Chapter Sixteen
Jade
My heart raced as I walked into Lennon’s room, the massive lake house almost completely empty as everyone watched the rest of the show.
He loved me.
He’d fallen for me before I’d tried to be Jade 2.0. He loved me. Whether I was quiet and shy or wild and brazen, he loved me.
I couldn’t believe it.
And yet I felt it.
The heat from his kiss still sizzled on my lips, and I brushed my fingers over them as I made a slow circle around his room. The walls were covered—band posters, pictures from graphic novels, record sleeves. A shelf much like the one he had at his dad’s place covered half of one wall, lined with books and comics and records. It screamed Lennon, and I felt so completely at home here it was almost dizzying.
I sank onto the neatly made bed, wondering if he’d taken the time to straighten it before the party or if it was something his mother did before she’d left on her business trip. I took a steadying breath, holding my hand over the center of my chest, totally flabbergasted at where graduation day had taken me.
I’d awoken to an argument with my mother, but after spending the night with Lennon, and him helping me see her side of the issue, I knew we had a long talk ahead of us. Lennon had made me realize her fears, and I was ready to communicate better with her, let her know I wasn’t going to waste a second of my life—because when you follow your passion, when you fight for your dream, you squeeze out every ounce of bliss life has to offer.
All Lennon’s doing.
Of course it would be him to make me see clearer, make me feel certain about the path I’d take. And while I was grateful for the closure I knew my mom and I would come to soon, I wasn’t ready to say good night to this day just yet. Not after Lennon’s confession when he’d abandoned his own show to catch me.
Adrenaline soared through my blood, an unstoppable smile shaping my lips as his words and kiss repeated on a loop in my mind.
The clicking of nails on hardwood jerked me back to the present, and I leaned down to scratch Hendrix’s ears as he leaned against my leg. “Hey, buddy,” I said, bending over to the kiss the top of his head. “Big night?”
He snorted before leaping onto the bed.
“All right, then.” I laughed, digging my nails into his fur until his leg shook. “Is that your spot?” I asked when he’d circled forty times before plopping down with his nose on the pillow farthest from me.
I stretched out, lying on the pillow next to him, trying to picture Lennon in the same position. As the soft snores of Hendrix deepened, I yawned, the exhaustion of the night settling into my bones.
The covers underneath me smelled like Lennon, and the bed was so soft. My eyes grew heavy as I tried like hell to focus on the soft vibrations coming from outside, indicating the show was still in full swing.
I’d gladly taken Lennon up on his offer to meet him here afterward because honestly, I couldn’t stand up a second longer. I was dead on my feet, and lying here now? It was only a matter of time before I passed out. I wasn’t used to staying up or out this late, but I was so glad I’d picked tonight to break character.
Or finally be myself.
“Jade.” Lennon’s voice was low and raspier if that was possible, and I peeled my eyelids back to find him leaning against his open doorway, smiling at me.
I glanced around in a panic, finding my arm draped over Hendrix, and my glasses crooked on my nose. I quickly swiped at my face, thanking God when I didn’t find my cheeks covered in drool.
“I always knew you’d look good in my bed,” he said, smirking as he walked over and sank down next to me.
The shuffle of his weight made Hendrix perk up and leap off the bed, a loud groan coming from his mouth when he stretched. The dog ran off in a hurry, and I didn’t bother asking Lennon what he was up to. I was too busy blushing from head to toe at the way Lennon was looking at me—like he loved me.
“What time is it?” I asked, clearing my throat, which was heavy with sleep.
“Almost three,” he said. “I’m hoping you had the curfew-free rule most everyone else did.”
“Yeah,” I said, grateful my dad had given me a pass on the night, though I highly doubted he’d thought I’d stay out this late. My eyes popped. “I’m sorry,” I said, scrambling to sit up. “I didn’t mean to pass out that long.”
He chuckled, his hand on mine. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you were comfortable enough here to do it.”
I snort-laughed, unable to stop the sound from leaving my lips. I felt like I’d fallen asleep and awoken in a dreamland of my own creation. Did rock-star Lennon Pryor actually say he loved me? Or did I dream it all?
He pressed his forehead against mine, the ends of his long hair tickling my skin.
Definitely not a dream.
“How was the show?”
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “Perfect after we talked.”
“Really?”
“Mmm-hmm,” he mumbled. “I think I sang better than I ever have before.” He slowly opened his eyes. “LockedIn signed us. Rachel is going to get our tour extended, too. She said if I perform on the road like I did tonight—with a fire under me—I’ll be doing it the rest of my life.”
“Congrats! I knew they would.” A thrill rushed through me, buzzing all my nerve endings in a delicious way I’d never experienced.
“Guess love will do that to you,” he said.
“I thought I’d dreamed that part.” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Not even close,” he said, brushing his lips over mine in a featherlight touch. I sighed, the contact as revitalizing as a cup of coffee.
Totally, fully awake now.
He skimmed the tip of his nose over mine, trailing it down my jawline, and over my neck. Chills raced across my skin, the warm shivers making my core tremble. Finally, after an almost painful wait, he pressed his lips against mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer.
We fell backward against the bed, and his arms framed my face to keep him from crushing me. Not that I minded. He was warm, and I was lost in his kiss. In the way he loved me. In the way we’d finally found each other.
Thoughts of how this would all work tomorrow threatened to ice over the warmth in my heart, but I forced the worried voice in my head away.
“This is crazy,” I said between kisses. “This doesn’t make any sense.” I couldn’t stop my mind from crunching the logistics of how this would all work out in the end.
“We make perfect sense,” he said, raising up so he could sit on the bed again. I copied him, unable to stop myself from running my fingers through his hair.
“But how can this work?” I hated the words as soon as they left my lips, so I instantly crushed mine on his to try and take them back.
He caught me against him, holding us steady.
“How extreme are you ready to go?” he asked, breaking our kiss.
My eyes popped, and I swallowed hard. I wasn’t that ready…
“Get your mind out of the gutter, girl,” he teased me, and the tight air left my lungs in a rush. He smirked, shaking his head as he pushed my glasses up my nose.
“Okay,” I said. “Tell me.”
He took a deep breath. “Come on tour with me.”
“What?”
“You could tutor me.”
I arched an eyebrow at him.
“I’m serious,” he said, and he shifted so I was sitting next to him instead of in his lap. He brushed some hair off my shoulder. “I might need a fallback. You never know. And it would make my parents happy if I kept up on college studies while on the road. And after the summer is over…depending on the contract terms…maybe I’ll attend UCLA with you. Maybe.”
“Wow.” I pursed my lips at him. “When did you think all this up?”
He shrugged. “Might have crossed my mind back at the gas station.”
“Really?”
“I know it’s extreme. And there is no pressure. But it’s an option. And we could go from there.”
I nodded, the idea brushing my insides with the most amazing hope.
“And you could even draw up something for our next album cover.”
My jaw nearly came unhinged. “Now you’ve totally lost your mind.”
“Maybe I have,” he said, grinning. “But it’s because I’m mad about you. And your skills with ink are off the charts. You’d create something epic for Ignited Hearts. I know it.”
My eyes threatened to glisten over with tears at the gratitude pouring out of my heart. The boy believed in me. He loved me. He wanted me with him. Wanted us to work together, combining our passions as we chased them down.
Maybe I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to him for three months. Maybe this could work.
“I’m in.” The seconds the words left my lips a calm settled over my chest, and the bright smile that lit up Lennon’s dark eyes filled me with so much joy I could’ve burst.