Madly

Chapter Seven

Wes was totally right. She was a rule-making, rule-breaking badass. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep on him but she had been spent. She didn’t sleep at all the night before and he was warm, like the sun. When she jolted herself awake, he hadn’t moved.

She expected him to start in on her again about her dumb friendship guidelines but he only smiled and said, “Morning.”

She’d ejected herself off the couch with admirable speed, a feat which amused him. “Relax, I don’t have cooties.”

 Had she been snoring? Did she drool on him? Grind her teeth? The possibilities were endless.

He read her mind. “You don’t snore. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For sleeping?”

“For sleeping on you,” she said.

“If you don’t think that I enjoyed it, think again.”

“I should go,” she said quickly. “I have to meet my friend Sydney later for lunch.”

“Hate to break it to you,” Wes said, “But you missed that date.”

Her arm darted upward to check her watch. 2:00 P.M. “I slept for four hours!”

He shrugged. “You were tired.”

“Now I really have to go,” she said. “I’m sorry and…thanks.”  

“You still coming with me tomorrow to see Drew?”

She nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “See you then.” 

***

As promised, he was at her door, bright and early the next morning, two take out coffee cups in hand.

They were driving down the interstate before she cracked the lid on hers. He was incredibly focused while he drove and the fact that his eyes weren’t on her, gave her courage she may not have had otherwise.

“Wes, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me lots of things.”

“What made you decide to be a musician?”

“I don’t know if it was ever a conscious decision,” he said. “I never wanted to do anything else. I think music is what I’m supposed to be doing and I’m so blessed to be able to do it.”

She nodded. “You’re lucky. Not a lot of people can say that.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Fire away.”  

“What’s it like being the daughter of a living rock legend?”

“In one word: lonely and I realize that sounds like I’m playing a victim but I’m not. I know how lucky I am. I’ll never want for any material thing, I’m fortunate enough to be able to chase any of my dreams while my father foots the bill. It’s not like I’m not aware that I live a charmed life but I wish my dad would see that I’d give it all up: the fancy loft near Hollywood, the designer clothes, the very best of everything to live in a crowded apartment and eat ramen noodles if it meant I could spend more time with him.”

Wes’s jaw was tight. “Can I ask you something else?”

She echoed his earlier reply. “You can ask me lots of things.”

“Have you ever told your dad what you just told me?”

She shook her head. She hardly knew her father. Getting teeth pulled would be preferable to having an in depth conversation with him about her feelings.