Iwas supposed to be gathering information, not falling under his spell. I’d made zero effort. I’d been too enamored with Colin to investigate anything.
We all resumed eating, though I doubted Kaitlin and Grant’s food settled very well with the tense glances they continued to give each other.
When we finished, Colin and I stood up. He helped me over the bench and set his hand on my lower back. I happened to glimpse Grant’s reaction, which was to stare daggers at Colin’s hand, the muscles in his neck visibly twitching.
Kaitlin put her hand on Grant’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go check out the band, Grant!”
“Have fun, guys!” I called back to them as Colin’s hand on my waist pulled me toward the open field behind the food trucks.
When I turned back to check if they’d heard me, I spotted Grant glaring at us. Kaitlin was twirling her hair, focused on drinking her soda.
“Grant was being extra weird,” I told Colin as we headed toward a set of bleachers.
“He’s in love with you,” he said matter-of-factly.
I almost tripped over my own feet.
“You’ve said that before,” I said, “but I don’t agree. I told you how that date played out.”
“I’d bet anything he deeply regrets how he treated you that evening.”
I reflected on this for a minute but shook my head.
“No, he’s always teasing and bothering me.”
“He’s flirting.”
We sat next to each other on the bleachers, and he stared off into the distance.
“Are you upset?” I asked, thrown by how much his mood had shifted.
“Do you have feelings for him?” he asked me.
“Feelings forGrant? No! No way.”
But the tiniest whisper of doubt had me shaking my head at myself.
It would be ridiculous! Why is he trying to plant that idea in my mind?Suddenly, I was deeply annoyed that Grant had inserted himself on my date and now in my muddled thoughts.
His eyes softened, and the carefree Colin was back with me. I blushed, feeling so undeserving of having such an impact on his mood. Was it possible he really liked methatmuch?
The sound of an electric guitar reached us. Grins spread over our faces as we both stood up and rushed down the bleachers, whizzing hand in hand toward the stage, where a large crowd had gathered and joined in singing. We mixed into the crowd, Colin keeping a hand on my waist or his arm around my shoulder at all times, making sure we didn’t get separated.
I sang my heart out on a few of the cover songs. Colin’s singing wasn’t audible, but his mouth moved along with the lyrics. We moved and jumped and swayed together along with the rest of the festivalgoers.
“I’m not much of a dancer, but this is fun!” He had to yell above the music.
I was so entranced by the music, the very presence of Colin next to me, and the collective experience of jumping around with the strangers around us, that I didn’t notice Grant and Kaitlin making their way toward us. Colin held my hand as we leapt into the air at the crescendo of the music and the subsequent crash of drums and bass.
“Hey!” Grant shouted at us. My stomach dropped.
I was surprised to see them again, and I’m sure my forced smile showed that. I’d been hoping that they would’ve kept their distance the rest of the evening, but here was Kaitlin, arms crossed and pouting. Grant, however, tried to keep up with the crowd and Colin and me.
I never thought I’d feel bad for Kaitlin, but watching as she stared up at the stage, side-eyeing Grant… I almost wanted to pull Grant aside and smack him. There was real hurt in her eyes, buried under the attitude. Nowhere in our plans did we say that he should ignore Kaitlin. It probably wouldn’t accomplish what we wanted anyway, which was to gather intel.
Not that I’d succeeded on that front either.
Grant was inching closer and closer to me.Was he drunk?He swayed a bit into my personal space. We both laughed it off, but then he leaned into me to say something in my ear.
