“Thanks, Roni,” Brady says before she leaves to fill our order.
Roni comes back with our drinks and she places a glass of ice and a bottle of water in front of Brady. I look up at him, shocked.
“I don’t drink before shows.” He shrugs.
“Don’t let the preacher boy fool you, he never drinks,” Rob shouts over and Brady’s eyes give him a warning to shut up.
“Are you a recovering alcoholic?” Jessa leans forward across my shoulder, directing her question to Brady.
“I drink, just not very often and never before I have a show,” he answers her, pouring his water into the cup, not looking at any of us.
“I think that’s awesome,” I softly tell him so the rest of the table can’t hear. He turns his head toward me and our lips become so close they could touch if either of us moves an inch.
“Thank you.” The corner of his mouth turns up and my eyes fixate on how pink and wet his lips are from drinking the water. There’s a drop of water resting in the center of his pouty bottom lip and I have an immense urge to lick it. His hand cups my shoulder holding me in place, ready to pull me closer as I lick my lips in anticipation.
“Cut that smoochy shit out. It’s time to go up.” Rob throws the napkin between our faces, bringing me back to reality.
I blink and Brady’s soft brown eyes peer back at me. Our moment is over and disappointment fills me. What was I thinking? I told myself that this was not going to happen, but oh how I wonder how he tastes.
“Enjoy the show,” Brady says, looking from Jessa to me. “Please stay this time,” he whispers in my ear before he scoots out of the booth, jumping on the stage.
“Holy crap, Sadie. What was that?” Jessa asks, right after he leaves.
“What? Nothing.” I shake my head, still trying to figure it out myself.
“It was like you two were in your own world. Like the rest of us weren’t here,” she says, finishing her drink before flagging the waitress down.
I ignore her comment. I don’t know what to think about that. Brady has this pull over me, making it incredibly hard to keep my promise to myself. Just stick to the plan, I tell myself. Show, dinner and no more Brady after tonight.
Roni brings Jessa her drink and then the lights go down for The Invisibles to start playing. Aces has filled up in the time we have been sitting down. There is a line outside the window, waiting to pay their cover charge to see the show. I relax in the booth and the vinyl sticks to my arms. Thankfully, Jessa has moved over from me now that Rob is up on stage.
“Are you ready out there?” Brady’s voice fills the bar and Trey starts hitting the drums. Everyone cheers and rushes up toward the stage.
Surprisingly, my body starts moving to the beat. Every song he put on my iPod is embedded into my mind. It’s adorable the way he glances from the corner of his eye to make sure we’re still here. When the edges of his lips turn up at me, I melt into the sticky vinyl. The crowd around the stage jumps up and down while their heads bob back and forth to the beat of the music. Brady’s eyes divert back to them, showing them he’s there for their enjoyment and wants them to have a good time. He looks down to an eager girl right up front and smiles. She raises her hand and he reaches down in return, grasping a few of her fingers. A sudden pang of jealousy consumes me.
I can only see her black, short hair from the back. She has a smaller, more petite frame than me. Then the crowd engulfs her in around them and I can’t locate her anymore. But there was something in her body movements that makes me believe that she and Brady either have or had something in the past.
An hour later The Invisibles finish their set. Brady’s soaked grey t-shirt clings to his body, revealing all the creases around his muscles. He holds up his finger to me, telling me to give him a minute. I couldn’t keep count how many times he looked over during the show to see if I had deserted him like last time. The smile that absorbs his face when he knew I was still there was enough to make me want to jump on stage into his arms. He brings feelings out of me I didn’t think I possessed, or could exist inside of me.
Brady leaves the stage and the dark-haired girl follows him down the hallway and I wonder what is going on, but quickly remind myself it is none of my business. I will be out of his life after tonight anyway.
“Who’s the girl?” Jessa asks next to me.
“I don’t know,” I respond, stirring the small straw in my drink. I watch the nearly dissolved ice cubes spin around.
“Oh my god. You try to act all cool like he doesn’t make you all wet but look at you now.” She hits her shoulder to mine.
“What are you talking about?” I ask her, still staring at the nearly nonexistent ice cubes twirling around in my cup. I feel like them, nonexistent to the world. I no longer matter to anyone, or have any one important person in my life.
“Are you ready?” Brady waits on the outside of the booth with his hand out. He has changed his shirt to a long-sleeved blue Henley. “Or do you want to stay for the next band?” I glance up at him and all those thoughts that just filled my brain vanish when his perfectly straight white teeth gleam down at me. For some reason he makes me feel alive again.
“Who was that girl?” Jessa asks before I can answer him.
“Who?” Brady’s eye scrunch. He honestly appears to not know who she is talking about.
“The one that’s eye fucking you over there.” Jessa points to the dark-haired girl. Now that I see her face, she looks a few years younger than us. Her black bob hair cut has a few dyed strips of red. A cute striped dress that ends mid-thigh covers her tight black leggings. The way she’s staring over at Brady’s ass tells me for sure she wants him.
Brady turns around and then back to us. “That’s Kara. She’s a…family friend,” he stutters, making me think he’s lying.
“Oh.” Jessa rolls her eyes, matching my thoughts.
“So, what do you want to do?” He gazes down to me.
“Um…I don’t really care. Whatever you want is fine.”
“Then let’s go. I’m starving and you owe me a meal.” He smirks, holding his hand out for me to take.
“Alright.” I grab his hand without a second thought. “Are you coming?” I turn around to Jessa, still sitting in the booth. The other Invisibles make their way over and Rob scoots in next to her.
She looks at him and then back to me. I raise my eyebrows questioning her. Before the band’s set she couldn’t get away from Rob fast enough and now she is debating whether or not to stay with him.
“I’ll take her home,” Rob says, his eyes not leaving hers.
“Are you sure, Jessa?” I ask, concerned.
“Yeah, see you back at the dorm.” She waves her hand toward me, keeping her eyes locked with Rob. I swear she is so confusing.
“Alright, if you’re sure,” I respond cautiously.
“Just go W.A.S.P. I’ve got her.” Rob raises his eyebrows.
“What the fuck, Rob? Step back,” Brady hollers at him.
“It’s fine. Let’s go.” I start to walk out of Aces, not looking at Rob.
“Rob, we will be talking later,” Brady tells him before coming up behind me.
“I’m sorry about that.” He grabs my hand and turns me around to face him.
“It’s fine. I’m used to it…well…not really, but I know I don’t really fit in here,” I say quietly, keeping my head down as I shuffle my feet back and forth on the cracked cement sidewalk. The truth is I am or was a wasp. Before I came to this school, I attended the finest college on the eastern shore. My parents are wasps, my friends are wasps, and their parents are wasps.
“Hey, Rob’s an asshole. Don’t let him get to you.” He places his finger under my chin, bringing me up to meet his face. “You owe me a dinner and I plan on making you pay.” He grabs my hand and leads me to his car.
Fifteen minutes later, we are off campus and downtown at some dive diner off the highway. When we enter there are a few older men at the counter, but all the booths are open. Brady lets me pick the table so I choose one in the back corner. A waitress in her fifties with her hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a pink and white dress and an apron comes over, handing us menus.