Chapter 10: Chapter 10

AVERY

His golden eyes twinkle with mischief, a broad, knowing grin on his handsome face. He doesn’t seem taken aback to see me here, but I’m certainly stunned to see him.

The music continues to play around me as he saunters closer to the stage, leaning against the railing. His gaze remains fixed on me, accompanied by the most enticing smirk I’ve ever seen.

Olive is dancing and jumping beside me, bringing her microphone back to her lips for the next lyric, but I’m rooted to the spot as Reed watches. My heart races, fueled by the adrenaline coursing through my veins, and my mind goes completely blank.

I don’t just feel tipsy. I feel downright drunk, intoxicated by the way he’s looking at me. I lick my lips and glance back at the karaoke monitor.

~What were the lyrics again?~

Luckily, as soon as the words appear on the screen, the song comes flooding back. I sing out loud and clear, leaning back against Olive.

We both turn simultaneously, wrapping our arms around each other and dropping to our knees. It’s hard to keep the beat between our fits of laughter. We know we look absurd, but we embrace it.

“I think we’re alone now,” I sing, shimmying my shoulders as I lean toward Olive and she pulls back.

The music gradually fades as we hug and stand. Applause and whistles fill the air around us, the loudest whistle coming from Reed.

A warm blush spreads across my cheeks as we take our bows and step down from the stage. Reed follows, maneuvering his large frame through the crowd to keep up with us as we return to our spot at the bar.

“You were amazing up there,” Devon shouts, his voice carrying a tone I’ve never heard from him before as he puts an arm around my shoulder.

I shrug it off and take my seat, chuckling nervously.

~What is with him tonight?~

Reed slides onto the stool next to me, his eyes narrowing at Devon. His face is distant as he sizes him up.

“Hi, I’m Reed.”

“This is my bro—”

“I’m Avery’s friend,” he interrupts, lingering on the word friend with a suggestive smirk.

~What was that about?~

“Hey, tall, dark, and handsome,” Olive teases, ordering another round.

“And rugged,” Reed retorts with a smile.

“So, what brings you out tonight, Reed?” she asks, glancing between us with a mischievous grin.

I bite my lip, trying to catch her eye and signal her to cool it.

~She’s not being subtle. I hope Reed doesn’t catch on.~

“I had a shit day and needed to blow off some steam.” He shrugs, looking at me. “Saw Avery’s post and figured why not. What are you drinking by the way? It looks good.”

I lean over his shoulder and point to the drink on the menu. “That. It’s delicious.”

“Is it? Let’s see.”

He takes the glass from my hand, his lips sliding over the rim as he takes a sip. He nods appreciatively and hands it back.

“So, how long have you two been ‘friends’?” Devon asks.

“Pretty much our whole lives,” Reed says.

I can’t help but correct him this time. “What he means is that he’s been my brother’s best friend since they were six years old. I was just around most of the time. We weren’t actually friends growing up.”

“We weren’t?” he asks me directly, holding my gaze. “What about now?”

~I can’t tell if he’s being sincere or sarcastic. This is ridiculous. Why does this matter to him?~

“We are friends now,” I concede.

“She has a hard time admitting I’ve always been there for her,” he says with a wink to Olive.

“What?!” I laugh. “Since when? You hardly seemed to notice I existed when we were kids.”

“What about the time I found you crying under the pier that summer you turned sixteen? When the boy you liked didn’t like you back? Tyler, I believe?” His eyebrow arches.

I stifle my surprise at his recollection.

“What about it?” I respond, trying to act as though it was nothing.

“What did I say to you?” he asks.

I glare at him, not sure why he wants to bring up my past humiliation right now. The memory comes flooding back.

~The cold, damp sand beneath me as I try to dry my tears on my tank top. Reed finding me and draping his arm around me right as fireworks light up the sky around us.~

That was the night I fell hard for my brother’s best friend.

“I’m waiting, Avery.”

Reed’s firm voice breaks through my reflection.

“You told me that I was special. One of a kind, and that he didn’t deserve me,” I recite, living his words all over again.

“I told you he’d regret it too, and I was right. He came crawling back the next day, realizing what a mistake he made,” Reed adds, a lightness in his tone that makes the story feel more pleasant than the heartbreaking moment I remember. “Some guys are too busy playing with pretty rocks to realize they’ve had a diamond in their hands the whole time.”

His eyes slide to Devon, a hard look in them before he turns back to me, smile genuine.

“You told him off though,” he says proudly.

Olive gasps. “She did not!”

“I didn’t tell him off, exactly,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Not in so many words, no. But she did tell him she deserved more. Which you do,” Reed adds as his drink arrives.

My mind goes back to that troubled, teenage Reed, his rough-and-tumble spirit hiding his own pain as he stood in front of me and consoled me after Tyler left.

~“Eventually, the right boy will come along, Avery,” he says, his hand brushing the hair out of my eyes. “And he’ll look into those beautiful eyes of yours and see…”~

~My breath catches as his gaze flicks down to my lips, my young heart soaring with the knowledge that Reed Everette notices me.~

~“Everything he’s ever wanted. His hopes. His dreams. His home. Just you wait and see, Little Avery.”~

~He leans in slightly, just as Josh comes down the stairs, clearing his throat. Reed laughs it off, telling my brother how proud he is that I just sent some loser packing and pretending like nothing happened between us.~

I shake my head, reaching for my cocktail and taking a fortifying sip.

“I had your back then, and I still do now,” Reed says, leaning in as he drapes an arm over the back of my chair.

I stare into his hazel eyes, the rest of the bar slipping away for a moment as I try and decipher the look in them. That cocky grin slides across his face, his fingers trailing a path along my skin.

“I’ll always be here for you,” he whispers, his low tone making my toes curl.