Then There Was You (25 page)

Almost a week had passed since that night with Chris. I’d almost given up hope from hearing from him, assuming he’d changed his mind about keeping in touch. I felt silly for feeling attracted to him. Obviously, the attraction wasn’t mutual, and I felt stupid for misinterpreting his words, his actions… that hug. I guess in his mind, it was just a nice meeting with an old friend and nothing else. I couldn’t help my disappointment.

I sat in my car outside the dance studio, waiting for Alexis to get finished with her hip hop class. I was fooling around with that addictive candy game app when my phone alerted me with an incoming text. I assumed it was Alexis letting me know she’d be a few minutes late. But the moment Chris’s number popped up on my screen, my heart jumpstarted in my chest.

It simply read,
Thinking of you.

I died. Not literally, but the feeling I got reminded me of a giddy teenager.

I texted back.
Thinking of you too.

And that was that. I didn’t hear from him again for another three days. The silly teenager in me continued to check my phone constantly. Every time I’d swipe the screen I’d reprimand myself.
Grow up, Salem.

It was a long three days of ridiculous vigilance. I tried to stay busy with work and Alexis’s after school activities, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about that text or when I would hear from him again.

I stood at the sink washing dishes when Alexis came barreling down the stairs. “Mom, you left your phone in your bedroom and someone is blowing it up!”

I turned, looking curiously at her. “Blowing up my phone?”

“You know,” she said, rolling her eyes as she held out the phone to me, “texting you a lot.”

I quickly dried my hands on a towel and reached for it, eager to know if this is the text I’d been hoping for. Swiping my finger to unlock it, I saw that I had three text messages… all from the same person—
Chris!

Sorry I didn’t text you back sooner.

Busy on the road.

Hope you’re having a great week. Talk soon?

I sighed. After three days of non-stop daydreaming, his cryptic messages were a bit of a letdown.
Ugh. Men!

Wonderful week. Yes, let’s talk soon
, I texted back.

Great! Tonight?
he immediately responded.

Yes!

Alexis cocked her head. “Who was it, mom?” she asked curiously, eyeing the grin I was trying to contain.

I tried to sound casual, but I’m pretty sure it came out more like a squeal. “Chris.”

Her response actually did come out like a squeal. “Chris King? Oh my god, Mom, that’s awesome! What did he say?”

“Nothing much. He wants to talk later tonight.”

She raised her eyebrows at me. “Mom,” she teased, “you’re totally crushing on him!”

“Oh my god, no,” I said, shaking my head, certain I couldn’t convince her if I couldn’t convince myself.

Her blue eyes twinkled. “Oh yes you are,” she nodded knowingly.

“Alexis Caroline, I so totally am not,” I grinned, having thrown her girly teen-speak back at her.

“Oh, for sure, you are. Trust me.”

I chuckled. “Famous last words,” I said with a wink. I’d used the ‘famous last words’ line on her so many times in her life I couldn’t keep count. Every time she’d say ‘Trust me, mom,’ I’d break out that mantra. She always had the same response.

“Ugh,” Alexis groaned dramatically, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder, “I can’t talk to you.” She spun around laughing, and traipsed back upstairs to her bedroom.

I giggled, knowing we’d just bonded a little more, even if she did roll her eyes and leave. I stared at my phone as the question of ‘Tonight?’ glared back at me.

I finally texted back.

Looking forward to it.

I finished washing my dishes with a slaphappy grin on my face.

Later that night, Alexis was holed up in her bedroom, and I was just settling down into my bed with my e-reader when my cell phone rang.

I answered before the first ringtone played completely through.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Salem,” Chris’s smooth voice poured through the phone.

“Hi.” I was smiling ear to ear and wondered if he could hear it.

“It’s good to hear your voice finally,” he sighed, sounding tired. “It’s been a long fucking week.”

I couldn’t decide, by the way he said it, if the week was long because he’d been busy or because he’d waited so long to hear my voice.

“It’s good to hear your voice too,” I admitted, feeling a little bashful. “So, how’s life on the road?”

“Eh, it sucks sometimes, but for the most part we have a pretty good time. How have you been?” he asked.

“Pretty good. Same old, same old…” I struggled to find something interesting to say about my everyday life, but couldn’t find the words. Life as a rock star seemed much more intriguing. “So,” I said, changing the subject, “what’s it like, always on the go, traveling the States?”

Chris exhaled sharply. “Honestly, I’m exhausted. And I’d love a home cooked meal… specifically breakfast. You just can’t get a good homemade biscuit with gravy… or apple butter… or fried livermush through a drive-thru.” He thought for a minute, as if he were savoring the memory of a home-cooked meal. “Oh, and sweet tea… Damn, I’d kill for some good old fashioned sweet tea right about now. You know, the kind that steeped for hours on my grandma’s back porch.” He paused. “I guess, other than that, I can’t complain.”

“Glad to hear you’re making the best of it. You know, if you’re ever down this way, I’ve got your home-cooked meal covered,” I offered without thinking. I was pretty decent at cooking, but I was certainly no pro. I hoped Chris’s expectations weren’t too high.

“Really? I could definitely go for that,” he agreed, sounding thoroughly pleased. “We’ll be heading that way in a few weeks. Passing through Charlotte on our way to Atlanta. You game?”

“Absolutely! I’d love to see you… I mean, cook for you.” I suddenly felt like an idiot for jumping the gun.

He sounded excited. “Great! It’s a date.”

