AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His body tensed. He cleared his throat and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer.
“Because it made me happy and I didn’t deserve it.”
A wave of sorrow washed through her but she didn’t move from where she was. Even though everything in her wanted to wrap her arms around him and cover him in peace.
“I thought if I played small it wouldn’t matter. No one would get offended. But then…” He swallowed. “No one knows I quit the piano bar. Not Nikki. Not my dad. No one. If I try to explain it, it’s going to sound bad. And Nikki especially will try to fix it andshe has way too much going on in her life. She doesn’t need that kind of pointless drama.”
“What happened?” she asked softly.
Beneath her head, his shoulder sagged. Not with relaxation or relief, but with fatigue. Like he was tired of holding onto whatever it was he wasn’t saying.
“It’s so stupid,” he muttered. “Almost immediately after those pictures of you and I together hit the internet, Shelby started harassing me.”
“Shelby the singer from Winking Pete?” she asked to make sure she knew exactly who he was talking about.
He hesitated but then said, “Yeah.”
From the little Zara knew of Shelby she already hated her. Maybe it wasn’t fair. But maybe it was only natural to be protective of her circle.
“How was she harassing you?”
“Texts, emails, phone calls. I had to private all of my socials. I was afraid she’d show up at the bar next. Shelby has a way of making a spectacle. I panicked and quit. Because I knew if she found out I worked there, she’d try to get me fired at the very least.”
Shelby sounded like she needed a cooter punch.
“Have you thought about getting a restraining order?” Zara asked carefully.
He made a noise that was part groan part growl. “That’s where it gets tricky.” He rubbed his palms on his thighs. “Taking outa restraining order on my sister would absolutely cause family drama. And there’s already enough of that to go around.”
Zara stopped breathing. “Yoursister?”
He glanced down at her with a frown. “I thought you knew that.”
She sat up slowly, her pulse thundering in her ears. She shook her head.
He studied her face for a beat. “I guess I assumed Nikki told you.”
All of it made sense. It hadn’t exactly been a secret; she’d just never put all the floating pieces together. He had told her he didn’t speak to his sister. All the times he’d talked about Shelby made so much more sense. Why he was still hurt by her actions. It had seemed too much to be an ex or even a friend but what did she know? She was still navigating life after Logan. Maybe it took longer to heal for some people.
“Yoursister?” she repeated, thinking of all the things that had been said about Shelby. “She broke Nikki’s arm?”
Asa licked his lips and nodded, wariness entering his expression.
“Why?” she finally asked because it was the loudest word echoing in her head.
“Why what?”
Had he shifted away from her or was she imagining it?
“Why…?” Zara blinked, her mouth opening and closing again and again because no words would form. All she had was anger and confusion and what she thought might be vengeance all pinging around in her brain like a hyperactive pinball machine.
Since the NMAs she’d had the distinct impression that he was hiding. Hiding his gifts, his talent, his obvious passion for music. She’d stupidly thought he was just bitter about the band breaking up. But bands broke up all the time. Most successful bands had gone through several facelifts over the years as they fought for their place in the industry. Being a musician was a hard life. It meant having to risk your heart again and again with zero guarantee that you’d ever find your audience.
And he’d had a taste of what could be and hissisterhad been the one to fuck it up?
“She’s not even that good!” Zara blurted.
Asa’s head cocked to the side in question.
