“I don’t even know if he’d want me, Sadie.” I place my head on her shoulder, and she pulls me a little closer.

“Believe me, that boy wants you. He’s just waiting on you.” Picking up my head, I see the wide grin across her face.

“Did he say something?” The hope in my voice scares me. There’s no way I can have my heart broken again. I want someone who’ll put me as a priority in their life and make me number one. With all of Grant’s aspirations and dreams, I doubt he’d be willing to do that.

“No, but his attraction to you is unmistakable. Remember when you told me to put myself out there for Brady?” I nod my head. “It’s time for you to do the same. Forget all that shit and live. If you’re heart gets broken, you’ll eventually heal. Look what you’ve already overcome. And I know you don’t have to worry about anything like that happening with Grant. He’s a good guy, Jessa. Give him a chance,” she declares. I desperately want to take her advice.

After a few other encouraging words, Sadie eventually leaves the room. I can’t help but be envious of what she and Brady have. I flop onto my bed, fiddling with my phone. My finger hovers over Rob’s name and I wonder if I should just end it between us now. Regardless of my feelings toward Grant, I shouldn’t continue my relationship with Rob. Before I obsess over it for too long, I press call. It rings a few times and then goes to voicemail. Just as I’m about to leave a message for him to call me back, my phone vibrates and I see his name on my screen.

“Hey,” I answer.

“Who’s this?” I can barely hear the girl’s voice above all the loud chatter in the background.

“Is Rob there?” I ask, shocked that someone else is calling me from his phone.

“Who’s that? I just found this phone in my room and it started ringing.” I hear a muffled sound and it’s obvious she’s talking with someone else.

“He has black spiky hair, tattoos, and blue eyes,” I say, thinking I should just hang up.

“Sorry girly, that explains a lot of the guys around here. Hold up a second though.” She screams in the background to someone else and soon Rob’s voice comes across the phone.

“What’s up?” His breath sounds staggered and uneven as though he just ran a marathon.

“Rob?” My voice starts to waver, insecurity filling my head with thoughts of the worst possible scenarios.

“Hey, babe!” he shouts into the receiver and then I hear his muffled voice talking to someone else, as well as the distinct sound of kissing. “I was just about to call you.”

“Really?” I question, unconvinced.

“Of course. We just got to our first stop and we’re at the hotel. Can you believe I have to share a room?” His words slur due to how much he’s either drank, smoked, or snorted. Could easily be a combination of all three, knowing him.

“Listen, Rob, I wish you good luck with the tour but I think…” Just as I’m about to end our relationship, I hear a girl’s voice whisper, “Hang up the phone and fuck me.”

Shock hits me and I’m speechless. A part of me always thought Rob enjoyed himself outside of our relationship, but to actually have it confirmed smacks me hard. Slurping sounds of saliva and moans of enjoyment come over the receiver and I am torn on what to do. Does Rob even remember he was talking to me? Just as I’m about to hang up, his voice comes back on. “What were you saying, babe?” he asks, clearly distracted by the girl he’s with.

“It’s over, Rob. Have fun with that girl that’s probably sucking your dick right now. We’re through.” I press end firmly with my finger. “That son of a bitch,” I mumble to myself.

Annoyed, I make my way downstairs to grab a beer or maybe something stronger. Trey is sitting in the family room, flipping through the channels. I’m still mad at him so I pass right by and stomp into the kitchen. Grabbing the Jack Daniels bottle on top of the refrigerator, I notice that Trey is now standing in the doorway. His colorful arms are stretched from the top of the doorframe, leaning into the room. I never found plugs appealing, but on Trey, they make him sinfully sexy. Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve gone for him instead of Rob, but then I remember that Trey is only in it for one thing.

He bites his lower lip, obviously hesitating to talk to me. Before he has a chance, I say, “Please tell me I haven’t been walking around like some fucking idiot all these months?” He walks over and reaches above me, opening the cabinet. Bringing two shot glasses down, he places them in front of me.

“No, Jessa, you were falling in love. It just sucks that your prince was an asshole.” The sorrowful look across his face is filled with sympathy that I just found out my boyfriend is a cheating bastard. He gingerly takes the bottle from my hands and pours us two shots. After handing me one, he picks up his.

“To the asshole getting out of your life. It is over, right?” he asks and I nod. “Thank God.” He clicks his glass with mine and we down the shots. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really, not much to say,” I admit. How many times can we go over the fact that my boyfriend is a cheating, lying jackass that most likely never even gave a shit about me?

“Okay, one more,” he says, filling the glasses with the dark liquid. When we have them raised in our hands, he says, “To new boyfriends.” He winks and clinks my glass again.

We finish our shots and then he grabs two beers and a bag of chips. Putting his arm around my neck, he leads me into the family room. “Sorry about earlier,” he apologizes and I nod. I could never stay mad at him. “You pick the movie.” He pulls me closer to him and I wrap my arm around his small waist. I’m pretty sure Trey would make an excellent boyfriend if he ever gave himself the chance.

Chapter 7

Grant

It amazes me this past week that I’ve been able to squeeze in practices with the band. I have all the songs down. Brady and I even started to work on a new one. The best part is when Jessa and Sadie come down to the basement and sit on the oversized brown couches to hear us play in the state-of-the-art studio that his dad built when we were younger. In the early stages, I remember us goofing off in here, pretending as though we were rock stars. His dad taught us to respect the instruments, teaching us how to play each one. Obviously, Brady is better trained than me, but it was a gift I’d always be grateful for. When I think about all of the famous artists Brady’s dad has recorded and performed with in this room, I’m amazed.

With it being Valentine’s Day, Brady declined any gigs in order to celebrate it with Sadie. I can’t fault him for it; I’d probably do the same, even if it’s a lame-ass holiday. Trey and Dex invited me to some bar they’re going to where ladies get free drinks all night, but I politely declined. Emily asked me to go to her sorority’s dinner date party, but I firmly told her no. So that leaves me here at Barbells, working out with Doug.

“Come on, Grant, you can do it,” he yells down to me as I exhale a large breath, pushing up the bar loaded with weight. “Way to go, let’s try ten more,” he exclaims, already moving over to the racks that hold all the weight plates.

“Why not twenty?” I add and Doug turns his head, smirking. “Hey, I don’t need my arms tonight,” I joke.

“Are you sure about that? It’s Valentine’s Day and you don’t have a girl. Remember, your arm is attached to your hand. It might get a little lonely tonight.” He laughs, while placing the plates on the bar.

I lie back down and exhale while looking at the bar above me. I know I was at my max two pushes ago, but I can’t shake the thought of her alone tonight. Of course that douche Rob couldn’t be bothered to come home. I have to keep telling myself that it’s none of my business where she is, or what she’s doing. “Make it thirty,” I say to Doug and he laughs.