His words put my mind at ease. I loved the way he used the word ‘date.’ He probably didn’t actually mean
date
, but it sounded good anyway. My heart galloped in my chest at the thought of seeing him again.

“I look forward to it. So, you want breakfast, huh?” I asked him thoughtlessly. Just then, it hit me.

Oh god, I hope he doesn’t interpret that as meaning breakfast in the morning… after he spends the night!

I immediately tried to correct myself. “I mean, for supper… breakfast as the meal… at night…” I stuttered, digging myself deeper into a hole.
Just let it go, Salem.

He laughed, amused by my stammering. “I’m not picky. Trust me.”

“Famous last words,” I murmured, knowing he wouldn’t understand my inside joke with Alexis.

Graciously trying to drop it, he suggested, “Just surprise me.”

“You got it.” I couldn’t help but smile thinking of the fact that I would get to see him again in a few weeks, and he’d be eating at
my
table with
me
. And then the smile vanished, remembering my place. Former counselor.

“Well,” he asked, changing the subject, “what have you been up to lately?”

“Just busy with work. I got a new client this week, so I’ve been busy with intake stuff. And, of course, Alexis keeps me burning the roads with school and dance. The busy life of a teenager. She keeps me on my toes.”

“I bet,” he said, sounding genuinely interested.

“How about you?” I asked. I wondered if he’d start spouting off about the number of women who’d thrown themselves at him this past week. It was all over social media.

He suddenly sounded distracted as he rambled, “Eh, I’ve been busy. We play shows three to four nights per week. It’s rough sometimes, and this rat trap tour bus sucks ass sometimes… shut up, Jeremy… but we manage. Sorry, my asshole drummer is annoying me.”

I could hear Jeremy in the background making lewd remarks.

I laughed, reminded of my own younger brother and the way he used to pester me while I was on the phone. “You sound like brothers.”

He laughed. “Oh, we are. And I’m getting ready to kick his ass like the
big
brother that I am,” he said pointedly at Jeremy. “Go away, dude.”

I heard Jeremy through the phone, “Who are you talking to?”

“It’s Salem.”

“Salem?” Jeremy asked. “Does Salem want your dick the way Amanda does?”

“Shut the fuck up, bro,” he snapped.

“Amanda?” I teased, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Chris sighed. “He’s just being a dickhead. There is no Amanda. He’s just messin’ with you.” Turning his attention to Jeremy, he growled, “Get out of here, asshole!”

I heard Jeremy’s muffled laughter as Chris tried to move to a more private area to talk.

“Sorry,” Chris apologized. “He’s already drunk. We have the night off, and he’s just getting started.”

I remembered my college days and how much fun we had partying on Thursday nights. Wow, to have that kind of freedom again. I wasn’t sure at my age if that would be a good thing or a bad thing though. I guess, in some ways, both.

“It’s okay,” I assured him. “I understand. You live the ultimate party scene as a celebrity rock star.”

Sounding bored by it all, he said, “Yeah, things can get kinda crazy around here sometimes.”

I chuckled, just in case I’d misinterpreted his tone. “I bet so. I remember my college days well. Now I just lead this boring life, day in and day out.”

“I think that’s why I envy you.” His voice was low, soft and personal.

It shocked me. “Envy me? There’s nothing spectacular about my life. I can assure you.”

He sounded wistful with his response. “Yeah, you’re settled down. You have a steady job, a house, a home-cooked meal every night… That sounds like the fucking life.”

I laughed. “Yeah, right. I have bills I can barely pay. I never go anywhere except work and home, and occasionally the grocery store. I have to cook and clean, do laundry, scrub toilets. Oh, it’s
definitely
the life.” My voice was heavy with sarcasm. Grinning, I continued, “I’d much rather have room service, meals I don’t have to slave over, and so much money I don’t know how to spend it all.”

“Trust me. This life is not all that glamorous.” The hollowness in his voice indicated how empty he felt. “I mean, yeah, I have all that stuff which is nice, but I also have crazy men with cameras following me around all day, documenting my every move. I almost never spend the night in the same bed twice, except on this tour bus with this wood composite bed and paper thin mattress. I miss home, family, and people far away, who I’d much rather be spending time with.”

My breath lodged in my throat.
Like me?

He continued, breaking my heart with how lonely he sounded. “I’m not kidding, Salem. It’s been a rough few months. From bumping into Kaitlyn again recently and all that stemmed from that, to being back on the road on this never-ending tour, then bumping into you again in Charlotte. My head has been a mess. I’m a fucking wreck. Sometimes I miss those days when I could just sit in your office and talk.”

“Sometimes I miss those days too…” my voice trailed. Because in some ways I did miss those days, but in other ways, I didn’t. That seventeen year old boy was special to me, but now… It still scared me to let myself think of the possibilities of what could happen between us.

“I think I respected and trusted you more than anyone in my life. When no one else in my life could even begin to get through to me, you always did. Finding someone like you was a blessing. I moved around a lot in school, so I never really had a lot of friends. My kid brother was exactly that—a kid. I had my mom, but you know how moms are. And I had my dad, but he was locked away in prison.” He paused, and for a moment I could almost feel the heat of his breath through the phone. “Then there was you.”

Whoa.
My eyes closed, and I inhaled a staggering breath. My emotions were all over the place. I felt a pull so strong from our past that it was so easy to reconnect like this, talking and laughing as if it were yesterday. But at the same time, I found myself withholding a feeling deep inside—one I couldn’t quite put my finger on… or was afraid to, really. Something about it felt wrong because he was once a client, so I bottled it up and tried to ignore it.