“I’m glad you were.”
It isn’t the words themselves that catch me off-guard. It’s how sincere they sound. Or … maybe it’s the words, too.
I don’t look at him. Iwon’tlook at him. I can’t bear to see how he’s still staring at me right now. What the hell is up with me? My body is being flung around a bouncy house while I’m sitting here perfectly still. “Is that so?” I make myself ask.
“Yup.”
I’m trying not to fidget or read too much into what he’s saying. Or how he’s looking at me. What if that’s just how he is? Is he even into guys? “So, why? Did my trashcan speech make you … uh … appreciate the concert even more?”
He seems to enjoy a private joke. “You can say that.”
Something is going on here, and it’s flying over my head. For some reason, I can’t stop dabbing him with the swab. What am I even doing?And why is his voice starting to sound even sexier?“Well, I hope you had a good time. The only thing I heard was his opening song. Had the pleasure of enjoying it by a dumpster outside after it rained.” I frown. “Not sure what the name of the song was, but … I found it … to be …”
“Yeah?”
My dabbing stops. “One of the most moving melodies I’ve ever heard in my life.”
I can hear the melody right now. It’s been in my head since that night, even after just one listen. I smile to myself, transported to that moment outside after the rain … and the one,only pleasant experience I got to take home from that miserable night.
Then I realize the guy in front of me is still staring at me.
And I’m still holding the swab against his gash.
I retract my hand, trade the swab for a Band-Aid, and quickly start tearing it open. “Anyway, Chase Holt isn’t bad.”
“One of the most moving melodies you ever heard?”
“Yep, that’s what I said. Hold still,” I instruct him distractedly as I place the Band-Aid on his forehead. “This has antiseptic on it.”
“How can you say somethin’ like that and just move on?”
“What else do you want me to say?” I ask with a chuckle.
“That you’ll come out to a concert? He’s … He’s tourin’ around this town, practically dancin’ around it. Ten shows. I’d say that’s roughly two or so weeks to see him again.”
“See him for thefirst time,” I correct him, finish up with the Band-Aid, drop my hands, then frown. “Your Chase guy doesn’t even show his face on Spotify. Not that I fished too deeply. I’m not really a social media guy. Well, not anymore. What kinda so-called heart throb singer-songwriter doesn’t use his looks to sell a few?”
He lets out a breathy chuckle, amused.Holy shit, what a smile does to his face. “Maybe he’s … just not that vain.”
“You kidding?Allcelebrities are vain. It’s half the job, making sure you look the part. Selling your brand. Maintaining an image. All that stuff.” I close the First Aid kit. “You’re done, by the way.”
“Already?” He taps the bandage on his forehead, wincing.
“Gonna be sore for a while. Probably more so tonight. I hope it doesn’t goose-egg on you. Might want to apply cold to it when you get back to your hotel, wherever you’re staying. Maybe get a bag of frozen peas from a gas station or something. And Tylenol.”
“I wanna see you again.”
I was about to flee the table to return the First Aid kit.
His words glue me to the chair. Eyes flapping open. Stunned. “Uh … why …?” are the only words I can produce.
He drags a fingertip over his lips in thought. “Dunno,” he says, appearing thoughtful, doing that damned thing he keeps doing of gazing at me with absurd intensity. “Just … Just want to.”
My eyes drop to his lips.
The way his finger runs smoothly over them.
A plush, pink path from the flat corner to the vaguely curved-up one, leading my eyes to the slightest dimple that pops out from his ten-percent smirk. Almost heart shaped, but a bit wide. Soft-looking. They’re the irresistible kind you find on front pages of publications. The kind that stops you dead in your tracks. Lips that do talking without even opening all the way up. I imagine myself alone with them instantly. Watching them draw closer to me—and what that would do to my already racing heart, to my restless nights, to my perception of what a kiss is, forever and ever.