Part 56 (1/2)

WILL.

A girl with long blonde hair faces away from me. Fleur. I know this is her before she even turns around because I spent weeks looking at the back of Fleur in lectures. Even though she's tall, she curves in the right places unlike some skinny chicks who are straight up and down with nothing to hold onto.

s.h.i.+t, don't think about holding onto her.

And what the f.u.c.k is she doing backstage?

I dart a look around the hallway. Nate. Where is he? I wipe a sleeve across my damp face. s.h.i.+t. f.u.c.k. I haven't seen her since our almost kiss and have no idea what to say. 'Yeah, so, Fleur, the only reason I didn't kiss you is because you called me Nate and I'm not him, I'm Will.' Each day that pa.s.ses, not telling Fleur the truth digs me deeper into a black hole. We're growing closer, the held looks and excuses to touch intensifying. Her desire to kiss me matched mine. Without a doubt.

I've missed her when away with the band this last week. Has she missed me?

Jesus, I need to tell her and soon.

I've rehea.r.s.ed the words for weeks and prepared myself to talk to her on Monday. Looks like I may need to do this sooner than I thought; I never expected her to come to one of our gigs.

I stride back towards the Green Room. The s.p.a.ce is empty of everything apart from empty bottles and half-eaten fast food packets. Nate will be in the middle of the biggest group of girls, guaranteed. Heart in mouth, I stomp back along the concrete floored hallway scanning the crowd to find him.

”Will!”

Jax calls my name at the precise moment I pa.s.s Fleur. I freeze. The chick she's with pokes her and Fleur glances over her shoulder. Our eyes meet and I offer Fleur a smile. Her beautiful mouth purses, but confusion crosses her eyes. Does she know? Can she sense who I am?

Fleur winces as the girl she's standing with elbows Fleur and whispers in her ear. I hear Fleur mumble to her friend that I'm Will, not Nate, so she can't ask.

”Ask what?” I say.

”Anne wants to meet Jax,” she says, looking past me.

”Oh. Cool. Sure, I can introduce you.”

No need. Jax strides over and I swear the girl next to me squeaks. Fleur laughs at me as I roll my eyes.

”Jax, this is Anne.”

”Hey, Anne,” says Jax with one of his signature smiles that somehow is s.e.xier than mine ever could be.

As Anne enthuses like a tween, I look around in my desperate search for Nate. Walking away would be rude; Fleur already thinks the worst of me. Not that she's interested in conversation because she's staring over my shoulder.

Fleur's face does this odd thing. First, her eyes widen and she flushes pink, and then in a split second, her eyes narrow and she blinks rapidly a few times.

Chicks are weird.

I look around and follow her line of vision.

Nate.

Nate and girl. Girls? He rests against the wall, legs stretched in front of him and crossed at the ankles. Two girls vie for his attention and he has his hand around the waist of one, whispering something into the ear of the other.

And with that, my night crumbles into insanity. I cross the hallway and grab Nate's arm, then drag him to one side.

”What the f.u.c.k? I'm busy!”

”She's here.”

”Who?”

”Fleur!”

Nate laughs and pushes my shoulder. ”Not my problem, man.”

”This could f.u.c.k everything up. Don't talk to her. Go somewhere else.”

”I'm intending to.” He raises his bottle to the attractive girl he was with and she waves.

”And that! She can't see you with somebody else!”

Nate tips his head. ”That night when you hit on Fleur at the party, was that true, then? You want to screw her?”

”No. Yes. No! I want... I don't know.” I drag a hand through my hair.

Nate straightens. ”Whoa. This isn't just about study, is it? It's her! You want to date her? Be her boyfriend?” The disdain in his tone, the way he says date and boyfriend, riles me.

”Shut the h.e.l.l up!”

Slowly, Nate drinks from his bottle, still looking across the hallway. At Fleur? I can't turn around or she'll know we're talking about her.

”How exactly are you going to manage that?” he asks. ”No way will you get into her bed once she finds out.”

”I don't know! I've f.u.c.ked up. Now she thinks I'm you and she still hates me. You. s.h.i.+t!”

”Nope, I think Fleur likes you, dude. Judging by how p.i.s.sed off she looks that you're I'm hooking up with another chick.”

I s.h.i.+ft from foot to foot. How the h.e.l.l did I get into this mess? Because I act first, think later. I need to stop doing that.

”Don't talk to Fleur!” I hiss.

”Won't she think you're rude if I don't? Think I'm rude.” He frowns. ”f.u.c.k, this is confusing.”

”No. Simple. She thinks I'm you. Apart from now, she thinks I'm me and you're you. And you're with a girl. Which means she thinks I'm with ”

Nate holds his hand up palm out. ”Whoa. I'm too drunk for this s.h.i.+t. You make no sense.”

”Okay. Simple plan. Go away.”

Nate's mouth curls in amus.e.m.e.nt. ”You've got it bad for this chick.”

”Kinda. Don't screw this up.”