Falling to Pieces (9 page)

“So what are you doing with this
asshole?” Chad asks nodding his head towards Dave behind me.

“Fuck you dickhead. You’re just jealous
that lead singer pulls more ass than a bartender.” Dave laughs, drawing circles
with his fingers on my upper thigh. If I wasn’t already aware of the love
shared between these two, I might have been worried with their serious tones.

“Yeah, you’re right. But I am more
jealous of you getting my little red devil here.” The guys both laugh and share
a bro-moment with a handshake, but I am stuck on two words.

Little
red.

Two words and my mood plummets. I can’t
help but let my mind wonder to where he is right now and what he might be
doing.

Is
he out with his friends?

Is
he with a girl?

The last thought upsets me and I try to shake
it out of my head.

“What can I get you two?” Chad asks thankfully
breaking my thoughts.

“I need another Chad special, please.” I
ask, doing my best to bat my eyelashes.

“That last one didn’t do you in?” I am
just as surprised as Chad and shake my head no. “Okay, but only one more and
then I am switching you to water. Sawyer has already warned me, and honestly she
kind of scares me. How about you man?”

“Just bring me a Stella. Thanks.” After
Chad turns to make my, apparently, last shot, Dave leans down to whisper in my
ear. “I think only one more shot is a good idea. I need you to be fully
responsive once we leave here.”

I shiver from the chill that Dave causes
to run through me. Maybe I should travel with an extra pair of panties for
moments like that.

“Here you go. This is something I have a
good feeling you have experienced before.” Chad gives Dave a look and it seems
to be a silent message being conveyed between them.

Secretive
fuckers.

The shot doesn’t go down as smooth with
the carbonated bubbles getting stuck in my throat, but still tastes good. I can
detect a hint of sweetness from an energy drink and I know that I have never
had this shot before.

“Oh, and I wasn’t talking about the
shot.” Seeing the obvious confusion cover my face, Chad continues. “The shot
name is fucked by a
rockstar
.”

Dave has one hand splayed against my
stomach, holding me to him, while his body shakes from silent laughter. Looking
up, I see his other hand is covering his mouth. Chad is leaning against the
wall, with his arms crossed and a cocky smirk on his face.

“I want to be mad and call you both
jerks, but I can’t, because that’s funny shit. I got to give you props, Chad. I
think you guys have a new set up for the future. Imagine the tail you could
pull with that tag team action.”

The minute the words leave my mouth, I
have not time to recant before the guys have already lost it. “I didn’t mean it
that way. Although, that does sound kind of hot.”

Thinking about both Chad and Dave
together, it’s like having the best of both worlds. Chad is light hair and
eyes, tanned muscular body, while Dave is dark hair and eyes with a lean
tattooed body.

Oh,
the images in my mind right now.

My stool is spinning and suddenly Dave
is right in front of me, bracing himself on the bar with his arms on both sides
of me. “I should probably tell you now, I don’t share like that.” He kisses the
side of my mouth. “The band is setting up, so you stay here and when you see me
drop that mic, be ready, because I am snatching you up and were out of here.”

“Well you better hurry then,
rockstar
.” I tease, running my hand under his shirt,
tracing his abs. He is looking at me like he might let the band carry on
without their lead singer.

“I take it you must be Dave?” Sawyer
giggles from my left and we both turn to see her standing with Preston.

“I am. And you must be the girl this sap
can’t stop talking about.” Dave reaches out slapping Preston on the shoulder
before shaking Sawyer’s hand.

“Well, at least I hope so.” Sawyer
teases, but we all know there isn’t another girl Preston would be talking
about. “I am also that one’s best friend and roommate.” She says titling her
head towards me.

“Ah, yes the third amigo. You weren’t
around last weekend when I met the girls.”

“No, and I am the sane one. I apologize
that you got stuck meeting the crazies and I am sure they were full force last
week being out on their own.” She isn’t lying. Sawyer often is the one to reel
us in when we get wild.

