They perk up at that like I knew they would. “No, I don’t think we have.”
“Huge new band out of the midwest. And Sam here is the leading man,” I say, patting him on the chest.
“Uh,” Sam starts, but I pinch his neck and he coughs. “Yeah, that’s right. You better watch out, Noblar, because you’ll have some more competition soon.”
I watch the girls listen to our exchange with rapt attention. If there’s one thing I know about these girls, it’s that all of this is a competition. To be the first to hook up with someone famous? It’s too easy.
“Well, you should have a drink with us then,” the girl on the chair says, pulling his arm toward her and practically dragging him into the seat I just vacated.
“I’ve got to go,” I finally say once Sam is set in place. “Take care of my boy here for me, will you, ladies?”
Sam grins wide at me and I laugh for the first time all night before I grab my jacket and head out the back.
It’s beenan hour of wandering the streets of Billings with no luck in finding her. I’ve checked every twenty-four-hour coffee place I can find but she’s nowhere to be found. Then it starts to sink in—she left. She left without even saying goodbye or letting me try to explain myself one last time. It’s really over.
Flicking away my cigarette and lighting up another one, I turn around and head back for the motel. It’s not like I want to go back to the party. No, I’ll just go wallow in my own heartache and self pity and overthink everything I’ve ever said or done so I know exactly how much I hurt her. But when I get back to my room, I don’t want to be here either. The bed still smells like her hair and the side she laid on when we watched TV is still rumpled. For a while, I just wander around the motel, stopping to stare blankly at the vending machines until I wind up by the side of the indoor pool.
I lie down on one of the lounge chairs and watch the flickering lights from the water reflect off the glass ceiling. Snow begins to fall from the black sky above and collects on the square window panes above me. I take another long drag of my cigarette and blow the smoke up into the air, wondering if it’ll touch the glass ceiling before it disappears.
The sound of a splash makes me bolt upright in alarm, drops of water hitting my jeans and arms. Someone glides under the surface of the water toward me from the far end of the pool. With my heart galloping in my chest, I lean forward on the edge of the lounge chair. All of the hope in my heart swells when that beautiful face breaks the surface of the water.
“Izzy?”
She grins, that beautiful dazzling smile. “Hi.”
The smile that stretches across my face must be comically large right now. “I thought you left.”
She shakes her head, the water beading down the sides of her face. “No, but I had to return that bus ticket. It was crazy expensive, and since I no longer needed it . . .”
I bury my face in my hands and laugh. “Jesus Christ.”
“When I got back, they told me you left.”
I peek through my fingers. “I couldn’t be there knowing you were somewhere else.” Her forehead wrinkles as she keeps her eyes on me. “I went looking for you. Do you know how many all-night coffee shops there are around here?”
“I do, in fact, know,” she says with a cheeky grin. “Do you want me to tell you or are you going to join me?”
I let go of a big breath and lean closer. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
She smirks and pulls her hair to one side. For the first time, I realize she’s not wearing anything. “Neither do I.” Pushing off the side of the pool, she swims toward the center and treads water. “Well?”
I glance around at the motel rooms with doors facing the pool, but all the windows are dark. It’s well after one in the morning at this point, and most people staying here are probably still at the after party. It doesn’t take long to make my decision. She watches me as I pull off my shirt, unbuckle my belt, and push my boots off. And all the while she watches me, her brown eyes sparkling in the reflection of the water. With as much grace as I can manage, I dive into the pool.
It’s warm, a fine mist above the water as it meets the cooler air. Pushing my wet hair back and away from my face, I spin around to the center of the pool looking for her, but she’s gone. I hear a gasp of air from the far side of the pool and spy her watching me again. This little game of cat and mouse she’s playing has my blood diverting to my groin.
“Stay where you are,” I say. “I’ve been chasing you all night.”
“I’ll let you catch me this time.”
I swim toward her, her smirk falling away the closer I get until I’m right in front of her. “You didn’t run.”
She wets her lips. “I’m tired of running.”
I stretch out my arms on either side of her to hold on to the ledge of the pool. “Izzy, I’m so sorry. I’ve been the biggest fucking idiot and I—” I sigh. “I’m just so glad you’re here.”
She gently places her hands on my shoulders, her expression softening. “Why didn’t you tell me aboutEarworm?”
My eyes widen. “How— Who told you?”
