You're the Only One Read online

  After I grabbed my guitar case, the three of us made our way back into the club. As soon as I took a step onto the main floor, people began to surround me. I noticed a familiar head of curls making its way toward me as I grinned and thanked everyone for their compliments.

  “You’re amazing! Where can I get your music?”

  “Your songs are so good.”

  “Oh my God, he’s so hot!”

  “I love his hair!”

  It was weird, how they talked about me like I wasn’t there. Like I was an object to admire.

  A second later, Natasha made it to my side, and she wrapped her arm around my waist. I leaned down to kiss her, and some of the chatter stopped.

  “I’m so sorry I missed it,” Natasha said, apologetically looking up at me.

  I hadn’t even realized she’d missed the show until she told me. It hurt, but I was sure she had a good reason.

  “It’s okay.”

  Someone bumped into her from behind, and she was pressed closer to my side. The crowd was growing around us, and people were still waiting to talk to me.

  “I’m guessing it went well.”

  Before I could answer her, Matteo pushed himself between us and started handing out flyers he’d made with my name, picture, and the link to my YouTube channel. He and Sky had been recording my shows and posting them to YouTube for a while.

  “Here! You can hear more of his music here! Tell your friends, share it on Facebook, help spread the word and make my boy famous!” he shouted as the sea of bodies swallowed him.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I said in Natasha’s ear.

  There was no way I’d get to chill with all these people around.

  “Are you sure? I just got here. You don’t want to stay and enjoy this?”

  “Nah.”

  We made our way over to Sky’s table where she was standing with her back to Logan’s front, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, while he said something into her ear. She laughed, and I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest that I hadn’t expected.

  “D! You were awesome, man! I mean, really, really awesome,” TJ said as she came to give me a hug.

  “Thanks, TJ.”

  Hearing my voice, Sky’s attention was torn from Logan. She looked at me before her eyes drifted to Natasha, and she smiled. “Natasha! You made it!”

  “Yeah, I’m so sad I missed the show though. I couldn’t get away from work fast enough.”

  Sky nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now. I’m sure Dillon wants to get out of here,” she said, her eyes meeting mine again.

  She knew me better than anyone.

  “Yeah, we’re heading out. Thanks for coming, you guys. I’ll see you later.” I hugged Sky one more time before we left.

  A few hours later, Natasha was asleep in my bed as I sat on my couch with Kuma. I was too amped up to sleep, the adrenaline from my show was still coursing through me. I held my pen to my notepad as I tried to focus the energy and inspiration I’d experienced and transform them into words. I was determined to finish this song.

  What is the sun without the rain?

  What is love without the pain?

  Baby, it’s not always about the gain…

  I scribbled out that last line and tried again but to no avail. Sighing, I fell back into the couch, and Kuma scooted closer. I rubbed behind her ears.

  “I can’t get this damn song,” I told her.

  Her little brown eyebrows moved up and down as she watched me.

  “What? You have no advice?” I asked, tugging on her ear.

  She groaned and rolled onto her back, asking for a belly rub. I raked my fingers over her chest and stomach, and she shook her back leg, trying to help. I smiled, and an image of Sky’s face flashed in my mind. The way she had looked at me backstage…she’d never looked at me like that before.

  Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees and stared at the moon through my window. I was probably overreacting. Sky was just happy for me. I wasn’t sure what had gotten into me, but when I looked at Sky, I wasn’t only seeing my best friend anymore. I saw a woman I wanted to protect, someone I’d do anything for, someone I wanted to be mine.

  Shoving my fingers into my hair, I pressed the heels of my hands onto my eyes.

  This can’t be happening. Not now.

  Sky and I had been friends for years, and now that we were each in a relationship, I was feeling an attraction.

  Why?

  I had a gorgeous woman, naked in my bed right now. I had no right to be thinking about Sky like this. We were best friends, and I needed us to remain that way. There was no way I would take the chance of losing her.

