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Five Years Ago
It was standing-room-only for the Mulligan concert tonight, and I had never been prouder of my best friend than I was right now. I was glad that I had gotten to the show early so I could stake out my spot in front of Blake on the left-hand side of the small stage. Helena and Matthias showed up a few minutes later, only for Matthias to catch Killian talking to a girl from our school, take her number, and then smirk at him, like he knew it was breaking Matty’s heart whenever he did shit like that. It wasn’t right or fair. Matthias was a great guy, and he deserved someone who treated him like he was. Not that he had confessed to me or Blake that he was seeing Killian, but there were signs.
“Bastard.” I started toward the stage, only for Matthias to grab my arm. “You can’t let him use you like this.”
Matty shrugged. “I’m not letting him do anything I’m not enjoying.”
But the sadness in his hazel eyes was heartbreaking. After spending the past four years watching him fawn over Killian like a lost puppy, it wasn’t right for him to just have to sit back and take this. Then a thought occurred to me.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” I asked as Helena giggled at something Dean whispered to her.
Killian was too busy hiding the fact he was bisexual or pan or whatever he was still trying to figure out while his best friend was clearly dating his sister right under his nose.
Matthias nodded. “Please don’t tell Blake. I don’t want him to say anything to Killian—”
“Hey, guys.” Helena wrapped her arms around us in a tight hug. “This place is crazy, right? I’m sooo proud of them. When they leave in a couple months for California, it won’t take long before someone signs them. Then we can brag about how we saw them first. I mean, can you imagine?” Her blue eyes danced with happiness. Was it weird that the three of us were secretly dating members of the band but hadn’t told anyone? Blake and I were official, not seeing anyone but one another, but what about Helena and Dean? Obviously, Killian was never going to be exclusive with anyone.
I twisted my lips as I nodded. “Actually, I can.”
I squeezed her tight before I let my gaze move to Blake, who was gesturing angrily with his hands as he spoke with Killian. Whatever it was, neither one of them looked happy.
“That can’t be good,” Matthias muttered just as Killian shook his head and bared his teeth.
I leaned in so Matty could hear me. “I think Blake wanted to perform the new song they wrote, but something tells me that’s not going to happen.”
“New song?” Matthias said, eyes fixed on the guys.
Killian stepped closer to Blake, and I wondered if I should interrupt. The last thing I wanted was to have to break up a fight between them. They both looked like they might start throwing punches at any minute.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty good. I heard it the other night when I was there. Blake wrote the music, and Killian wrote the lyrics. I was pretty sure it was about—” Shit, I couldn’t tell Matty that I thought it was about him.
“About what?” he asked, just as Blake turned away from Killian and his green eyes met mine.
A smile spread over his face that made my stomach swoop like I was on a roller coaster. His entire face lit up like it always did, and I couldn’t think of anything else. Luckily the lights dimmed, Maverick started the countdown into the first song, and I didn’t have to worry about telling Matty anything about the new song he hadn’t heard yet.
***
Mulligan Downtown needed to get the hell out of Dodge. And by Dodge, I meant Canfield, because this town wasn’t doing them any damn favors. They’d put on another fantastic show, one that had the crowd singing along to every single word, and even though they didn’t do the new one, Killian did tease it at the end of the night.
“We wrote a new song.” He motioned for Blake to come stand next to him. “I’m not ready to sing it live just yet, but soon, I promise.” He gripped Blake’s shoulder tightly. “It’s pretty personal to me, so just know that when I finally do let you hear it, it’s about someone special.”
Killian’s blue eyes landed on Matthias for a second, and I saw Matty’s entire face burn pink before he ducked his head. Maybe I was wrong about Killian and the way he was treating my friend, but I absolutely knew that “Smalltown, USA” was about him.
The crowd had started to clear out now that the show was over, but Helena, Matthias, and I stood around waiting for the band. We’d most likely go to an after party at someone’s house, chill for a bit, and then head home. I wanted alone time with my boyfriend. I needed to kiss him, get him off, and then hold him while he slept. It wasn’t too much to ask for, right? Blake enjoyed spending time with his bandmates and the fans that showed up, but it wasn’t unusual for us to leave together. No one would think anything of it if we ducked out early.
“Tom!” I turned at the sound of my name only to be engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. “It’s so good to see you. I thought I had missed you.”
I stared up into the blue eyes of my ex, Josh Bentley. “Oh, hey,” I mumbled out just as he moved in to slide his lips over mine. “Whoa, what are you doing?” I shoved at his chest, hoping Blake hadn’t caught that exchange.
“I’m sorry, I just... Weren’t we going to, I don’t know? Catch up the next time we were together?” His blue eyes sparkled with something I didn’t return. Yeah, we had said that when our relationship had ended, but things were different now. I was in love with Blake.
I didn’t have to look over to know that Blake had seen everything at the sound of things being slammed around a foot away from me. I was afraid to even look over at him for fear I would give everything away.
“I can’t.”
“Oh. Oh shit! Are you seeing someone?” Josh asked. “I didn’t even... Oh man, is he here?”
He dragged a hand through his raven-colored hair. We’d ended things on good terms; he was the one I thought I might have been in love with if he had wanted more, but he hadn’t. What Josh wanted was just someone to fool around with, and when he’d graduated, he’d told me wasn’t looking for a long-distance relationship. It had hurt, but I had bounced back. He was nice, good-looking with those blue eyes and that dark hair, but now that I was seeing him again for the first time in over a year, I realized he wasn’t endgame. I didn’t feel for Josh what I felt for Blake.
