Connected (Connections, #1)(70)

“I heard that,” Bell says as she sticks her tongue out at her brother and walks away.

“River, you made it,” another voice says. Glancing to my right, I see the cutest blond boy reaching to give River a firm handshake and a manly hug.

“When do I ever miss, man?” River answers, grabbing for my left hand before introducing us. “Garrett Flynn, this is the girl I told you about.”

River obviously has a great relationship with this gray-eyed boyish looking man. With his hair slightly longer than Nix or River’s, it almost covers his eyes. His hairstyle and boyish face make him look like he’s fifteen. His lip ring only adds to his perceived youth, and his overall tall, skinny stature certainly doesn’t help. But honestly, he’s so cute and innocent looking, I know he must make even the hardest of women melt.

“How can I forget the amazing girl you’ve met twice?”

Then smiling so genuinely at me, I know what he’s saying is with the upmost sincerity. “Dahlia right? I’m Garrett.” Extending his hand he adds, “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I shake his hand and smile. “Hi Garrett. I’ve heard a lot about you too.” Watching his easy smile, I know I like him already.

A moment later, I feel someone approach us from behind. Looking over my shoulder, I see another duplicate of River. “This isn’t a reunion. Time to rehearse girls,” the almost carbon copy of River says. He’s circling around us and I can see some differences immediately in their looks but there is no doubt that this is Xander.

Raising his hands in an all’s good gesture, Garrett smiles at me. “Catch ya after rehearsal,” he says and then walks toward the stage to join Nix, who is strumming different chords on his guitar.

Xander is definitely good looking, but not in the same charming, adorable way as River. His hair color is the same, but he wears it shorter. He has the same green eyes, but they don’t sparkle like Rivers. His demeanor, I can immediately sense, is cooler, more controlled. Upon first glance, he seems to be all about image. The kind of guy who traded in his college cool-boy uniform of old sports jerseys, worn-out jeans, and broken-in baseball hats for the city cool-boy uniform of button down shirts, neatly pressed jeans, and a lot of hair gel. Without even meeting him yet, he kind of reminds me of Ben.

Extending his hand to me, he keeps his eyes on his brother. “Xander. I assume you are Dahlia,” he says with a slight chill in his tone.

I extend my hand and he shakes it once before pointing to the stage. “They’re waiting for you,” he says to River.

“Yeah, give me a minute.”

“One is all you get bro,” he says, walking over toward the bar.

Bell lets out a yelp, claps her hands over her head, and beckons Xander to come her way. “Xander! C’mere!” she yells as she slugs back a second shot of what I think is tequila.

Looking quizzically at River he wraps his arms around me and kisses me. “I’ll explain my family later.” Pulling away, he crosses his heart. “Promise.”

Giving him a slight smile, I lean in to kiss him again.

Drums echo through the room and the words, “Testing, testing. One, two, three,” blare through the bar. Looking over to the stage I see Nix at the microphone then hear him say, “Loverboy, your presence is needed up on stage.”

River shakes his head. “Come on and sit over here,” he says, guiding me toward the high-top table at the end of the dance floor that centers the stage. “Do you want something different to drink?” he asks as he pulls the bar stool out for me to sit.

“I’m good Loverboy,” I joke as I take my jacket off because it’s really hot in here. He takes it from me and drapes it around the back of the chair. I hang my purse on top of my jacket and sit down as I smile and push him toward the stage. “Thank you kind sir. Now go and sing something, will you! I’m impatient you know. I’ve never gotten to see you with the band, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“Forward to it, huh?” he winks as he kisses me one last time and turns to leave. I watch him walk to the stage. He’s wearing his trademark worn jeans and a plain white t-shirt. I glance at his ass as he turns to pick up his guitar, and he catches me. He shakes his head and his mouth turns up into a wicked grin as he winks at me. I just wink back and giggle. I’m used to getting caught gawking, so I might as well embrace it.

I continue to watch him walk all the up to the stage. He takes his jacket off and tosses it to the side before strutting over to the microphone stand. He blows into it a few times and our eyes lock as we both grin at each other. Damn, I wish I had my camera with me. He’s so incredibly photogenic and I’d really love to get some shots of him up on the stage, here where he’s in his element, so relaxed and comfortable. He starts to sing a few notes, and I can tell this is pretty casual and definitely more like a rehearsal and less like a show because there are no introductions. Some people stop and watch while others, probably use to the band’s rehearsals, continue with their conversations. Once the song starts, I can’t peel my eyes away from him. It’s an old one from their album, but actually seeing him sing sends shivers down my spine. He’s so serious and more than half way through it, he seems to lose himself in the song. I’m not sure how to describe how I feel, but the back of my head starts to swirl and goosebumps cover me from head to toe. It’s a really nice feeling and it sort of makes me go numb. I can’t even lift my drink because I think I’ve lost feeling in my fingers. This is a feeling I have never experienced. It’s strange but incredibly soothing and calming. I don’t want the song or this moment to end, but as it does, I slowly recover my composure and shoot him a thumbs up. He winks at me again and turns to talk to Garrett.