Page 164 of Just Wait

Why did he do it?

Why her?

Why didn’t he just break up with me?

Did he even really want me to come on tour with him?

How come he couldn’t just be content with having me?

Why wasn’t I enough?

Ultimately, none of it matters and getting answers wouldn’t make it suck any less.

Chapter Forty

Lumen

Wren’s head tilts as she takes the bottle of Coke from my hand. “What’s wrong?” She pops up, putting her feet on the floor. “Are we going to need an alibi after you tell me what happened?”

I snort.

“I’m good. I ran into my ex in the hallway.” I wipe my nose and take a seat on the couch. “It wasn’t a fun conversation.”

“I know a guy who’ll take him out for you, but it’s not cheap.” She grins, winking. “I’m mostly joking.”

I laugh.

Her long blondish-brown hair and big eyes give off girl-next-door vibes, but based on what I’ve heard, she had it rough growing up.

That changes a person.

They become more resilient.

I wish I was about fifty percent stronger right now.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks.

I shake my head. “It was a goodbye conversation.”

“That’s hard, but at least you’re not stuck at home pining over his sorry ass.”

I fall back against the couch. “Yeah.”

It’s an end, but it’s also a beginning, and I really need something to look forward to at the moment.

I give myself a few minutes to wallow in the hurt before grabbing my notebook and getting to work.

The good thing about being a songwriter is that I can pour all my misery into a song.

From there, that composition gets to carry that pain for me. Okay, I have no idea if it’ll actually work like that, but I’m hopeful.

The cool night air feels incredible as Wren and I watch Liminal perform. They’re in the neon masks that Kincaid mentioned a while ago.

The guys might not like them, but the imagery is unreal.

We got lucky tonight.

Kasey and Scott watch from the railing about five feet away from our seats. They’re on this side of the fence with us, which makes it feel much safer than the night I had Leon assigned to me. Also, there’s really nowhere close to the stage for a pit to form.