Read Thomas & January for Free Online Page A

me.
              “You’re an asshole,” she whispered, her eyes glassy. She turned and stalked away toward the stage once more.
              I reached for her but didn’t reach far enough. Every second she walked away I felt too ashamed to apologize to her. I was a coward. I knew it. Never too late to do the right thing . I started walking her direction but noticed she’d walked straight up to Casey from The Belle Jar and started sobbing into his shoulder. Shit! I am an asshole! When Casey saw me coming, he sat January at the edge of the stage with his girlfriend Sunny and came at me like a bull and I was waving a red flag.
              “Can I talk to you, dude?” Casey asked, fury built in his eyes.
              I led him to a nearby table. “Listen,” I began but he interrupted me.
              “No, you listen,” he said, incensed, “I don’t care if you helped my band get to where it is, and I also don’t know what the hell you and January have going on. Frankly, I find it odd because she claims she doesn’t know you, but somehow you can make someone I’ve never seen cry in the three years I’ve known her, cry and trust me, she’s had plenty of reason to. Now why, I ask you, is she over there bawling her eyes out?”
              “There’s no reason, truthfully. I owe her an apology. We...butt heads.”
              “Why?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.
              “No reason. Haven’t you ever met someone you didn’t like?” Or really liked but didn’t want to?
              “I have but that person has never been January, for me or anyone else for that matter. What’s wrong with you, Tom? January is literally the best girl I’ve met in my life and I’ve met a lot of girls in this business.” He took a deep breath. “Seriously, January MacLochlainn is a freaking saint.”
              The guilt started weighing hard on my chest then. I was taking my pissed off nature out on a beautiful, innocent, amazing girl for no other reason than I didn’t want to find her beautiful, innocent or amazing. I wanted my hate back. I stood up and squeezed Casey’s shoulder.
              “I’ll apologize to her. I’m sincerely sorry for the shit I just pulled.”
              “Good,” he said, calming down. “God, Tom, I always knew you were a bit of an ass, but I’ve never seen you do something so low.”
              “I know, dude. I’m ashamed. I’ll go apologize right now.”
I walked January’s direction. She saw me coming and stood taller, not wanting me to see I’d affected her. She subtly wiped the tears from underneath her eyes, but it didn’t help, they were still red, sending me down another shame spiral. I could do this. The old Tom could have done this with amazing ease.
              “January,” I said softly.
              “Yes?” she asked coldly.
              “Can I talk to you outside for a moment?”
              “No.”
              “Please?” I begged her pathetically.
              She sighed deeply. “I guess,” she said, letting me lead her outside.
              When we reached the sidewalk, I led her a little farther down away from the noise of the club, stopping right underneath a street light. The light bathed her head like a crown. A saint , Casey had said. “I’m so sorry,” I said genuinely. “I didn’t mean any of the shit I said.”
              “It’s okay,” she said a bit more warmly than her earlier tone, but she still refused to meet my eyes.
              “No, it’s not,” I said, lifting her chin softly so her eyes would meet mine. “You’re right, I’m an asshole. I’ve been one for  more than a year and I never