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Thoughtful(91)



I headed over to Evan’s, since that was where Matt had crashed. Surprisingly, Griffin’s van was parked there. After the way things had ended, I’d kind of assumed Matt would have a restraining order against Griffin. Roxie approached me as I crossed the street. Wiping her hands clean on a rag, she said, “Hey, Kell. Miss the sleepover?” She indicated Griffin’s van with a tilt of her head.

I laughed at the look on her face. “Yeah, apparently, I did.” And I kind of wished I hadn’t. My morning would have gone a lot differently if I’d woken up over here.

Evan’s door was locked when I tried to open it, so I knocked and patiently waited for someone to unlock it. When no one did, I knocked harder. There was a gruff sound of mumbled voices, followed by a curse or two, then the door unlocked and cracked open. A pale blue eye framed by long strands of dirty-blond hair stared at me through the open space. “Kellan? You’re about a hundred years early for practice. Unless you’re here to make breakfast, go away and let us sleep.”

Griffin started to close the door, but I stopped it with my palm. “I was checking on Matt. He still mad at us?”

Griffin scoffed, like I’d said something funny. Opening the door wider, he pointed to a confusing pile of blankets and pillows on the floor near the couch. “Nah, he’s fine. We got him wasted to the point where he told us he loved us all.” Scratching his head, he let out a low laugh. “He even told Roxie he wanted to marry her when she showed up this morning.”

My eyes widened at that news. If they’d been partying late enough to see her, then they’d just recently gone to bed. No wonder Griffin’s eyes were bloodshot and he was wobbling on his feet. I glanced at Evan’s mattress in the corner; he was snoring so loud, I could hear it over the shop noise downstairs. Matt was quiet, but the mountain of blankets moved up and down in a rhythmic fashion. He was sleeping too.

Clapping Griffin’s shoulder, I told him, “Good. I didn’t want him mad at me for something you did.”

Griffin looked offended for a fraction of a second, then smiled. “Fucker’s always mad at me for something. You get used to it after a while.”

He yawned and I shook my head. “All right. I’ll let you guys get back to your nap then. You look like you need it.”

Reaching down, Griffin grabbed his junk and gave it a squeeze. “What I need is for Lola to drive down here and give me a freebie. Hooker or not, that chick was hot!”

I pulled the door closed while he was preoccupied with himself. “Night, Griffin.”

Since things with Matt were sorted out quicker than I thought they would be, I had some time on my hands. When I got home, I decided to pull out my guitar. I sat on the couch and played random rhythms. I used to do that when I was younger. Just play whatever came to mind, with no meaning or direction behind it. It was freeing, and it cleared my head. There was no drama, there was no pain, there was only music. In its own way, this filled me with as much contentment as being with Kiera. Almost.

I was lost in my impromptu song when the front door opened and Kiera walked through the doors. I checked my mental clock when I looked over at her, and knew she was very early. She must have skipped a class. I didn’t like that I was becoming a bad influence on her, but it did thrill me that she’d come home early just to spend time with me.

Pausing my fingers on the fret board, I shifted the guitar so I could set it down. Walking over, Kiera sat beside me on the couch. “No, don’t stop. It’s beautiful.”

I shifted my gaze to the floor, and even though I wasn’t looking at her, Kiera’s large, expressive eyes filled my vision. No, you’re beautiful; that was just me messing around. I set the instrument on her lap. “Here…try again.” I had tried teaching her before, but it hadn’t gone over too well. The sounds that she had produced from the instrument had been anything but soothing.

When I glanced over, I saw her grimace. “It’s beautiful when you play it. Something seems to happen to it when I try.”

Laughing, I twisted her on the couch so I could put my hands over hers. It was a happy bonus that I also got to hold her. “You just need to hold it right,” I whispered in her ear. I saw a shiver run through her body, and peeking at her face, I saw that her eyes were closed.

It made me smile that being close to me affected her so much. When our fingers were in the right position, I told her, “Okay.” Seeing that her eyes were still closed, I nudged her shoulder with a short laugh. “Hey.” Her eyes flashed to mine and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. It was such an endearing expression, I laughed again. “Here…your fingers are perfect, right under mine.” Right where they belong. I held up a pick in my other hand. “Now, lightly strum it like this…” I stroked the strings and they sang for me.