“I don’t know just how crazy they can
get, but I assure you they were on their best behavior. Well, accept for this
one and her ability to attract preppy douchebags.”

“I would like to say that it was a rare
experience, but that would be a lie.
 
It happens a lot.” I joke, knowing he meant the incident with Sean last
Saturday.

“I like you, Dave.” Sawyer says giving
Dave her nod of approval and taking the seat next to me

A tapping on a microphone grabs Dave’s
attention as a reminder that he is needed on stage.

“I
gotta
run,
but it was very nice meeting you,” he grabs Sawyer’s hand and gives a light
squeeze, “and you, I will see very, very, very soon.” Each very is accentuated
with a quick kiss before he runs to the stage.

“So, I was going to offer to have
Preston drop you off at the apartment since I was going home with him, but I
gather you have other plans?” she asks.

“Yeah. Big plans alright.” I say, just
as the strum of a guitar pulls my attention to the stage.

I try to recall just how many songs are
typically in a
Knucks
Road set. It seems that they
would usually play a little over half an hour. I only hope that within that
time my mind doesn’t wonder into forbidden areas.

It’s possible that Dave cut out a few
songs, because before I know it he is done singing.

True to his word, he drops the mic and
jumps off the stage stalking towards me. Chad passes me my bag over the bar and
I give a quick goodbye to Sawyer before I am wisped into the air and over
Dave’s shoulder. Bracing my hands on his back, I lift my head to witness the
amused faces of Chad, Preston, and Sawyer. The cold air hits me as we make it
out the door and I slap Dave’s ass.

“Keep that up and we won’t make it out
of this parking lot.” The serious tone in Dave’s voice only turns me on even
more.

He slowly slides me down his front until
I am standing between him and a vehicle. My hands, wrapped around his biceps,
squeeze before running up to his shoulders. Quickly, Dave picks me up setting
me on the trunk of a car and moves himself between my legs devouring my mouth.

Both of my hands are entwined in the
back of his hair, holding him close to me and my legs have wrapped themselves
around his back. His hands slide up my thighs and I can feel the heat through
my leggings. When they make their way to my ass, he grabs ahold and pulls me
closer to the edge of the trunk, rubbing his erection against my heat.

Damn.

For whatever stupid reason, this reminds
me of the many times Sam had me on the trunk of my car which always brought me
to the perfect height, allowing our bodies to align. That one thought, and I am
instantly flooded with memories of Sam Carter.

I now find myself wanting to compare
every move, every caress, and every kiss to Sam’s.

What
the hell is wrong with me?

I sure as shit wasn’t thinking about Sam
last weekend when Dave, literally, rocked my world. The only thing on my mind then
was Dave and all the pleasure he was bringing me.

Unfortunately detecting my distraction,
Dave pulls back and examines my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I lock my ankles behind him
and attempt to pull him closer, but he resists.

“I felt you pull away. What happened?”
His eyes are full of concern as he tucks my hair behind my ear.

“Nothing happened. I don’t know what
you’re talking about.” I look away, unable to hold his gaze, but I already know
the moment is broken.

He taps my thighs and I unlock my ankles,
dropping them down over the back of the car.

Taking a step back, Dave helps me to the
ground. “Suddenly, I am in the mood for waffles. How about we hit the all night
diner and you can tell me all about him?”

“Who?” I look up to Dave in shock.

Did I accidently say Sam’s name in the
heat of the moment? Oh my God that would be horrible, but I wouldn’t put it
past me.

With a kiss to my forehead, Dave grabs
my hand and leads me to the passenger side of the car. I was glad to know it was
at least his property we almost defiled.

“The guy that was on your mind and stole
your attention away from me. I felt it the second it happened.”

“I’m sorry, Dave.” I begin.

“No. No need for apologies. I get it.
We’ve all been there. But I must say, you are the first girl who I caught
thinking of another guy while making out with me.”

