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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