Your Exception (2 page)

I space out as the rest of the members are introduced because I can’t concentrate on anything but Logan. Does it really even matter what their names are? I’m just admiring them for
the man candy that they are. Yes, I'm sure they have feelings. My ex didn't, but I'm sure some of the male population does.

I try to tone down my bitterness towards men as I make my way through the bar looking to see who needs refills.

They start their first song. I can dig it. The instruments blend perfectly, creating just the type of rock music I love, and by their third song, the singer’s voice has grown on me. It’s different from anything I’ve heard before, but I'm totally feeling it. Yes, my night just got better.

Later in the night, Blue Eyes sings a few of the songs. I take in the sound of his soothing voice as I watch him play guitar. There’s something about a man playing guitar...it captivates me. I take full opportunity to check him out. He must be six feet tall, and his jeans hang low on his hips with a studded black belt, broad chest, possibly some nice looking arms...if only he wasn't wearing a long sleeved shirt underneath his Troy Lee Designs t-shirt. What is Troy Lee Designs, and why does he have a big sticker that says the same thing on his guitar? I’ve never understood spending so much money on a guitar only to put stickers on it.

Cassidy passes by with two beers and I say to her, "This band is great! I'd totally download their music if they had some."

"They are pretty good. I'm sure Jen will hire them for some of the open weekends. Look at this huge crowd they brought in! Cha-ching!"

I laugh and get my ass moving. I have tables to attend to and groupies to assist in getting shit-faced.

After last call, I’m clearing the empty beer bottles off the deserted tables, when I hear a low, raspy voice behind me. "Hey you. How did you like the show?"

Aware that my ass is totally sticking out as I lean across the table to grab trash, I spin around. It's Blue Eyes...I mean Logan, and he is giving me that sexy half smile again.

"Um, not bad," I say, trying not to look into those eyes...or those lips...or that scruffy, masculine jaw.

As I'm avoiding his gaze, I look down and notice he must have changed his shirt after the last set. Damn it! I would have loved to have seen that. I can see tattoos sticking out from underneath both of his shirt sleeves. What I would give to roll them up and admire the artwork closely. His voice pulls me away from my thoughts.

"Not bad? That's all you thought of us?" His eyes widen, and he laughs. I can see all of his pearly whites, and notice his eyes have a slight twinkle. Hot damn, he still smells like heaven. Even after a night of playing.

I look around at all the work that still needs to be done and sigh. "Look, I'm not the one doing the hiring. That would be Jen over there. You can go ask her how you did."

His eyes lose their sparkle. He looks a little disappointed and slightly confused. I didn't mean to come across so harsh, but I have shit to do and it’s getting late.

He looks straight into my eyes. "I asked what you thought. Not...Jen."

Oh.

My breath hitches. "Well, like I said, it wasn't bad. I'm sure you'll get hired for the open spots we have on the weekends.” I don’t elaborate or add anything additional because I don’t want him to know that I find him completely attractive and that I loved his music. He’s the type of guy women lose their morals over, and no matter how sexy a man playing guitar is—even one who is talking to me as if there is no one else in the room—I’m not that type of girl, and I refuse to throw myself at him, even though I may want to just a little.

"Do you work here on the weekends?"

The way he towers over me gives me a delighted sense of nervousness. Get a hold of yourself. Do not swoon over him, Wren! I move around him to grab a few more bottles, then make my way to the recycle bin dropping them inside and making a huge crashing sound that momentarily drowns out the noise of the crowd.

"Yes, most weekends."

Following me, he says, "We were going to bring friends from another band in to check this place out."

I feel as though he is a wild animal, stalking his prey. Me. His eyes burn into my own until he has me cornered.

"Oh cool. This place is usually packed on the weekends. Draven will be playing this coming weekend. They sound quite a bit like you guys, except they're a little heavier. You'd probably like them." Stop making eye contact. I look down.

"Well, if you say so, then I'm intrigued. I guess I'll see you around, Wren." My head shoots up as he makes his way towards the table full of sluts...I mean groupies. Blonde Bitch with the perfect hair and stink-eye is glaring at me again. Doing what she does best.

How the hell does he know my name? We don't wear name-tags here.

Cassidy comes running over. "So? Tell me, what did Man Candy have to say?"

"Nothing. He wanted to know if they were good enough to get the weekend job. I told him to ask Jen," I respond as I continue cleaning off tables, trying to calm my heart that is racing from having been so close to him.

Cassidy's smile falls. She looks disappointed. "Oh. Well, I was talking to Jack during one of their breaks and he's sooo nice. And hot!"

"Guys are always nice when they're trying to get in your pants." I recall him sitting in the middle of the barely covered girls with one on his lap during one of their breaks. He was openly flirting and obviously enjoying the attention. Guys like that don’t appeal to me.

She gives me an evil stare.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"No, it's not like that."
Sure it's not.
"He asked if he could take me out tomorrow night, but I had to tell him I was too busy packing and getting ready to move."

"Well, tell him to take you out another time."

"I did. I told him we could hang out next week, and that maybe he could even swing by the new place. We swapped numbers."

Great.
Male whores in the house our first week there.
Yay me.

***
**

As my brothers drop off the last of our belongings, Cassidy and I are scrambling to try and clean everything before we start putting our stuff away.

I look through the boxes that contain my present and my past and I find pictures of me and Alec. I’d wanted so much to be the perfect girlfriend, yet he threw the three years I gave him away with no warning. One minute I was happy, and the next I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me. I’d given him everything; my trust, my undying devotion, and my body. I’ll probably never understand what else I could have done for him. He may not have broken me, but he’s torn me up inside. He’s made me feel lonely...ugly...unwanted...