  SKY

  I couldn’t get Dillon off my mind. He’d kept looking at me differently last night, and the image of his eyes was haunting me. Granted, we had both been feeling the thrill and excitement of his show, but that wasn’t it. I knew Dillon, and in all the years we’d been friends, he’d never looked at me like that. I wasn’t sure what disturbed me more—his unusual behavior or the realization that I’d liked it.

  I felt guilty. Dillon was in a relationship, and I was with Logan. We might not be monogamous, but I cared a lot about him. He’d gone to The Phoenix with me to show support for my best friend. He went out of his way to make sure I felt secure in our relationship. And this was how I was repaying him? He deserved my honesty, but I knew there was no way I could tell him I was developing feelings for my best friend. Even if he was okay with it, I didn’t feel right about letting Logan in on that secret. I didn’t plan on telling anyone.

  My guilt was the only explanation I had for what I was about to do. Last night, while I’d been fighting with my conscience, I’d agreed to meet Logan’s other polyamorous friends. It might have been temporary insanity, but either way, I was now in Logan’s car, on my way to the Upper East Side.

  I stared out the passenger window of his Mercedes, wondering if I could jump out at the next light without being hit by a car, when his big hand landed on my thigh.

  “You okay?” he asked, glancing over at me with his Colgate smile and warlock green eyes.

  “Um…”

  He chuckled. “Relax, babe. You’re meeting my friends. It’s no big deal.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve had sex with some of these friends, correct?”

  He peered over at me. “Yes.”

  “Exactly,” I said, my hand itching to reach for the door handle.

  “Talk to me. What are you scared of?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe they’ll hate me. Maybe I won’t fit in at all, and I’ll be totally weird. They’re probably all supermodels, and I’ll be the short girl with the wild hair and wide hips.”

  Logan laughed, and I glared at him.

  “This isn’t funny, dude.”

  He stopped. “I know. I’m sorry.” He squeezed my leg. “Let me see if I can help. Whitney is twenty-six. She’s the woman who introduced me to polyamory, and I’ve known her the longest. We’ve been in a relationship for the past year.”

  “This isn’t helping,” I muttered, putting my head in my hands.

  “She’s a control freak. She talks too much, and she likes to act like she’s a flower child from the seventies, but she lives off a trust fund. She’s vegan. She goes to meditation resorts in India every year. And she refuses to drive a car, but she watches The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills religiously.”

  I lifted my head from my hands. “Seriously?”

  Logan smirked and nodded.

  “What else?”

  “Let’s see. Beverly is one of Whitney’s girlfriends, and she’s spoiled. She pretends to be sick just so Whitney will take care of her and stay away from me or anyone else. And she’s a mooch.”

  “Wow,” I said, feeling better already.

  “Jared is Beverly’s boyfriend, and he’s monogamous. He’s only okay with Beverly’s lifestyle because she’s sleeping with another woman, and he gets to participate in threesomes, but B
everly is trying to find a way to admit to him that she’s ready to start bringing other guys into the fold.”

  My eyes widened. “Holy shit. How do you guys keep track of it all? I can’t even imagine the drama that must go on.”

  Logan shrugged. “I don’t like drama. I’m always sure to make that very clear. Honesty is all I require. Don’t fuck around behind my back, and we won’t have problems.”

  “Makes sense,” I muttered, looking out the window and into the car beside us. A man was singing and drumming a beat on his steering wheel. “And what about your other girlfriend? You said you had two, right?”

  “Besides you?” he said, giving me a playful grin.

  I bit my bottom lip and looked back at the guy singing. That’s true, isn’t it? He has three girlfriends now.

  “Her name is Sasha. She’s in Alabama right now, taking care of her mom, but she should be back in a few weeks. She’s eager to meet you.”

  “And does she have other…lovers?”

  Logan chuckled at my awkwardness. “Yeah, she’s got another boyfriend. They’ve got a rocky relationship though. They’re always on again, off again.”

