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Holt: The usual. Everyone was asking for you. You should come by.
Watson: Hard pass. It’s too painful to go there when I can’t get in the car.
Holt: Yeah, that’s what I told them. How are you feeling? Still sleeping a lot?
Watson: I managed to go for a walk today, but then napped for two hours after.
Watson: I’m bored AF.
Holt: *laugh emoji* You could get out of the house.
I glanced up as I heard Killian’s voice turning into what sounded like screaming. Shit, this might get bad. Should I intervene?
Watson: Are you asking me to do something, H?
I swallowed the nerves in my stomach. I wasn’t, but if I did...
Holt: What if I was?
The door slammed, and I jumped. I turned around to find Killian, with Maverick behind him, his jaw set in a tight line. “Maverick, this is my friend Holt Walker. He’s also staying here, but you leave Holt the fuck alone. Understand me?” He stomped past me.
“Uh, hey.” I nodded at the drummer, who jutted his chin at me in greeting. His emerald-green eyes looked sad as he glanced around his surroundings.
“This fucking way, Mav,” Killian snarled.
Awkward.
Watson: Okay. I’ll get a ride over.
Okay. OKAY! Holy shit! Watson was going to come here. He wanted to see me. We were going to hang out. Shit, we were going to hang out.
“You’re smiling, Holt.” Matthias clapped me on the back as he walked in behind me. “That’s good, right?” He dropped a couple of Target bags on the couch. “That Watts?”
I nodded. “He wants to hang out,” I whispered.
Matthias clapped his hands together. “I’m so happy for you!” He moved in to give me a quick hug before he took a step back. “You look not so happy. Why?”
“I’m nervous.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I mean, we’ve been texting pretty regularly, but whenever I try to bring things up about us, he changes the subject or says he’s tired. Either he doesn’t want that with me anymore, or he’s still mad. I get it. I would be mad, too, but I love him, Matthias. I will always love him, and if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore? I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Matthias sighed. “Watts being willing to see you is a big step. Look at it as him mending the bridge between you. You want me and Kill to take off? We can go on a date or something?”
“Uh, babe?” Killian interrupted. “Kind of need to talk to you about something.”
Matthias winked at me as he glanced up at his fiancé. “You look serious... Maverick, what the hell are you doing here?” His eyes went wide as he took a step back when he saw the Mulligan drummer. “Really, Kill?” he hissed.
“Did I not tell you to stay upstairs?” Killian grunted.
Maverick dropped his head. “Sorry.”
Okay, no. The guy looked like he’d lost his best friend, and I could totally relate. “Hey, I’m Holt, remember?” I nodded at him. “Want to go sit outside with me for a second?” When Maverick nodded, I waved him toward me, and we quietly moved to the porch and sat down without a word.
“Thanks,” Maverick muttered after a few awkward minutes. He stared out onto the grass. “I shouldn’t have come here, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go. They sort of hate me, so I’m sure they’re going to kick me out tonight.”
I glanced at his profile. His blond hair was so light it was nearly white, and it made his green eyes stand out even more. His jaw was set in a tight line, almost painfully, and I could make out days’ worth of stubble dusted across his face. He had a septum nose piercing as well as a few scattered tattoos up one arm. I watched as he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered despite the warm sun.
“You’re here. If Killian wanted you gone, you’d be gone.”
“Maybe,” Maverick answered. “You have a girlfriend?”
