I glanced over at Remy, her creamy skin turning a shade paler than usual. Her green eyes were wide as she stared back at me and mouthed “what the hell” to me. My exact thoughts.
I knew Teddy was in town but I didn’t think he would go this far. This was no coincidence. Nope, I knew better than that. He knew I would be here, and he had set this whole thing up because of that.
Nick leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Did you know about this?” he asked, shifting in his seat. I could tell he was uncomfortable. Who wouldn’t be when their girlfriend’s ex-husband just randomly shows up?
I shook my head, my throat too dry to say anything. I wasn’t lying, I had no clue, but I had also failed to mention to Nick how Teddy was trying to win me back. It wasn’t happening. I didn’t think that it would affect our relationship at all, so I didn’t bother telling him. And now he’s here. Awkward much?
I groaned when Teddy took the microphone from the waitress, who looked about ready to pass out when his hand grazed hers. He whispered something in her ear, causing her to tip back slightly on her feet, and then she sidestepped off the stage, her eyes never leaving his. Could she be more obvious? I just did not get the whole star-struck thing.
Teddy looked exactly the part, though, with his ripped jeans, and tight plain t-shirt showing off the array of colorful tattoos that covered each of his arms. His shaggy hair hung over his brown eyes slightly, and he gripped his guitar in his arms, pulling his lip ring between his teeth as he scanned the crowd, finally stopping when he reached our table.
I buried my head in my hands when he pointed towards me and started talking into the microphone. This couldn’t be happening. “This one’s for my girl over there.” He emphasized the ‘my’ and I heard Nick snort loudly, and mutter something under his breath. “It’s something new I’ve been working on just for her, hope you like it Ally-Cat.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Remy hissed next to my ear. “We seriously need to get out of here. You don’t need to deal with him, and I definitely don’t want to see Mark. Nick looks pissed by the way, can’t really blame him, though.” She sat back in her chair, and I finally looked over at Nick.
I could see his jaw twitching as he glared up at the stage, watching the guys set up their equipment. I squeezed his hand, not looking up at the stage once, trying to reassure him that I was there with him, not Teddy.
“This one’s called Never Giving Up,” Teddy said as he set his microphone into the stand and started strumming his guitar. Seriously, could he be any more obvious? He started singing but I tried to ignore him as best as I could.
“So,” I said shakily, licking my lips as I turned to Nick. “How was work?”
He squinted his eyes at me, shaking his head slightly. “You’re not even gonna listen to your song? Most girls would be pretty impressed by that.” He tipped his head towards the stage, but I didn’t let my eyes leave his.
“I swear I didn’t know he was going to do this. You’re not mad at me, are you?” I asked, whispering the last part. I could tell how tense he was, and really, who wouldn’t be upset? If he knew that Teddy had been in contact with me before this, I wasn’t even sure what his reaction would be, and the guilt was seeping in.
“Ally.” He let out a loud sigh, but then gave me a small smile. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m not exactly happy about the whole situation. In fact, it pisses me off. I know it’s not your fault that the dude just shows up out of nowhere, or that he won’t let you move on with your life after treating you like shit for so long.”
“Well,” I dragged out, and felt the muscles in his arm tighten. “This actually isn’t the first time. He’s been in town for a while now, and he’s been sending me things, trying to win me back or something.” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling, and finally craned my neck back to look over at Nick.
His jaw was rigid and I could feel his fingers gripping my sides tightly. “And when were you gonna share the fact that your ex-husband was back in the picture? Don’t you think I should’ve known?”
I hated the look that I had put on his face by not telling him the truth. And the fact that Teddy was driving a wedge in the middle of our relationship, probably just like he wanted to. “Nick, I didn’t mean to not tell you, but I didn’t think it was necessary. I love you, and only you. Teddy’s my past, and you’re my future. He can try all he wants, but he’s not going to change my mind.” I felt my body relax when his jaw finally unclenched, and his grip loosened.