  I nodded and chewed on the inside of my cheek when I thought of a question I hadn’t asked. Surprisingly, I hadn’t thought of it earlier. I wasn’t sure I’d really care what his answer was either way, but I needed to know.

  “Have you ever slept with a guy?” I asked, staring at Logan’s profile.

  He didn’t even flinch. “I’ve been to sex parties before where other men were involved, but no, I’ve never actually had intercourse with a man. We all discuss what we’re okay with and not okay with before we start.”

  “What? Like, pre-sex meetings or something?”

  Logan glanced over at me and flashed his white teeth. Then, he turned his car into a parking garage. “Something like that.”

  I sat quietly as he found a parking spot, and I reminded myself that these people were human, just like me. They were all a mess in their own ways. If I wanted this thing to work out with Logan, I couldn’t bury my head in the sand. I needed to woman up and face it head-on. If this lifestyle wasn’t for me, then at least I could say I tried, and I’d have a good story to tell.

  “You ready?” Logan asked after parking his car.

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  We walked over to a private elevator, and once inside, Logan hit the button for the twentieth floor. Reaching over, he took my hand in his, and I relaxed a little more. It felt like I was going to meet his parents.

  When the elevator stopped, Logan walked me over to a door in the far right corner.

  “This is Whitney’s apartment, but I stay here from time to time, so I have a key,” he said, reaching into his pocket for his key ring.

  I watched him slip the key into the hole as his words rang in my ears.

  “I stay here from time to time, so I have a key.”

  Logan walked in first, and I followed him. The smell of incense assaulted my nose, and I tried not to scrunch up my face, but it was hard. The scent was strong. Logan stopped and took my hand again, pulling me from behind him.

  I was met with three pairs of eyes. Two women and a man were sitting on a couch. It was covered in scarves, and so were some of the lamps in the room. It was like a Bohemian love den with big pillows all over the floor and even a hammock hanging in the corner.

  “Oh my goodness, is this Sky?” one of the women asked as she stood up and came toward me with her arms spread wide.

  Logan grinned as she wrapped her skinny arms around me. She smelled like patchouli.

  “I absolutely love your name,” she said as she pulled away and held my upper arms. “Oh, Logan, she’s gorgeous. You told me she was beautiful, but wow!”

  She tucked my hair behind my ear, and I felt my cheeks flush.

  Just like meeting the parents.

  “Sky, this is Whitney,” Logan told me.

  She and I were still staring at each other. It was like she was trying to read my aura or something.

  Whitney’s hair went down to her waist and it was really light blonde. So light, it was almost white. In true hippie-style, she had a brown leather headband wrapped around her head and a long white sundress on, despite the cold outside. She was thin, but her face was warm and inviting. Her eyes were the lightest blue I’d ever seen.

  “Come. Sit,” she said, pulling me into the room and offering me her spot on the couch.

  She sat on one of the pillows by my feet.

  “This is Beverly and Jared,” Whitney said, reaching for a joint in the marble ashtray on her table. “We were just about to smoke. You want some?” she asked, lighting the end.

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” I didn’t like smoking weed around strangers. It made me twitchy.

  I noticed Beverly and Jared weren’t dressed like hippies. Beverly was wearing a pair of jeans with brown UGGs on her feet and a tan wool sweater. She was a petite redhead with freckles on her nose and cheeks. Jared was pretty average-looking. Nothing about him really stood out to me. He had the typical boy-next-door look with an athletic build. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie.

  They both smiled at me, and I grinned back, feeling uncomfortable.

  “So, Logan tells me you design clothes,” Whitney said with enthusiasm as she passed Jared the joint.

  Logan moved to sit on the arm of the couch, beside me, and Whitney leaned forward and rested her arm on his leg.

  Weird. This is weird.

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to ignore the urge to push her off him.

  “Did you make this?” she asked, toying with the end of my jacket.

  “I did.”

  Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. “Nuh-uh! Let me see.”

