Page 40 of Love Out Loud

Now I’m all thrown off, and my mouth seems to be working without the full attention of my brain. “Thanks. I’m not really sure what he’s planning, but I haven’t seen much of the city so—”

Just then, Jessica bursts through the door, bouncing in on a cloud of perfume with her dark hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail and a white shirt tucked into skin-tight jeans. “There you are! My two favorite people.” She must notice how close Silas is to me, because she stops in her tracks and waggles a red-painted fingernail between us. “Oh, what is going on here?” she asks suggestively.

I laugh nervously and take a step back. “We just finished recording for the day. I think you’re really going to like it.”

She waves this away. “I already love it. Did I interrupt something else, though?” Her eyebrows shoot up her head.

Silas, ever amused, clears his throat. “Lark was telling me that she and Lennon are going out to celebrate her birthday tonight.”

“No, it’s not—” I start, but Jessica interrupts me with a clap of her hands.

“Oh! I know the perfect place.”

Noah re-enters the room, shouldering his messenger bag and jingling his keys. He stops when he sees the three of us.

“I think Lennon had something in mind,” I say feebly.

“Whatever he had planned, this is better,” Jessica insists. “I’ll text him.” She starts tapping her phone, her long nails clicking against the screen in rapid fire.

“He’s probably right outside—”

“Done!” She pockets her phone.

God, he is going to kill me. I can’t imagine this is at all what he had in mind. I blow out a puff of air and turn to Noah. “I guess we’re all celebrating my birthday tonight. You in?”

Noah rolls his lips together and bites down as if he could prevent himself from cackling. When he’s past the point of outright laughter, he smiles at me, teasing. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great.” I try not to sound sarcastic when I say it, but Noah snorts anyway. “I’ll…uh…see you all later, I guess.” I wave quickly and get out of that building as fast as I can.

Sure enough, Lennon is waiting at the curb in his Jeep, looking at his phone. When I climb in, he turns his face slowly to me. “You invited Jessica and Silas to…” He checks his phone again to verify. “The Velvet Mirage?”

The look I give him must accurately convey my confusion and horror at what happened inside, because he throws his head back and laughs.

“I didn’t mean to,” I protest. “Silas asked me out—”

“He what?” Lennon asks, his laughter abruptly dying. “Shit, I didn’t think he’d actually do it.”

My eyes go wide. “You knew?” I notice the three of them behind the window of the front door, coming our way. “Drive, please. I don’t think they need to hear this.”

He obliges, pulling out into the street and driving away from the studio. Once we round the corner, I turn to him.

“Spill,” I demand.

“He asked me the other day if you were single. I told him you were.” Lennon shrugs, staring hard out the windshield. “I guess he thought it was a green light.”

I fold my arms over my seat belt. “And you didn’t think to mention it to me?”

“I didn’t want to…get your hopes up?” he guesses.

“More like warn me,” I correct. “If I’d had notice, I wouldn’t have panicked.”

Lennon smirks. “What do you mean you panicked?”

“It’s been a while since someone has asked me out,” I say in my defense.

“I asked you out this very morning,” he reminds me.

I roll my eyes. “Not like that,” I insist, but I don’t miss the way his lips pull into a tight line. “Anyway, I felt bad turning him down, so I mentioned we were going out and…”