“Ouch, does it hurt?” I laugh,
appreciating him making light of the situation.

“Little bit.” Holding his thumb and
pointer finger close together he confirms his ego will be all right. “Now how
about those waffles?”

“Sounds amazing.”

The waffles do sound amazing, but
telling Dave about Sam…

Not so much.

“So what is your story,
Cheyenne?” Dave asks, and my eyes widen as I watch him drench his waffles in
maple syrup. He already loaded them up with butter.

I
stall,
taking a slow sip of my mediocre cup of coffee that has been loaded with sugar
and cream, in an attempt to better the flavor. “Well, there really isn’t much
to tell.”

“Listen, don’t let this bad-ass
exterior fool you.” Dave says, moving his hand up and down his front. “I am
actually a big softy and a really good listener. I know there is a story in
there somewhere, and my guess is that it revolves around a guy. So, lay it on
me.”

I laugh, but part of me
is drawn to Dave and I trust that I could tell him things and not be judged. Sawyer
has always been the one that I leaned on and tended to get advice from. I have
even confided in Becka from time to time, but neither one really understood
where I was coming from with my reasoning for not wanting to be in a
relationship.

“Okay, fine.” I give in,
reluctantly. “But I am only giving you the cliff-notes.”

Raising my brow, I take
another sip of my coffee and Dave nods for me to continue. “His name is Sam and
we met in high school. He was the guy who changed everything for me, but again,
as with most everyone else in my life, he let me down. I had lost the little
bit of faith that I had in him and I now refuse to get close to anyone. He has
still been in my life throughout the years, but moved out of state for school. This
has worked well for us, but he decided to finish out his last year here, which
I was unaware of until last night after running into him.” Pausing in my story,
I inhale deeply, focusing on my hands that are wrapped around the dingy coffee
cup.

When I notice that Dave
had yet to say a word, I look up and meet his gaze. “So what happened? How did
he let you down?” he finally spoke.

“Why do you want to know
all this? I am sure there are plenty of other things you would rather be doing.
I bet there are girls lined up somewhere just waiting for you to take them
home.”

“Yeah, you are probably
right about the girls. But you’re wrong about me wanting to be elsewhere. Have
you forgotten that I declared you my new best friend the night we met?”

I shake my head,
recalling that night and what brought on his declaration.

“Considering we were
drunk and I had just introduced you to the back of my throat, I hadn’t really
taken you seriously.”

Placing his hand over his
heart, Dave feigns hurt causing me to roll my eyes. “Oh, I don’t kid about my best
friends. The moment I met you and your take-no-shit attitude, I knew we would
be great friends. Your little talent though, that just sealed the deal.” He
gives me a cocky smirk after filling his mouth with a bite. I swear he has
already consumed most of the waffle after merely taking three bites.

“Of course it did.” I
laugh and thank the waitress when she refills my coffee, not that I really need
any more.

“You’re getting me
sidetracked. Back to the topic at hand, what happened?”

“I found him with another
girl.” I explained, keeping it short and simple.

“Ouch. He cheated on
you?” Dave asks in disbelief. Sometimes I wish it were that easy.

“Well, we weren’t exactly
exclusive.”

“Explain.” After taking
the last bite of his waffle, Dave slides the plate to the end of the table and
begins working on his scrambled eggs and bacon. He gives me a dirty look when I
reach over and snatch a strip of bacon. I wasn’t feeling hungry when he
ordered, but how can you look at bacon and not eat it?

“I have commitment
issues.”

“Daddy issues?” Dave
jokes, but doesn’t know that he is pretty dead on.

“Something
like
that. Parents divorced when I was young, after my dad
cheated. I don’t want to go through the hurt I witnessed my mom experience. At
a young age I decided that love was not worth it and I wanted to avoid it at
all costs.”

“So, basically you built
up your walls at a young age, typically making them all the harder to tear
down. So the non-exclusiveness, that was your call?”

