I had all the money that some people only dreamt of and still; I lived a modest lifestyle. I tried to buy my mom a new house when our band hit it big a few years ago, but she wouldn't hear of it. She had said that my dad bought that house for her, when they were first married and there was no way she would ever part with it, so after a lot of begging on my part, she finally agreed to allowing a few updates to the old two-story home.
"Levi, my man!" Marcus called my name as he stepped onto the stone pathway in front of the house. A tall guy with messy, dark hair mumbled something, walking around me and further down the path.
"Nice digs, man." I smirked, looking around at the immaculate landscape.
"What good's the money, if you can't spend it man? I keep telling you . . ."
"I know, live the lifestyle," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "Who was that guy? He looked familiar." I questioned, tipping my head toward the guy that just left.
"Who? Teake? He's the guitarist for Nuclear Disaster. He also deals in party favors." He arched his brow as he pulled a baggy full of white powder from the front pocket of his jeans. Fuck.
"I'll meet you outback." He told me, as he turned and took the stairs two at a time. If I had to guess, he was going to the bathroom to do a few lines before making his way back to the party.
I grabbed a beer from the large bucket of ice beside the patio door and stepped out into the cool night air. I looked around to see if I could spot some of the guys, but there were just too many damn people. I did see a familiar curtain of blond hair hanging over the back of an outdoors sofa. How the hell, was she sitting alone? I strolled over with my beer and plopped down on the empty space beside her. Her head lifted from where she stared at her phone and her beautiful, gray eyes sparkled from the glow of the fireplace.
"I see you're here with all your imaginary friends." I laughed and gave her a playful wink. A small smile curled on her pretty, pink lips before she laughed nervously.
"They're the best friends anyone could ever ask for," she said. "They always give you the best advice. You always look good to them and they'd never ever talk trash about you on social media." She waved her hand to the empty seat in front of us. I arched a brow and took a swig of my beer.
"Who's talking trash? I'll kick their ass!" I looked at the crowd around us and she lightly chuckled.
"I'm only kidding," she said.
"I see you found your next baby momma," Marcus snickered, as he dropped into the chair across from us. Peyton's friend, Jules, wasted no time crawling onto his lap.
"Fuck that," I grunted.
"I think you already did that, man." He thought he was being funny, but that's how rumors started and I didn't need that shit!
"I'm just pissin’ with ya. Don't go gettin' your dick in a knot over it!" He was definitely high now judging by his blown-out pupils.
"Not funny, dude. Not funny at all." I felt Peyton shift on the cushion beside me, and a frown appeared on her beautiful face.
"You're married?" Her brows pinched together.
"Fuck no, I'm not married!"
"So, you have a child and you're not married?" She looked at me as if she would have expected this from me. That was what pissed me the fuck off. People thought they knew me when they didn't!
"Don't listen to him, no kids and not married," I quickly assured her. Marcus snickered from his seat across from us, so I lifted my hand and flipped him the middle finger.
"I'm just fucking with him. You see there was this chick stalking him, claiming that she'd slept with him and had his baby. That shit was all over social media, but none of it was true. I just like to bust his balls over it!" Marcus laughed and I could see Peyton visibly relax beside me. I had to get her away from Marcus. He liked to shoot off his mouth about shit he knew nothing about and I didn't want her believing everything he said.
"What do you say, we take a walk and get away from this ass clown?" She looked across the coffee table to where her friend sat in a lip lock with said, ‘ass clown,’ and then let out a sigh.
"Sure. Why not?" She stood and I grasped her hand with mine. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. It was probably because we mentioned the friend-zone last night. We weaved our way through the throng of people gathered around the pool and took the steps leading out to the beach. The music faded into the background and the sounds of waves crashing replaced it. It was such a peaceful sound and peace was something rare for me these days.
"This is beautiful," she said, as she lowered herself onto the white sand, which was now bathed in inky moonlight.
"Not as beautiful as you," I whispered, reaching for her hand. Her body stiffened for a moment, but she didn't pull away.
"I thought we decided on friend status." She looked up at me through dark lashes.
"Friends hold hands," I said, giving hers a gentle squeeze. "Tell me something about yourself. I want to get know my new friend." I gave her my best smile. It’s the smile, which was known for melting panties.
"You, first." She nudged my shoulder with hers, sending a wave of heat throughout my body. Her floral scent tickled my nose and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment.
"Well, let's see. Where to start," I said playfully, while scratching my chin thoughtfully. "I started singing at a young age. I play a few instruments. It's something that I find very relaxing. I'm nothing like the other guys when it comes to partying. I'm not saying that I don't indulge occasionally, because I do. It's just not an every night or weekend thing for me. There are many times after a show that I'll just go back to the bus or my hotel room and play my guitar or write lyrics. It's something that I can get lost in and forget about the world outside, even if it's only temporary." I honestly had tried to cut down on the partying and groupie activity.
"What about family? Do you get to see them much with all the traveling you do?"
That was the one topic, which made me the most uncomfortable. But, if I wanted to get close to this girl, I was going to have to get used to talking about things that made me sad. "My dad died when I was small and my mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor. She actually still lives here in LA, in the same house I grew up in," I told her.
Her beautiful eyes turned a stormy gray and a look of sadness appeared on her sweet face.
"I'm sorry," she replied softly.
"Thank you. My dad's been gone for a while now, and my mom, she's my hero. I'm eager to go see her now that we're back in LA for a while." I looked at her for a moment, taking her in before changing the subject. "Now, tell me about Peyton." I nudged her shoulder this time.
"There's not much to tell. My dad left when I was really, small, so I don't remember much about him. Then, my mom, let's just say, we no longer talk." She swallowed hard and tears glistened in her eyes. Oh, shit.
"What about school? Work? I want to know everything there is to know about you." God, she was going to think I was some kind of crazy stalker now.
"I'm graduating in six months with a degree in business. What I'll do from there, I'm not really, sure yet. I work enough hours at a coffee shop on campus to help Jules with expenses, but that doesn't leave much for anything else. I've been trying to find another job, it just hasn't happened yet."