Page 35 of Rescue

“What wouldn’t?”

“You. Liking a boy.”

I snort. “Come on, Layla. You of all people know that I have no problem liking boys. You’re my wingman for God’s sake.”

She tosses the cigarette to the ground and steps on it with the toe of her leather boot. “I don’t mean the way you like the boys we meet when we go out.” She pushes on my shoulder until I look at her. “And you know that.”

“Layla, it really isn’t—”

She holds up her hands to stop my objections. “All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t be a big deal. If you wanted to be in a relationship.” She smiles. “It might actually be kind of nice.”

I try to picture it, for just a moment. What it would be like to be in a real relationship with a guy. Someone to care about me, someone who wants to spend their time with me. Someone who listens to what I have to say. Who worries when I don’t come home at night.

And that right there is why it would never work. Because I’m really not the type who wants to come home every night.

Before I can respond, there’s a slamming of a nearby car door, followed by the sounds of male voices arguing. “You’re the one who wouldn’t get off the phone with Sam, so stop blaming me for being late.”

I squint through the fog to see the Ransome boys and Levi piling out of a dark van.

“Can we just get inside?” Daltrey asks, pushing Reed out of the way.

“What’s the matter, Dalt?” Cash asks. “Scared the rain is going to mess up your hair?”

“God, they really never stop fighting, do they?” Layla asks. I smile, remembering what Lennon told me at the bar back in Newcastle about his brothers and their arguing. “They have three multiplatinum albums, and they’re massively rich,” she continues as the boys troop up to the building. “What in the hell do they have to argue about?”

“Hey, girls,” Daltrey calls out when they’re close enough to see us through the rain. “What are you doing out in this weather?”

“Avoiding work,” Layla replies, and I notice that she still bats her eyelashes whenever she talks to Daltrey even though it couldn’t be more clear that the boy is infatuated with Daisy. I guess old habits die hard, and for Layla, flirting with a cute boy is definitely an old habit.

A big part of me wants to look away when Lennon comes into view behind his brother, to pretend I don’t see him, but I’ve never been that kind of girl. So instead I plaster on a smile. “Haylee,” he says, nodding. I feel a sharp stab of disappointment. That’s all I’m going to get?Isn’t that the way you want it?I ask myself.

“You guys feel like going out after the show tonight?” Reed asks. “We’re going to check out the local nightlife.”

“Oh, I don’t—” I begin, but Layla steps on my foot hard enough to shut me up.

“Hay, weren’t you just saying that you wanted to get out and see what Glasgow had to offer?” she asks, smiling broadly. A quick glance at her sharp, calculating eyes tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing.

“Actually, I was saying that I was tired,” I say, but she ignores me completely, turning back to Reed. “We would love to.Allof us.”

I release a frustrated breath, knowing there’s nothing I can do to get out of it without sounding like a baby—and proving her point that my feelings for Lennon are slightly more complicated than those of a one-night stand. As the boys file into the building, Lennon stops at my side, a knowing look on his face.

“It’s okay, Haylee,” he tells me in an undertone. “You can come hang out without worrying about me making a scene.”

“I didn’t think you would—”

He shakes his head, his eyes searching mine. “You deserve to have a nice night out. I’ll see you later.”

He follows his brothers into the building, leaving me feeling like an ass. He was really great to me the other day, and all I’ve done since is avoid him and act like hanging out with him and his brothers would be torturous. Not exactly my best behavior.

“Thanks for that,” I mutter, as Layla slings an arm around my shoulder.

“You’re welcome,” she says cheerily, leading me into the building.

“We need to work on your sarcasm detector, Layla.”

She laughs, squeezing me a little closer. “And we need to work on your poker face.”

“What does that mean?”