Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“She is,” he agreed, making my gut twist more.
But I forced a neutral expression and said in earshot of Perry, “Maybe a dating app isn’t the way. Meeting someone in person might work better.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Ellis looked into the audience and smiled as he zeroed in on her.
Fuck, I needed to shake this—this hold he had on me or whatever it was—so we could get back to how things were before. But before seemed a hundred years ago now.
I didn’t look at Ellis much during our second set, as much for Perry’s sake as my own. Anthony’s wife, Maris, had shown up with a friend, and his whole demeanor changed seeing her dancing along to our music in the front row. Maris must’ve arranged for a sitter tonight. They were a sweet couple and were trying for a second child after years of infertility. But it seemed to make them doting parents, and in that regard, Sophia was lucky.
Our last song was something new, and it got a good reception even though the crowd had thinned out by then. Ellis and I really hammed it up at the mic because it was a more up-tempo number. After the show, Perry didn’t question us again, so he must’ve just had a bug up his ass.
Shana was still there, and Ellis had a drink with her at the bar. I pretended not to be interested in their conversation and talked to Maris and her friend instead.
“We’re having our annual clambake next month,” Maris said. “Let Ellis know too?”
“I will,” I replied though I was distracted by Ellis getting Shana’s number.
“Score,” I said a few minutes later as we followed Perry and Anthony back to the stage to start breaking down our set.
“We’ll see,” Ellis replied with a frown, and though he was generally grim about his dating prospects, this felt different. As if he said it so as not to disappoint me.
It was quiet on the drive over to the practice spot, and as we unloaded, a heaviness settled in the air between us.
Once we finished and discussed the next practice, we said our goodbyes and made small talk about our set on the way home.
Inside our apartment building, Ellis paused at his door. “I should probably—”
I looked away as my gut churned. “Up to you. I don’t mind either way.”
“Okay.” He straightened his shoulders. “I’m gonna try going solo tonight. My therapist and I came up with a plan to at least test it out, so…”
“Sounds good. You have my spare key,” I reminded him because I’d had one made for him a couple of weeks back. “But I bet you won’t need it.”
I offered a fist bump in encouragement because I didn’t want to act like a prick, then made my way to the elevator.
Back inside my apartment, I drank a glass of water, discarded my clothes on my bedroom floor, then fell into bed, exhausted and hoping sleep would come quickly.
I was just skirting the edge of dozing off when I heard a noise at my bedroom door, then felt the mattress dip beside me. I held my breath as Ellis slid beneath the covers, and my heart did this weird jumping thing.
“Don’t ask,” he muttered as my gaze met his glassy eyes, glowing in the light of the moon through the window.
“I won’t.”
Ellis flopped onto his back. “Ugh, will I ever feel safe?”
“Of course you will.” I felt a stitch in my chest, wishing I could take his anxiety away. “Maybe we should get on the waiting list for a two-bedroom unit. Or look elsewhere for one.”
His head swiveled toward me. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, why not? We’re at each other’s places enough, and it would save us money.”
I couldn’t believe I was even proposing the idea, but it wasn’t the first time I’d thought about it, to be honest. We had similar interests and got along great, so it would probably work out well. Besides, apartments could be hard to come by in Ann Arbor, considering all the University of Michigan students vying for cheaper rentals.
“But what happens when we meet someone and it gets serious?”
“You already thinking about the girl you met tonight?”
“What? No. That was just… I almost felt like I should. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
“I mean, we’re single guys in our thirties and should be thinking about future stuff, right? Just because my life’s been interrupted by something bad that happened…that shouldn’t stop me from carrying on.”
“Sure, as long as you’re not putting pressure on yourself. If we did move in together and that scenario happened, we’d talk about it and decide what to do. Until then, we have shows to catch up on. There’s a new one I know we’d both like.”
Suddenly Wednesday was there, sniffing around us. She had become used to him but was still overly cautious. “Does a cat come with this arrangement?” Ellis asked.