Blame it on the Tequila by Fiona Cole (the reading strategies book txt) 📕

“I didn’t have time. You were at practice, or Mom was around, and I wanted to ignore it…later.”

Later, as in at night when we went to each other to relax.

“It’s not like it’s hard to get an address. I mean, hello internet,” Oren added with a laugh. “Seriously, Nova. It’s probably a prank. Don’t worry about it.”

“Instead,” Brogan cut in, “focus on how epic we’re going to be. Think about our bad-ass rock star future when we make it big.”

She forced a laugh. “Yeah.”

“So, we’ll see you out there after you take care of girly stuff?” Ash asked.

She looked to me, and I smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be right here, waiting for you,” I promised. The bathrooms were a few feet away, close to backstage.

“Thank you.”

The guys bolted as soon as I offered to stay back, but before she could turn away, I snagged her wrist and tugged her back for one more kiss. God, I loved kissing her. She backed away with a seductive smile, worries gone, and part of me wanted to skip the concert and find a place for just the two of us.

She’d been gone less than five minutes when the guys came hurtling back with the bar manager, Joe.

“Dude, we got to go,” Ash declared, bouncing on his toes.

“Uhh, why?” I asked.

Oren slapped his hands on Ash’s shoulders, joining in on the excited bounce. “The music exec from Hinge Records wants to talk to us before he leaves.”

My eyes bulged, that statement sinking in. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope,” Ash answered.

“But we got to go now. He has some red-eye flight to L.A,” Brogan explained.

“He asked to meet you in the back office,” Joe explained. “I let him know I’d make it happen.”

“Holy shit. Holy shit.” I joined in their bouncing, unable to stand still. I thought I’d explode. Nova was going to be so fucking pumped. “Let me just wait for Nova.”

“She’s still not back?” Oren asked.

“Dude, did you see that line? We don’t have time to wait that long,” Ash explained.

“He said he didn’t have much time and needed it now,” the manager explained.

“I told her I would wait.” The adrenaline flooded my brain, and I struggled to piece together a well-thought-out plan. I tried to look to the bathroom to see if I could find her in line. “We can’t have the meeting without her.”

“She might have already made it in, but the line inside is always long, too,” Joe piped in.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I looked to the bathrooms again, searching for her red mass of hair, and turned back to face three eager sets of eyes about to club me over the head and drag me off.

“Come on, man. We can’t miss this.” Ash rested his hand on my shoulder and pulled me close. “This is our fucking chance, Parker. Our chance.”

“Listen,” Joe said. “I’ll hang out here and keep an eye out for her and bring her back to the office when she’s done.”

“Yeah?” I asked. It seemed like the perfect solution.

I couldn’t wait to see Nova’s face when she walked in to us meeting with an executive from freaking Hinge Records. She’d fucking die.

“Okay,” I said when he nodded. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, kid. This doesn’t happen often, so I’m glad it happened here. Just remember where you got signed.”

“Signed?” Oren crowed. “How fucking cool would that be?”

We walked in with barely any composure, our anticipation bursting at the seams. The executive, Beck, greeted us, and we hit it off like we were old friends. Everything in that office moved in a blur of jokes, a couple of beers, and finally an offer.

While I was making my dreams come true, I had no idea Nova’s were being stolen from her.

Not until it was all said and done, and I walked out to find Joe behind the bar. I looked at the time and realized over thirty minutes had gone by, and I knew the line in the bathroom wasn’t that long.

Maybe she decided to watch the concert instead of coming back to the office. She did always claim the band was more our thing than hers, but I still wanted her there.

“Hey, man, where’s Nova?” I asked Joe.

“Not sure,” he answered, not even looking up from pouring drinks. “I got called to the bar, so I asked Niall to keep an eye out for her.”

“Niall?” The busty blonde next to Joe raised a dubious brow. “The one currently making out with some guy in the corner? That Niall?”

Niall was a drummer from another band that played before us, and I looked over, seeing the guy who was supposed to watch Nova otherwise occupied. The first drop of dread hit me, and like a rock to water, the ripples quickly spread.

“Did you happen to see a redhead come out of the bathroom?”

“Nova?” the blonde asked. “Nah. I haven’t seen her since she came off stage. Good show, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I responded offhand, my mind already scrambling for an answer to where Nova was.

Maybe she left? Maybe she was pissed I didn’t wait and went home?

God, please let her be at home.

I hit her number and called only for it to ring.

God, why hadn’t I sent a message to her letting her know we were in the back? Why hadn’t I called first? Why hadn’t I taken the time to let her know? They guys could have started the meeting without me.

All these thoughts hit me now with a clarity I hadn’t had before. I’d been on a single track, and everything faded away. When the guys looked at me like I had all the answers—like they couldn’t go back without me, I ignored everything else.

“Fuck,” I hissed when it reached her voicemail. I sent off a quick text and then another.

“What’s up, bro?” Brogan asked.

“I can’t find Nova.”

He looked side-to-side like she’d pop out. “I’m sure she’s around.”

“I told her I would wait for her, and I didn’t. Fuck.”

“Dude, chill,” Ash