Free Reverb by Lisa Swallow Page B

friendly.”
    She giggles. “I guess they would be. Good-looking guys, rock stars… I bet they have lots of 'friends'.”
    Tegan's emphasis on friends doesn't escape me and I narrow my eyes at her. Her eyes widen. “Oh! You think I'm going to hook up with one of them, don't you?”
    “No.” Yes.
    She laughs. “You, big brother, are a rock star; and however much you tried to hide things from me, I know exactly what you used to get up to. That's not for me. I don't have time for guys who treat women the way some of you used to. I'd like to see them try!”
    “Yeah, well, tour details haven't been finalised yet; I'll let you know.” The fridge full of beer is calling so I stand.
    Tegan stands too and brushes her skirt back into place. “Well, make sure my name's on whatever list it needs to be on.”
    Tegan walks over, as tall as me in her heels, and then plants a kiss on my cheek. “See you later, big brother.”
    I watch my not-so-little little sister head out of the room, battling the urge to follow Tegan and keep an eye on her night out. Then I shake my head, amused at not being invited, and how, even if I am a rock star, it's still uncool for her to hang around with me.
    Pissed off by Tegan, I change my mind about the beer; a walk would help blow away thoughts of Hannah that keep intruding. I head back to my car to find the jacket I left in there. Leaning into the passenger seat to grab the jacket, something small on the floor catches my eye.
    I pick the gold earring from the car mat and dangle it between my fingers. Avery. Funny chick. Did I do the right thing there? I was drunk and intended to leave after the disastrous dinner when it was apparent I was wasting my time. I didn't think that through. I thought Avery would enjoy the joke; but the longer it went on, the less amused she seemed. I do stupid shit when I'm bored.
    The kiss. Yeah, not a great idea either. To be honest, I only intended lips on lips to prove a point to Avery's friend, but the combination of beer in my system and her curves beneath my hands meant the kiss became too convincing. Avery’s enthusiasm surprised me, considering her earlier annoyance. At that point, I decided my presence in her evening was welcome after all and persuaded her to spend some time alone with me.
    Was I interested in taking that further? A hook-up with another girl would be a sure-fire way to forget about Hannah for a night and I thought Avery was up for it until she hit the floor.
    I can't remember the last time I've relaxed around a chick, and Avery amused me. Somebody who made me laugh and I forgot all the shit going on around me for a few hours. The idea I could move on edged in. The right person is out there. I half-thought I could meet Avery again but she wasn’t keen to catch up again. The next morning, her lack of interest in repeating the kiss was unmistakable. Avery couldn't wait to get away quick enough.
    Maybe she saw through my motives.
    Avery did the right thing. Broken-hearted guys don't treat chicks nicely, a good job she wasn't sober or interested.
    Looking at the grey clouds, I change my mind about the walk and head back from the cold evening into the warmth of my family home.

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    BRYN
     
    I settle in front of my Xbox with a tray of pizza and a beer from my well-stocked fridge. Mia appears in a designer scrap of cloth, face transformed by make-up, looking five years older, and a completely different person. When Mia puts make-up on, it's an hour-long work of art with shading and sculpting and painting.
    Mia looks at me with tired exasperation as she pushes a large silver earring through her ear. “You're staying here, then.”
    “Yes.” I crack the lid from a bottle. “Nothing else to do.”
    “Nothing else to do? How many New Year’s invites did you get?”
    “A few.” Usually I go wherever the band is going. Recently, this has been Dylan's place, but he's away. As are Liam and Cerys, who are on honeymoon, and Jem has