AllFreeNovel
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“Actually, I’m heading back to the hotel in the next hour.”
“So soon?” Murph gives me a confused cock of his brow.
“I got a call to make.”
“Girlfriend?” Connor asks, swirling the beer in his hand by the bottle neck. “Lady friend?”
“She’s twelve hours behind, so…”
“What is going on? Are you boys finally growing up on me?” Murphy laughs while Dad leans back into the bar and studies me. “Where’s your lady friend, Schneider?” he asks Connor, scanning the bar. “He’s got himself a Dane model.”
“Natalya’s Czech, actually.” Connor peers in the direction of the DJ booth, a grin cuts his face when he spots the girl they’re talking about. “She came up while I was talking to the fans downstairs,” he says when she sees him and heads our way.
The music morphs to a darker, punchier beat, and while Connor fawns over his girl, I check the time on the countdown to talking to mine. The seconds are dragging into endless minutes, although I know my watch isn’t wrong, I check my phone too.
“You’ve met Murph,” Connor yells over the music, introducing his girlfriend to us. “Natalya, this is Logan Spencer, team owner, and Brody.”
“We’ve met,” Natalya trills, calling my gaze to her.
Dark blonde hair, hazel eyes, and every other typical model quality stare back at me. I’ve met a lot of girls like her, and like the rest, I can’t remember who she is. She must realize because her expectant, catlike eyes flutter in disappointment, or maybe confusion?
“Abu Dhabi yacht party…”
“I don’t think many of us remember what happened at most of those parties,” Murph interjects the awkward moment.
“It was wild,” Connor adds with a light chuckle.
“Yeah,” she chortles, wrapping herself around him, but her eyes remain narrowed on me as though she’s trying to read me.
“Great to meet you,” Dad gives her a weird thumbs up before telling Murph, “I’m going to take Brody over to the water guys. Keep the sponsors sweet and all that. If you got a moment, Connor, you should go say hi too. They appreciate the effort.”
“Sure thing,” Connor salutes him.
“Guess I’ll see you in Japan.” I offer Connor my fist for a bump followed by Murph and a nod to the girl that’s still ogling me.
She’s clearly surprised that I don’t remember her, which means that I fucked her. To add to the weirdness, Dad has come to the same conclusion because when we’re far enough away he says, “And things were just settling.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that if Connor wakes up to the fact you fucked his girlfriend, we’re back to square one.”
“Well, I won’t tell him if you don’t,” I let out a sigh, checking the time again.
“Don’t get cocky, Brody. Just stay away from her and keep your eyes elsewhere.”
“My eyes are firmly elsewhere,” I state and he pauses in the middle of the crowd, turning to look at me. “You’re not listening to me, are you?”
“Those places are bubbles. Everything is heightened and feels like so much more than it is in the outside world. Trust me, I know how it feels and I know you. I don’t want you to get carried away with something that will end before it ever really started. That doesn’t really exist in the real world.”
“Silverbell may be a bubble, but it’s also a part of the real world and things aren’t heightened. They’re just simple without all this fucking bullshit. People don’t give a fuck who you are or look for what you can do for them. They’re just people.”
“Until you’re in too deep.”
“I already am in way over my head, and I like it, Dad. I like it.”
“Then I hope you never regret it,” he says, patting my face as he comes closer.
“I won’t. No matter what happens, I won’t.”