  I peered up at Logan, and he gave me a reassuring smile. I pulled my jacket off and handed it to her.

  “Holy shit. This is fantastic! Do you see this, Bev?” She held the jacket out for Beverly to touch.

  “Wow. That is really nice. Do you sell these?” Beverly asked as she took a hit from the joint.

  “I do.”

  Beverly and Jared both seemed impressed.

  “That is so cool. I’d love to see more of your work. I have a shop downtown. Maybe I could sell some for you,” Whitney told me as she handed my jacket back.

  My eyebrows rose. “Really?”

  “Absolutely! Logan didn’t tell you that I have a store?”

  I shook my head, and she gave Logan a disapproving glare.

  “It hadn’t crossed my mind,” he said.

  “You should come check it out sometime,” she told me as she took the joint from Beverly.

  “Yeah, for sure.”

  Maybe they aren’t so bad after all.

  “So, how are things going between you two?” Whitney asked Logan.

  Her arm was still resting on his leg, but he hadn’t made a move to touch her. Maybe it was for my sake.

  “Great,” Logan said, adoringly looking down at me.

  I couldn’t help grinning.

  Whitney watched the whole thing, a smile curling her lips. “Ah, new love—it’s such a beautiful thing.”

  Love?

  I wasn’t sure about that, but I was definitely in lust.

  Logan’s grin grew wider, and I turned away, chewing on my bottom lip. He was too observant, and I thought he enjoyed watching me squirm.

  “This thing between us isn’t new,” Logan said.

  I could still feel his emerald eyes on me.

  “Ah, that’s right.” Whitney took a drag from the joint that had now shrunk down to a small roach. “She was your first.”

  That got Beverly’s and Jared’s attention.

  “Really?” Beverly asked, her eyes going from Whitney to Logan and then to me.

  “Yep. Sky popped my cherry.”

  “Oh God,” I moaned, dropping my forehead into my palms.

  “Oh, don’t be shy. We openly talk about sex here,” Whitney said, putting her hand on my knee.


  Yeah, but I didn’t talk about my sex life with people I’d just met.

  “I bet sex with Logan is a lot different now than it was then, isn’t it?” Whitney smirked up at Logan as my eyes narrowed on her.

  Logan cleared his throat, and Whitney looked at me.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me to say. I know you’re monogamous, Sky. I’m sure all of this is still delicate for you.”

  She seemed sincere, and I really had no right to be mad. I had known what I was walking into, and I’d chosen to come anyway. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.

  “It’s okay. I knew what I was getting into. Logan has been honest with me from the beginning. I guess it’s just hard to know you’re sharing someone you care about.”

  Logan swept my hair from my shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. I loved that about him. He was always so attentive and concerned for my feelings.

  Love. There’s that word again.

  “But that’s the thing, Sky. You don’t have to be alone in this. We all care about each other,” Whitney told me as she reached over and put her hand on Beverly’s knee.

  Beverly put her hand on Whitney’s, and Jared put his arm around Beverly’s shoulders. It was like a little circle of love or lust or something. It should have been weird or creepy, but it didn’t feel that way. It was kind of nice.

  DILLON

  It had been a few weeks since my gig at The Phoenix, and despite one of my YouTube videos going viral, nothing concrete had really come from it. Matteo had said my YouTube channel now had over two-hundred-thousand followers and urged me to make more videos, but I felt myself losing steam. I hadn’t written a new song in months, and the high of my last gig had quickly fallen into disappointment.

  Maybe I was being naive to think I could make a career out of music. So many people spent their lives chasing that dream and never achieving it. This city could spark your passion and inspire you, but it could also chew you up and spit you out.

  I sat on Natasha’s couch, playing my guitar, as she prepared dinner in her kitchen.

  “Hey, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?” she asked.

  Thanksgiving was in two weeks, and I’d been so distracted with my music, I hadn’t even thought to invite Natasha to come home with me. Over two months into it, and I was still getting used to being in a real relationship.