Sadie Miller is attempting to change her ways and hide somewhere no one knows her former self. She only wants to finish her final year of college, obtain her degree, and get out from the hold of her affluent parents. Then she meets Brady Carsen, the lead singer of The Invisibles, a local band popular with the college crowd. She tries to stay away but quickly realizes that, although he might not be what she’s used to, he’s exactly what she needs and more importantly, everything she could possibly want.
Unfortunately, Sadie’s troubled past left her with insecurities that make her question Brady’s true intentions. And while Brady is convinced that Sadie is the one for him, he has his own secrets that he fears will be their undoing. If they want to be together, they will have to stand united and fight the outside influences that are threatening to tear them apart. Can they put their pasts behind them for good in order to secure their future?
The corner of his mouth turns up and my eyes fixate on how pink and wet his lips are from drinking the water. There’s a drop of water resting in the center of his pouty bottom lip and I have an immense urge to lick it. His hand cups my shoulder holding me in place, ready to pull me closer as I lick my lips in anticipation.
“Cut that smoochy shit out. It’s time to go up.” Rob throws the napkin between our faces, bringing me back to reality.
I blink and Brady’s soft brown eyes peer back at me. Our moment is over and disappointment fills me. What was I thinking? I told myself that this was not going to happen, but oh how I wonder how he tastes.
“Enjoy the show,” Brady says, looking from Jessa to me. “Please stay this time,” he whispers in my ear before he scoots out of the booth, jumping on the stage.
“Holy crap, Sadie. What was that?” Jessa asks, right after he leaves.
“What? Nothing.” I shake my head, still trying to figure it out myself.
“It was like you two were in your own world. Like the rest of us weren’t here,” she says, finishing her drink before flagging the waitress down.
I ignore her comment. I don’t know what to think about that. Brady has this pull over me, making it incredibly hard to keep my promise to myself. Just stick to the plan, I tell myself. Show, dinner and no more Brady after tonight.
Roni brings Jessa her drink and then the lights go down for The Invisibles to start playing. Aces has filled up in the time we have been sitting down. There is a line outside the window, waiting to pay their cover charge to see the show. I relax in the booth and the vinyl sticks to my arms. Thankfully, Jessa has moved over from me now that Rob is up on stage.
“Are you ready out there?” Brady’s voice fills the bar and Trey starts hitting the drums. Everyone cheers and rushes up toward the stage.
Surprisingly, my body starts moving to the beat. Every song he put on my iPod is embedded into my mind. It’s adorable the way he glances from the corner of his eye to make sure we’re still here. When the edges of his lips turn up at me, I melt into the sticky vinyl. The crowd around the stage jumps up and down while their heads bob back and forth to the beat of the music. Brady’s eyes divert back to them, showing them he’s there for their enjoyment and wants them to have a good time. He looks down to an eager girl right up front and smiles. She raises her hand and he reaches down in return, grasping a few of her fingers. A sudden pang of jealousy consumes me.
I can only see her black, short hair from the back. She has a smaller, more petite frame than me. Then the crowd engulfs her in around them and I can’t locate her anymore. But there was something in her body movements that makes me believe that she and Brady either have or had something in the past.
An hour later The Invisibles finish their set. Brady’s soaked grey t-shirt clings to his body, revealing all the creases around his muscles. He holds up his finger to me, telling me to give him a minute. I couldn’t keep count how many times he looked over during the show to see if I had deserted him like last time. The smile that absorbs his face when he knew I was still there was enough to make me want to jump on stage into his arms. He brings feelings out of me I didn’t think I possessed, or could exist inside of me.
Brady leaves the stage and the dark-haired girl follows him down the hallway and I wonder what is going on, but quickly remind myself it is none of my business. I will be out of his life after tonight anyway.
“Who’s the girl?” Jessa asks next to me.
“I don’t know,” I respond, stirring the small straw in my drink. I watch the nearly dissolved ice cubes spin around.
“Oh my god. You try to act all cool like he doesn’t make you all wet but look at you now.” She hits her shoulder to mine.
“What are you talking about?” I ask her, still staring at the nearly nonexistent ice cubes twirling around in my cup. I feel like them, nonexistent to the world. I no longer matter to anyone, or have any one important person in my life.
“Are you ready?” Brady waits on the outside of the booth with his hand out. He has changed his shirt to a long-sleeved blue Henley. “Or do you want to stay for the next band?” I glance up at him and all those thoughts that just filled my brain vanish when his perfectly straight white teeth gleam down at me. For some reason he makes me feel alive again.
Michelle Lynn has always been a reader, but her passion has become a full-blown addiction since her husband bought her a Kindle for Mother's Day. She's pretty sure that he regrets this on a regular basis. Especially when she has it propped up next to the stove while she cooks, which often results in a burnt dinner. Or when he loses sleep because the glow from the screen wakes him up when he rolls over at three in the morning. He does agree, however, that she uses this gift more than any other he has ever gotten her. She joking counters that, because of some of the steamy novels she reads, he also benefits more from this gift than any other he has gotten her. ;)
Michelle moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. She developed a love of reading at a young age, which helped lay the foundation for her passion to write. With the encouragement of her family, she finally sat down and wrote one of the many stories that have been floating around in her head. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found playing with her kids, talking to her mom on the phone, or hanging out with her family and friends. But after chasing around twin preschoolers all day, she always cherishes her relaxation time after putting the kids to bed.
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