Starstruck (Heartstrings Duet #1)

42. just you and me

[ 42 ]

JUST YOU AND ME

BAXTER

Three Weeks Until the Concert

“YOU AND ME” BY LIFEHOUSE

“ H ow are you feeling about tomorrow?” I ask Lennon, tilting down to place a kiss on top of her head, which rests on my bare chest.

“Fine,” she whispers unconvincingly.

She nuzzles into me, so I pull her closer, and she tosses one of her bare legs over one of my sweatpant-clad ones. I’m sitting against my headboard, an arm wrapped around her with my fingers tangling in her hair while her hand rests on my stomach, tracing my tattoos. She’s covered solely by the throw blanket I keep on my bed—the same one I’ve refused to stop using since the first time I found her under it all those months ago.

“Lenny girl…” I grumble, and she moves her head further down my chest, seemingly to avoid looking at me. I grip her chin with my free hand, tilting it up so she meets my eyes. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

She lets out a deep sigh, averting her gaze. She bites the inside of her cheek before her eyes find mine again. “Not fine,” is all she says, which is what I expected, considering tomorrow is Logan’s trial. The one we’ve waited for the past seven months for.

Seven months is actually sooner than a DUI case would typically get in front of a judge in Ontario, but seeing as this particular case resulted in the deaths of two members of arguably the most famous Canadian family, there was a lot of pressure put on them to get to it.

In the meantime, Logan has spent his time in the local jail, the Toronto South Detention Centre. After he pleaded not guilty back in January, his bail was denied, meaning he was stuck there until they could finally get around to him.

Lennon still doesn’t know I know him. Since she got the call last week, I’ve tried to tell her countless times. But everytime I open my mouth to say it, I chicken out. And with each day that passes, I dig myself a deeper hole, knowing she’ll very likely hate me when the truth finally does come out.

I should’ve told her months ago when our arrangement began. The truth is, I’ve been avoiding it for so long because my past is not something I like reliving. Logan and I have a bit of a sordid history—one I would’ve happily let die with me if I had the choice.

But then Lennon came along and made me fall in love with her, and of course the one person I swore I’d never think about again is the one responsible for her parents’ deaths. I know if I want us to be more, which I do, I’m going to have to tell her the truth. Our relationship could never last with this secret hanging over me, so I’ve made the promise to myself that after the benefit concert, I’m going to tell her everything.

And hope she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me.

“You’re going to be great,” I whisper against her hair. I know the last thing she wants to do is testify, but she also knows it’ll make their already strong case against him even stronger. Her siblings both told her that if she doesn’t want to, they’d understand, but I think she feels like she owes it to them and her parents to do it.

“What if we lose?” she murmurs, her voice barely audible .

I press a kiss to where my lips rest. “We’re not going to lose, Trouble.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“They have enough evidence to put him away even without your testimony. He has previous DUI charges, and he killed the two most famous Canadian musicians. If they let him walk, people will riot. We’re going to win.”

She glances up at me, her eyes glassy, but a smile creeps across her face. “Your confidence is refreshing.”

I smile before pressing my lips to hers. “You’re going to be amazing up there. If you get nervous, just remember you’re doing this for your parents.”

She nods, resting her head against my chest again. Her breathing evens out, and just when I think she’s fallen asleep, a muffled whisper falls from her lips.

“I don’t want us to end.”

I exhale deeply, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Neither do I.