”
“And you jumped to the worst conclusion you could think of.” She shook her head, pursing her lips in disapproval. “Girl, you gonna break your neck, doing that shit. If I told you once, I told you a thousand times—“
“I know. Presume nothing until you hear it from the horse’s mouth.” I stared at my hands. “But you also said if I waited too long, I’d lose him to another girl.”
“It’s been how long, though? Two weeks? You can’t even break a bad habit in two weeks.” She muttered something indecipherable under her breath, then groaned like she was being tortured, and asked, “Was she standing close to anyone? Anyone who might have been between her and Jessie?”
I thought back. “I dunno…maybe the drummer…or the keyboardist. The speakers in that place were huge, so they were grouped pretty close together.”
“Oh, good God almighty.” She shot me a sour look and grabbed her phone. “It’s like pulling teeth. What was her name? Julie what?”
“Ryan, I think. Why?”
“Duh, dingy. We know she’s on Facebook; you said she asked you to look her up. If she’s engaged to anyone, she’s gonna be shouting it from the rooftops. That her?” She shoved her phone in my face. Seconds later, losing patience, she snatched it back and scrolled through the profile. “Blind ass. Yeah, this is her. There’s some pictures of her with the band…” She glared over the top of the screen at me, “All wrapped up in the scrawny arms of his pimple-faced keyboard player that she’s—and I quote—head over heels in love with and engaged to be married to. Don’t you feel like a bit of a dumbass, now?”
“If you remember, I was still pretty shook up from my trip across the room over the heads of the crowd—not to mention nearly getting dropped and trampled, and coming close to being snatched bald. I was having a bad night.”
“It’s called crowd surfing, and it’s a freaking blast.”
“Maybe if you choose to do it. I didn’t choose to. It was thrust upon me.”
“Yeah, and if you hadn’t jumped to conclusions, that’s probably not all that would have been thrust upon you…or in you, as the case may be.”
“I’m going home.” I sat forward, my face in my hands.
“What? You’re just going to give up now?”
“I may as well. What else can I do, Lucy? I ran out of the building like the hounds of hell were on my heels, setting off an alarm, and hiding from security. Before that? Let’s see…yeah, I ran that night, too—as he rushed after me, trying to stop me. Hell, after our first and only night together, I sneaked out the next morning without even saying goodbye. I may as well face it—I don’t have the best track record with the guy.”
“Yeah, he probably thinks you a psycho at this point—just kidding! Just kidding.” She patted my leg. “Let’s see when and where his next concert is, and we’ll decide from there.”
“It’s in Ft Worth, at Famous Faces—but I’m not going. I got my three chances, and turned them into strikes. Three strikes and you’re out. I give up. I’m done. I’m not chasing after him anymore.”
“Poor baby, you want to crash in my spare room for the rest of the night? Everything will look better in the morning.”
“No. I’m heading home. Mom will want to bring James over in the morning. I should be there.”
“If you need me—“ I forced a smile, nodded, and gave her a hug. She didn’t have to finish it. I knew. She was always there for me, whether I needed a shoulder to lean on or a partner in crime.
From that day on, it felt like something was missing in my life. The sun lost half its shine. It almost felt like a layer of dust had settled over my world, leaving everything a bit tarnished. I almost wished I’d never gone inside Bartholomew’s that long ago night. Almost, but not quite—because if I hadn’t gone in, I’d never have had James, and he was the one bright spot in everything that had happened. For him, I dragged myself out of bed every morning and went to work. For him, I carried on like everything was normal. I laughed and smiled. I hung out with family and friends. I celebrated the holidays and tried to look forward to the new year.