It sucks to be cheated on.

I decided to do what was best for me and leave him. Leave the home we had lived in together for the previous two years. I didn’t beg for him to pick me over her nor did I kiss his ass and tell him I still loved and forgave him. I just left. I knew deep down that it wasn’t me who had done anything wrong. I was only guilty of loving him, and trusting him, but now I have a new start. A fresh beginning.

Cassidy and I have a two level house with two decent sized rooms upstairs but on opposite sides of the house.
Thank goodness. Each room has been slightly remodeled with a bathroom and walk in closet. The main level has a small living room that’s open to the kitchen, with the front door in-between, that leads out to our porch. Cassidy did tons of looking around for the right place and the right price. We couldn’t have asked for more. Even the privacy is nice. We share a driveway with one house that veers off. According to our landlord, an elderly couple lives there. Besides them, there isn’t a house anywhere around us. The house itself isn’t exactly up to date with the appliances, but it’s cozy and quaint, and it works for us. We couldn’t have asked for more.

We get the kitchen and living room completed by early evening. After I get my bathroom organized, I make my bed, unpack my clothes, hang up my shirts and fold my jeans. I can hear Cassidy down the hall talking on the phone, so I put my iPod in its dock and turn up my favorite playlist. I can't sing or dance, but you can bet your ass I'm a rock
star in the shower and a dancing queen while alone in my room. Mid-twist I hear laughing and I turn around to see Cassidy pointing and laughing at me from the doorway.

"Don’t judge me!" I scream, covering my face in humiliation.

She falls to her knees, still laughing. "I'm going to pee my pants!"

What was I thinking whipping out my horrendous dance moves with the door open? I laugh with her.

Cassidy stands up and wipes the tears from her eyes. "I'm going to go pour some wine and make some popcorn. Come down when you finish up. I call the recliner!"

I'm still full from the pizza we ordered earlier, but I can use another break. I finish putting the last of my clothes away, then make my way downstairs. As I inhale the delicious aroma of popcorn, I grab the bottle of water I’d shoved in the freezer an hour earlier and chug half of it down, swallowing small chunks of ice as I do. There’s nothing better than ice cold water.

I walk over to the couch and grab my Kindle. Working two jobs means I have less time to read and it makes me sad. Cassidy sets down her glass of wine, and the bottle, on the coffee table beside the bowl of popcorn.

"Yes, I will be drinking this entire thing tonight," she says as she picks up her own Kindle and sits down in the recliner. She sighs. "Ahh, this is the life! What would you do without me?"

I smile and shrug. I don't know what I would do without Cassidy in my life. I feel happy for the first time in a long time. Content.

"Wren?"

What the hell does she want?

I roll over in my bed and put my pillow over my face.

"Wren!" Cassidy whines into my ear.

I pull the pillow away and let her have it. "What? Don't make me regret moving in with you. I’m exhausted after unpacking. This is Sunday! A day of rest!"

She smiles and kneels in front of my bed. "Well, good morning to you too. I just wanted to give you a heads up that Jack might come over today and hang out. Do you think we should go out and meet him, or have him come over here?"

She woke me up for this
?
Really
?
You hav
e
go
t
to be kidding me.

"What is this
we business? I'm not going anywhere, and I certainly don't want Dumbass in the house today while we finish unpacking."

"He's sweet, and he obviously likes me because he's the one who texted me,” she gloats.

"You honestly think you're the only girl he's texted today?"

She frowns.

I sit up in my bed and give her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. It's early,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “He probably does want to see you. What do you prefer to do? Go out or have him come over? I'm fine with whatever you decide. I promise."

"Well, as much as I love our new place, it'd be nice to get out for a bit. We’ve pretty much got everything done and put away, so I guess we'll go out. Are you coming with us?"

I debate. Go out with Cassidy and Numbnuts as the third wheel, or stay home with my chocolate and read. "I think I'm going to stay and get the rest of my boxes put away and hang some decorations."

She raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow in suspicion.

"Fine, I'd like to relax and read for a bit. I'm at a really good part in my book and fell asleep reading." I glance down at my Kindle lying on the other side of my queen-sized bed as proof. She smiles and nods. If anyone understands my reading addiction, it's Cassidy.

"Well, I've got to go get ready. Come help me pick something out."

I groan as I throw my blankets off to the side and drag myself down the hall to her room.

After Cassidy’s hair is styled and her makeup applied, she puts on her dark pink dress with a black belt around her middle, complete with black heels and her black Coach purse. She's meeting Jack at Kally's Place in the next town over. It's a nice restaurant with a patio that overlooks the lake.

"Are you sure you won't come with? It won't be awkward. Even Jack was asking if you'd come."

"Threesomes aren't my style, but thanks for the offer."

She laughs and shakes her head at me. "I'm pretty sure that's not what he was asking, but whatever. Okay, I’m off. Have fun all by your lonesome!"

"Oh, I will. You look amazing, by the way!" I call out after her before she shuts the door, leaving it unlocked. Shaking my head, I walk to the door and turn the deadbolt before heading upstairs.

As soon as I’m in the shower, I start singing at the top of my lungs. Because I ca
n.
When the hot water turns cool, I step out, get dressed, then make some lunch because I missed breakfast while helping Cassidy get ready. When I finish eating, I curl up in the recliner we always fight over because it’s so comfy, and read until I drift off to sleep.

Hearing whispers, I open my eyes to see three people standing in my kitchen. Cassidy, Jack, and fucking Logan. All standing there with huge smiles, looking at me. I sit up straight and my hands immediately fly to my mouth searching for hints of drool. Who knows how long I've been out. Then my hands move up to my eyes trying to wipe any trace of smudged eyeliner or mascara away.