The fangirl stares at me with a mix of envy and confusion.
"Excuse me. I need to sit down." I hide behind my drink so no one will see me scowl. Ethan deserves it, but the poor fangirl is just expressing her love of music. It's not her fault Ethan is a cocky player.
"It was great to meet you, sweetheart." Ethan nods goodbye to the fangirl. "Good luck with school."
Her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. "Thank you."
Ethan slides his arm around my waist and leans in to whisper in my ear. "It's crowded in here. Should we go outside?"
This is where I should say: how about we go straight to my car and part forever?
My mouth won't open at all. I'm too caught up in the feeling of his breath on my skin. My eyelids press together. I replay the feeling of his body on top of mine, his cock buried deep inside me.
"Vi?" he asks.
Fuck me, this isn't working. I clear my throat. And, dammit, I nod.
"You okay?"
"What was it you wanted to talk about?"
He presses his palm into my lower back, over my jacket—well, his jacket.
"Let's talk somewhere more private." He leads me out of the coffee shop and around the corner, to the tables in front of the pizza place.
It's empty. The place doesn't open for another half an hour.
Ethan looks at the coffee shop, then his eyes are on me. "It's easy to forget how much things have changed."
Yeah. It is.
I take deep breaths while I collect my thoughts. The silence should be heavy, what with this whole we should talk thing hanging over our heads, but it's not.
It's easy and light. Like old times. He smiles when I steal sips of his iced coffee. He moves closer when I shiver and zip my jacket.
His eyes meet mine with this look that begs me to spill my guts.
He waits to speak until his drink is melting ice. "I know you think Mal is pulling strings to get us back together."
"Is there a reason why you don't object to this?"
"Mal doesn't listen to anybody but Mal. Besides, I've seen him stressing about numbers. He doesn't have the expertise. And I'm not saying you do, but he's right. You're somebody we trust." Ethan's eyes find mine. "If you want the gig, you should take it."
His voice is even, effortless. Usually, Ethan wears his intentions on his face. But not right now.
No. That was the old Ethan, the one I knew. This playboy rock star version of Ethan… who knows what he does or why.
I take a long sip of my now lukewarm drink. "Won't that bother you?"
"No." His voice is shaky for a moment. "Just, well… I'm not gonna be celibate just because you're around."
"Excuse me?"
"I get it. You think I'm a manwhore. I won't argue." He runs his hand through his wavy hair. "You're right. I fuck a lot of women. That isn't going to change if you join us on tour."
"Thanks for the update on your sex life."
"Don't want you to get upset if you see me with someone else." His voice is clipped, his expression is frustrated.