Free Sliding Down the Sky by Amanda Dick Page A

leaning in to kiss her neck briefly.
    That one small gesture left me with a longing deep in my bones.
    I’d never spent much time thinking about relationships. I wasn’t good at them before, I’d always preferred the freedom of being alone, but lately alone had a hollow ring to it. What might it be like, to have someone to talk to, someone to put their hand in the small of my back and kiss my neck like Jack had just done to Ally?
    Someone to love me, even the broken and missing parts of me.
    I dragged myself back to reality and swallowed back the tears that had appeared out of nowhere.
    God, what a mess.
    I grabbed a cloth and began to wipe the bar down for the hundredth time that night, sniffing madly. If Leo saw me like this he’d send me home, and right now I didn’t want to go home to my empty bed. There was something comforting about being here. I felt at home, which was strange, because I hadn’t really felt at home anywhere for a long time. Right now, wiping down the bar, only a handful of people left, Leo cleaning the tables, the band packing up, felt like my comfort zone.
    When I looked over at Callum again, he was walking towards me, beer in hand. Nervous energy surged through me. Without the safety of being able to hide in the crowd, my self-confidence wilted and I suddenly felt vulnerable.
    “I think you missed your ride,” I tried, indicating the trio who had just walked out the door.
    “Lightweights,” he said, settling himself on a bar stool. “No stamina. You’re not trying to get rid of me too, are you?”
    He raised his eyebrows playfully and my heart rate skyrocketed.
    “Not at all. Stay as long as you like – or until Leo throws you out.”
    “Wouldn’t be the first time,” he quipped, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ve been thrown out of here a few times over the years, but you didn’t hear that from me, okay?”
    He looked much more relaxed than when we met at the diner, but that was probably because he’d had a few beers. I remembered that feeling, that hazy glow that seemed to surround everything. It made me feel a little less edgy, less in the spotlight. Even though I was stone-cold sober, I clung to the idea that we were meeting on neutral territory.
    We were both a little compromised.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    “I may not believe in myself, but I believe in what I’m doing.”
     
    – Jimmy Page
     
    Callum
     
    I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I hung out after the others left because I wanted more of her, and if I was honest with myself, it scared the hell out of me. I didn’t remember wanting anyone like I wanted her. I not only wanted to redeem myself in her eyes, I wanted to impress her. It was a slippery slope, but I was going to climb it, even in the face of the odds that I was sure had been stacked against me. The thought was terrifying.
    The bar had been busier than I’d ever seen it in its previous incarnation. It was shoulder to shoulder for hours. Sass was impressive, handling her customers with ease. No small feat considering she was doing it literally single-handedly. She used her left hand intermittently, although she clearly had no way of holding things with it. She did everything with her right hand, only using her left to steady things.
    Despite all that, she kept her head down and her manner professional. Except when I went up to get my round.
    That smile… Jesus, that smile.
    It was that smile that told me she’d forgiven me for the ass I’d made of myself at the diner. It was that smile that had me hanging around long after everyone else had gone home, eager for some private time with her. It was that smile that gave me hope.
    “I’m no expert,” I said, as she ran a cloth over the bar. “But I’d say tonight was a raging success, as far as opening nights go.”
    She glanced up briefly, as she worked her way down to the cash register in the middle of the bar with her cloth.
    “I think so, too. Leo’s over the moon.”
    “I bet he is.