Page 124 of Everything After

“Stop that,” she snapped. She pulled her hand out of mine.

I sat back in my seat and stared her down. “Stop what? Calling them out for taking advantage of you or coercing you into doing what they want?”

“You keep telling me how valuable I am to the band. That’s obviously not how Lennie sees it.”

“Lennie’s being an ass. He’s had it all his own way up to now.”

“He’s been amazing to me.”

“Been, past tense. The guy needs to find his new normal, and it better have respect for you and your changing circumstances as part of that.”

Lily sighed. “I just want things to be the way they were.”

“What? Cody pawing you and you making all the concessions?”

“Stop it. Digs and Shawn are fine… they all were until?—”

“Until I got fed up being treated like an interloper in their cozy world? Until you got pregnant? Until I told Cody to stop pawing what’s mine?” I abruptly asked, cutting off any defense of her bandmates she might have made.

“This again? I did what you asked me to do. Cody did what you asked of him. Lennie?—”

“So, it’s my fault your band treated you like shit under the guise of adoring you?”

“You aren’t letting me finish what I want to say, so I think we need to stop talking about this now,” she muttered.

“I think we should never stop talking about this until it’s resolved one way or another,” I countered.

“What would it take to resolve it in your eyes? Me leaving the band?”

“I never said that.”

“Butyouthink I want you to say that, right?” she said. “Jesus, Alfie, if it’s not Cody or Lennie pissing you off… it’s Jack. Are there any men in my life you don’t have a problem with?”

“Jack’s… Jack. He’s not part of the equation that’s disrespecting you.”

“How about you? Are you respecting me right now?”

“Yes, I am, because I won’t sit back and watch you being treated like shit when you deserve so much more. You might not believe me but I’m fighting for your rightful place in that band. Step back, see how many gigs they get with you gone.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Fuck… you’re right. We can’t talk about this because it makes my blood boil.”

“Fine,” she muttered. Lily wriggled in her seat to get more comfortable, put her earbuds in, and set something on a phone app. Closing her eyes, she effectively shut me out of her world.

My heart almost burst out of my chest in frustration when I saw her close me out like that. But she looked exhausted, and I figured me fanning the flames of something so raw might only make things worse, so I kept the rest of my thoughts on the matter to myself.

Long after she’d fallen asleep, I still seethed because we’d had yet another argument where she’d defended someone who had made her feel less than all that she was in the first place.

CHAPTER 66

LILY

“Lily, we’ll be landing soon,” Alfie muttered, rubbing gently on the back of my hand.

As I stirred awake a sharp pain in my neck and the stiffness in my back reminded me where I was and that I’d fallen asleep upright.

“Is there any water?” I croaked, feeling parched and groggy when I opened my eyes.