The strum of a guitar came over the speakers.I winced and pressed my temple with my fingertips.It was already starting.Maybe I should order something with alcohol.
“You’re just too good to be true,” a familiar deep voice sang, and I stilled.
Calvin was watching me nervously.I was hallucinating.I had to be.I turned my gaze to the stage to end this sudden moment of crazy, and my eyes met with a pair that would have buckled my knees and sent me to the floor had I been standing.
Forge held a guitar in his hands as he strummed and continued to sing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
He was here.Or had I truly lost my mind?
“Am I,” I asked, then hesitated as his voice filled the room, “hallucinating?”
“No,” Calvin replied.
Forge stepped down from the stage while the rest of the place seemed to be as entranced as I was.There was no distracting noises or talking as he passed the first row of tables.He was coming this way.
Why was he here?I had to be dreaming.
The entire row of people he’d just walked past stood up at the same time.Although I didn’t want to look anywhere but at him, I had to tear my gaze off him in order to see what they were doing.Tables and chairs were shoved away as all six people began to move—no, dance, choreographed.
“What?”I whispered, looking back at Forge, whose lips quirked into a small smile, as if he was aware of what was happening behind him.
When he met the second row, they all shot up from their seats, moving their tables and chairs and joined the others.Moving in sync.
Forge’s voice brought my attention back to him, and the closer he got, the more people joined in.
It was a flash mob.Holy crap.
I stood up as he closed the space between us.This wasn’t real.It couldn’t be.I must have blacked out while walking and hit my head.At least this was my dream and not some horrific nightmare.I much preferred this.
He lowered his guitar as he reached me.The music stopped, and the dancers all stepped away.
He sang the words, “I love you, baby,” and then we stood there in silence.
“Seems I didn’t come through on a promposal you once wanted from me,” Calvin said, and I was suddenly reminded of his existence.
I swung my eyes to his, panicked.Was this about to turn into a nightmare?One where I watched Calvin die?
“I’m sorry,” he said with a shrug.“I was an oblivious, blind kid.That’s my only excuse.I’m guessing this was better than anything I’d have ever done anyway.”
What?I shook my head, not following what he was saying.
He nodded toward Forge.“Hear him out.This shit couldn’t have been easy for him to pull together.”
I turned back to Forge.What kind of dream was this?
“I fucked up,” Forge said thickly.“And I will spend forever wiping that moment from your memory and replacing it with better ones.Starting with this one.Hopefully,” he said, taking a step closer to me while holding his guitar out toward Calvin, who moved to get it.
“I love you, Elsie.I need you with me.I’m fucking messed up without you.”
I reached out and touched his face.It felt real.The warmth beneath my fingertips.
“This is real?”I said, needing some assurance.
He nodded.“Yeah, Pickles, it’s real.”
“You … you … set up a flash mob in a pub, for me?”
He smirked.“I was trying to get your attention.”
