Autumn: You can’t text me things like that while I’m at work.
Cole: Why not?
Autumn: Because now I’m thinking about it too.
Cole: Good. Think about me all day. Think about what I’m going to do to you tonight.
Cole: I have plans, Autumn. Very detailed plans.
My thighs clenched.
Me: You’re evil.
Cole: You like it.
I really, really did.
The venue was packed. Apparently, Cole’s following had grown since I’d last seen him. The bar overflowed with people, most of them young and screaming when he took the stage.
I stood near the back, nursing a drink, trying to blend in.
Cole spotted me anyway.
His face lit up. He adjusted his mic and grinned at the crowd.
“Before we start, I want to dedicate this first song to someone special. She knows who she is.”
The crowd oohed and ahhed.
My face burned.
He started playing a slow, beautiful ballad I didn’t recognize. His voice poured over the crowd, intimate and raw, and every word felt aimed at me.
“I wasn’t looking for you
But there you were
In a crowded room
Andsuddenly the world made sense.
You don’t see what I see
Whenyou look in the mirror
But I could spend a lifetime
Showing you the truth.”
I pressed my hand to my chest. My heart raced.
“So let me
Let me love you
Let me provethat you’re worth everything.”
The song ended. The crowd erupted.