“Yeah, it was. Sam wanted
more; always did. It didn’t take long for him to work his way into my heart.
He’s just that kind of guy, I guess. Being around Sam made me feel less
damaged. He broke down my walls and I was finally ready to give in. I wanted
him to be mine, because I knew I already had been his for quite some time.” I
pause, reliving the night that changed everything. “The night I went to confess
my feelings, I found him with his tongue down a nasty bitch’s throat. Probably
the worst girl he could have picked.” The image of Sam and icky Vicky still
makes me cringe.

“Damn. Does he know?” Looking
down at the table, I shake my head. “You never told him? After all this time?”

“No. I had finally let my
guard down, only to end up getting hurt. Lesson learned. I was pissed off and
ended up sleeping with his friend. I had turned off my emotions at that point. Since
teenage boys were always bragging about their hook ups, I knew Sam would find
out, and in that moment I didn’t care. I wanted to hurt him.”

I can’t believe how easy
it is to open up to Dave. He is actually the only person I have told this story
to. I have never even told Sawyer about the night Sam broke my heart.

“I would imagine you
succeeded,” was all he could say.

“Oh yeah. He wouldn’t
look at me for the longest time. Eventually, we started hooking up again, but
it was just sex. Nothing more.” At least that is what I always chose to
believe, but deep down I know it was always more, especially for Sam. I could
see it in his eyes every time.

“He never tried for
more?” With his second plate nearly empty, Dave offers me his last strip of
bacon, which I gladly accept.

“Last December we lost a close
friend in a car accident. Sam was realizing how short life could be and was
discussing his options for senior year with me. It ended in a fight about our
relationship status, as usual. Words were exchanged and we hadn’t talked since,
until now. For me though, losing Austin and watching my best friend fall apart
after losing a piece of her heart, was just another way to get hurt.”

Dave places his hand over
mine and squeezes lightly. “I am sorry about your friend.”

“Thanks.” I know for a
fact that Austin would be the first to kick my ass knowing that I was using his
death as a way to avoid Sam. He was always on Sam’s side when it came to most everything.

“So, last night you saw
him? How did that go?”

The waitress stops by the
table to collect Dave’s empty dishes and asks if I need another refill. My cup
is still full from the last one, which she would know if she pulled her eyes
away from the tattooed God in front of me.

 
“I was surprised, excited, and terrified.
Surprised, because we hadn’t spoken since December and I was not anticipating
seeing him, in my town. Excited, because I missed him and now he would be close
by. But most of all, I was terrified because I didn’t realize how much I missed
up until the second I saw him. Sam has a way of evoking emotions that I work
hard to keep locked away. I am more confused now than I have ever been.”
Pushing my coffee to the side, I reach for the glass of water and take a much-needed
drink.

“You love him.”

The shock from his words
causes the water to shoot from my mouth and I soak Dave.

Real classy Cheyenne.

 
Thankfully Dave laughs and wipes his face
with a napkin.

“Whoa.” I exclaim when I
am finally able to speak. “What the fuck?” I rub my chest in an attempt to calm
my rapid beating heart.

It’s hard to breathe.

I don’t apologize for
practically spitting in his face, because he deserved it
;
in my opinion.

Dave is having the time
of his life, cracking up from across the booth, at my expense. I am happy he
can find joy in my pain.

Asshole.

“Too soon?” He asks.

“Never a good time to
bring up love.”

“So you are in denial?”
He starts to laugh again, but when he catches sight of the look I am giving him
he reels it in. “Okay, I’ll drop it. What is your plan now that he
is
here?”

“Well I was shooting for
the whole ‘get over one guy by getting under another’, but that didn’t work
out.” Hoping to divert the conversation away from the illicit L word, I wink
and bat my eyelashes.

Dave shifts in his seat
and lowers his hand under the table to, assumingly, adjust
himself
.

Score for me.

