“Yes.”
“I see. Well, did you enjoy the show at least?” he asks, still studying me.
Guilt crashes into me. I should’ve immediately complimented them on how amazing they were. The crowd was considerably louder for them. I wonder if they noticed. But I’ve already got in my head, ruminating on who his songs are about.
When I was with Chad, I knew he was a flirt. His social media might as well be a fan club, and it never bothered me, but now I’m upset Penn possibly wrote a song about an ex? When I’ve known him for all of eight minutes.
“All the shows were good.” I’m being awful. I hate myself. I’m agitated for no reason.
He chews his lip ring, looking off to the side. “They were.” He steps back, grabs his guitar case, and heads in the direction the others went.
My stomach twists, and I glance around for Ellie, but she has disappeared with Travis already.
My shoulders slump. This is not how I envisioned things going. I planned on jumping into his arms, like Ellie did with Travis, and telling him how amazing he was. I imagined he’d smile, something I haven’t seen enough. I pictured us walking near the water and watching the fireworks at midnight. He’d whisper Happy New Year while everyone cheered in the background, but we wouldn’t pay any attention to them. He’d lean in real slow and kiss me softly, letting his lip ring rub against me so I’d finally know what it feels like.
Okay, maybe I’ve put a little more thought into this night than I realized. It’s obvious I have a tiny crush on him, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with all these feelings tumbling around inside me. When he’s around, I can’t think straight.
I tap my forehead, trying to knock my senses back together.
“You staying for the rest of the show?”
I jolt. Penn stands a foot away, hands in the pockets of his worn jeans. He’s dressed casually again—in faded, ripped jeans and gray thermal, with a black beanie pulled low. It’s cold tonight, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it. I’m wearing fleece-lined leggings, a sweater, and a coat, along with one of my crocheted hats, and I’m still freezing.
“Yes. You?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Oh.” Disappointment slams into me. Maybe if I weren’t so rude, he’d be more apt to hang out. “Well, I guess I’ll see?—”
“I said, I wasn’t planning on it. That was before I knew you were here. Now I’m staying.”
I bite back my smile. “Oh. Okay, cool.”
“You cold?” he asks as I bounce in place, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. It wasn’t so bad when we were in the crowd and the music was flowing through me.
“A little. Aren’t you?”
He shakes his head, bringing his hands to my arms and rubbing to warm me up. And it works instantly.
“Your hands don’t get cold when you’re up there playing?”
“Sometimes, but you learn to get used to it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and walks me back toward the main area. “Thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Hmm. For the fireworks, right?”
“Yep.”
He halts his footing to look at me. “Did you come back for me, Barbie?”
I lift my chin to stare up at him. His eyes dance between mine, lips curved upward, looking very smug.
Why ask if you already know?
“No.”Definitely.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Whatever you say.” He flicks the fuzzy ball on top of my hat. “This is cute.”
