A Song for Us

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ERIC

I COULDN’T CLEAR MY thoughts as I navigated us back to the rest of the band. I wanted to flip out and scream at Sarah for playing with my emotions, but I knew without a doubt she never meant to break my heart. I also knew that she was hurting every bit as much as I was. I could see the pain in her eyes. I just didn’t know if the pain was from wanting to be with me or from not wanting to hurt me.

Either way, the damage was done. Sarah had made her choice and I wouldn’t interfere with what she wanted.

I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t pissed, but most of that was directed at myself and Derek. I tried to plaster on a smile as I made my way to Donna.

“Where have you been?” She cocked an eyebrow at me.

“I got lost, but I found my way back to you.”

“Aww . . . You’re drunk,” she joked as she wrapped her arms around my waist from the side. I draped and arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

“It improves my dance skills.”

“I think you dance just fine.” She glanced up at me and I shot her a wink. Although I wasn’t exactly sober the day we practically fucked on the dance floor, there was no denying that we had chemistry.

“I had a good partner.”

“Just good, huh?” She pressed her head against my chest, and even though I was dying inside, Donna always managed to make me laugh.

I was thankful that it was now dark and I wouldn’t have to see Derek with his hands all over Sarah.

“Do you ever think you will get past what your ex did? Move on and get married?”

She shook her head as she stared off at the stage. “You?”

“Nah. Not the marrying type.”

“I envy them.” She nodded toward Tucker and Cass, and we both watched them for a moment as I ran my hand up and down Donna’s back. What they had wasn’t in the cards for me. Every time I put myself out there, I got hurt and I couldn’t take much more.

“They make it not look so bad.” Donna laughed sadly and I kissed her hair.

“You will have that. You’re too good of a person not to.”

“And what about you? You think you’re a bad person?”

I glanced back up at the stage. A new band was getting ready to perform, and the crowd was getting louder. I never answered her and she didn’t push me any further.

One band blended into the next, but anything was better than being locked up in that hotel room. I felt as if I were slowly losing my mind with every passing day.

“If you didn’t get this gig, where do you think you would be?” I asked.

“I’d probably be backstage at this concert begging bands to let me work for them,” she said with a laugh.

“This is your dream? You never wanted to do something else?”

She thought it over for a minute and shrugged. “I wanted to get married and have children.”

“So you’re just going to let one asshole kill your dreams?”

She glared up at me and back to the stage. “Dreams change, people change. I don’t think I would be that good of a mother.”

“Are you kidding? Look at how you take care of the band. You’re a natural.”

“I am kind of amazing.”

I laughed as I squeezed her against my side.

“What about you? You want kids?”

“I’m not really a good role model for children. I can’t even get my own shit together, I couldn’t put a kid through that.”

“You know, you’re not half as bad as you think you are.”

“Opinions may vary.” I glanced over my shoulder to Sarah.