“As tempting as you are,
and believe me you are tempting as fuck, I am trying to be a friend here.” Dave
sits up straighter and I roll my eyes leaning back into the booth.

I let out an audible huff,
annoyed that he still wants to talk about this. “I told him I am still not
ready and we agreed that it was better for us to not hook up anymore.”

“Wait, so after
everything, he still hasn’t given up?”

I simply nod.

“Persistent. I think I
like this Sam guy. We should to meet.”

“Horrible best friend.” I
call out, pointing my finger at him. “You can’t like him or take his side! And
I think you two meeting is a terrible idea.” I can only imagine how that would
go over.

Dave holds his hands up
in surrender. “Sorry. I should warn you, I am new at this whole ‘friend’ thing
with the ladies.” I laugh seeing Dave use air-quotes.

“To be honest, you are
actually pretty good at it.” I don’t know what it was about Dave that had me
opening up, but he really was being a good friend; one who wasn’t forcing his
beliefs
on me nor judging my choices
.

“Good.” He says, blowing
out a breath, looking relieved. “Now let’s get you home. It’s pretty late and I
am afraid if I take you back to my place, I will not be very friend-like.”

“Sounds fun though.” I
joke. “So, when do I get to hear your story? It’s only fair you know. Being
that we are best friends now.”

“You’re right, but
another time. I promise I will bore you with my issues next time.”

“Okay, but I will hold you
to it.”

“I wouldn’t expect
anything less.” Standing from the booth, Dave holds his hand out for me and I
accept it.

While walking out to his
car, I can’t help but reflect on the last week and wonder how Dave went from
the sexy singer, who literally rocked my world, to the guy I just revealed my
deep fears to. When he came up behind me on the dance floor, I had all
intentions of repeating the activities of our last night together. My original
plan for the night was to get drunk and forget about Sam. With the interesting
turn of events, I ended up talking about it and somehow I essentially feel
better. Just that little bit of conversation makes me feel like as if a weight
has been lifted.

I am still wondering what
Sam is doing right now and I can only hope that he is at his apartment,
sleeping in his comfortable bed alone. Maybe that is a minor double standard,
seeing as I planned on going home with Dave. But I couldn’t and I didn’t.

No one can make me feel
the way the Sam does. He is the only guy that I have any kind of feelings
towards.

During the drive back to
my apartment my lids grew heavy. I really need sleep. It is way too late at
night, or early in the morning, however you look at it, to be thinking about these
things. Maybe tomorrow I can revisit the subject, but I probably wouldn’t.

“Thanks for tonight.
Talking was surprisingly nice.” Dave had just parked outside my apartment and I
was about to exit.

“It was nice. We should
do it more.”

“Yes, but next time it
will be you that’s in the hot seat.” I am extremely interested to find out more
about Dave, the
rockstar
, and all his secrets. There
has got to be a good story there.

“I guess that’s only
fair. Sleep well, Cheyenne. I will talk to you tomorrow.” Leaning over the
console Dave gives me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

My face is burning up and
I can only imagine the blush color that is flooding my cheeks. If there wasn’t
a Sam, I know Dave would be someone I could see myself involved with.

“Good night, Dave.”
Turning away I open the door and step out.

As I make my way up the
flight of stairs I realize that I am now wide-awake. Sawyer went home with
Preston, so I know for a fact she won’t be home to harass. However, there is a
chance that Becka is home, although she is most likely asleep. Eh, who cares I
will wake her up and make her entertain me.

After I unlock my door, I
turn and wave to Dave, who reverses and pulls away. After first kicking off my
shoes, I set my bag down on the counter as I round the island and head straight
for the pantry. Grabbing a bottle of I water I unscrew the lid and drink nearly
half in just a couple gulps. It’s after I finish the water and toss the empty
bottle in the trash, when I hear a familiar giggle coming from the end of the
hallway. It was coming from
Becka’s
room. Looks like
she is awake after all.