Page 50 of Deacon

I arched a brow but kept my mouth shut, unconvinced.

Bishop needed someone with heart, not someone worried about water droplets on her expensive designer threads.

‘What about your dream girl? The one who haunts you at night?’

For years, Bishop had alluded to a phantom woman who haunted his mind.

I chuckled, but he gave me a stern look.

‘Don’t laugh, my guy. She’s sweet, stunning, and looks like heaven. But every time I wake up, a piece of me feels ripped away. I spend days mourning her absence.’

He shook his head, staring at the floor.

‘I go to sleep just hoping to catch a glimpse of her. It’s like this secret side of me has loved her for years, trapped in a life that disappears when the sun comes up. Tell me I’m crazy, but I refuse to believe my mind just made her up. If I have to scour the earth to find out who she is, I will. Just not now, perhaps when the band slows down to one tour a year.’

‘You’re for real?’

‘Yup.’

‘Not all in your head, man?’

‘We’ll see,’ Bishop muttered, undeterred.

‘Which means Teagan is not serious?’

He shrugged.

‘She’s right now. I don’t tend to think beyond today when it comes to her.’

‘Living in the present while lost in a fever dream.’

‘Fuck you. Now my turn. Nashami?’ Bishop murmured.

With a smirk, he threw his hands behind his head, linked them, and leaned back in his seat.

I tapped my fingers on the edge of my laptop and sighed.

‘Something tells me that’s the tea you really came after.’

‘Do you blame me?’ Bishop said. ‘As soon as Tania sent the pics to me, I called you up on it. I’m concerned, son, that given your mixed feelings for Ana you’re flying too close to the sun with her ex modeling colleague.’

‘It was stupid,’ I fessed. ‘A kiss on a night that went nowhere. It started off hot and ended in a fizz.’

‘You let your guard down, brother.’

‘I know I did.’ I stared down at the table. ‘It’s embarrassing, especially if Ana saw it at all.’

Bishop leaned in closer, his eyes locked on mine.

‘You really are still hung up on her.’

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I glanced at him, unsure whether I wanted to share.

I scarcely talked about Ana, even with the guys in the band.

The Six Sinners were close, but when it came to Ana and my history with her, I kept the facts of our fractious relationship on the down-low.

That part of my life was a private sanctuary I guarded to protect what was left of it.