The Hysterics Read Online Free PDF Page B

there, and I thought it would be rude to invite myself over to your place. So, my place it is.”
    I didn’t question his logic. It was sound, but still unnerving to an extent. I felt like a complete crazy person living a ridiculous out-of-body experience. I craved having my old life back, to be in the studio, behind my kit, with the other women of my band. That would never happen again. They all knew about my plot, playing into my freak accident and doing interviews on how crazy and tragic my untimely death had been. They all got it and respected it, and they’d moved on faster than I had been prepared for. But that’s life: it goes on without you while you’re hiding and scared.
    Walking into Dane’s apartment, I couldn’t focus on anything other than how clean it was. Most of the guys I knew, especially musicians, lived like complete pigs—dirty laundry everywhere, dishes stacked a mile high in the sink, wouldn’t know how to turn a vacuum on to save their lives. Dane’s place was spotless.
    “Make yourself comfortable. Want something to drink?”
    Taking my seat on his soft black leather sofa and wrapping my legs under me, I called into the kitchen, “Do you have tea by any chance?”
    Without replying, Dane started the microwave, and within a few minutes, I was holding a steaming cup of passion fruit green tea and sitting right up next to Dane. He put his arm around me and pulled me toward the crook of his shoulder.
    “Just relax, Fae. We’ll watch some stupid show on TV and you can decide if you want to talk about what happened at the bar.”
    “I don’t think I can talk about it,” I whispered, defeated.
    “I understand.”
    Well, this night turned into a fucked up mess.
    He flipped through the channels for a while until he found some sappy romantic comedy. “Here. This is what you people like to watch, isn’t it?”
    “You people? You mean the ones with vaginas? Yes. We do, for the most part, enjoy comical happily ever afters.” I laughed and slurped my tea as he smiled down at me with that killer grin that was threatening to set my entire world on fire.
    Damn him for being a smoking hot drummer with a smile that made me weak at the knees and gorgeous gray eyes that could pierce my soul.
    DANE
    I let Fallon doze off while holding the half-empty mug of tea in her hand. After I knew she was out, I carried her into my room and put her to bed. I thought about climbing in next to her, but that seemed like the wrong move.
    Let’s try to not be a total creeper the first night you’re alone with her.
    I grabbed a pillow and blanket from the closet and hoofed it back out into the living room to make the couch up for the night.
    After grabbing a beer out of the fridge and finding something to watch that would restore my man card, I couldn’t help but glance over to my cracked bedroom door, worried about Fallon. I knew she must have been pretty messed up from her old life, but to freaking pass out from hearing her old band’s music at an open mic night was pretty ridiculous.
    Fuck, she’s beautifully broken.
    It hit me. That’s exactly what she was.
    I heard my phone vibrating on the coffee table and winced at the name on the screen: Whitney.
    I hit the fuck-you button and texted her instead.
    Me: About to pass out
    Whitney: Want some company?
    Me: Not a good idea
    I knew if I didn’t shoot Whitney down completely, she’d end up showing up at my door and freaking out when she figured out that there was another girl in my bed. Then it’d be worse when she found out that it was our new boss.
    That would be messy.
    Whitney: Are you trying to make me jealous?
    Me: Not in any way, shape, or form should you ever be jealous. Remember: we’re not together.
    Whitney: Not yet
    Me: Don’t you think if I wanted to the buy the cow I wouldn’t have taken the milk for free without a second thought?
    Whitney: You just don’t know what you want
    Me: I know I want you to leave me alone and let me go to