“I was coming to see you.”
His hazel eyes lit up. “Really?”
I took a breath and let it out. For once in my life, I didn’t worry about the future. Instead, I concentrated on this moment now, as the sinking sun glittered off the airport windows and sent the light back to us.
“I love ‘Lovely, Aren’t Ya,’” I confessed, meeting Jake’s eyes. “Iloveit. The reason I look weird when it plays is because it always made me miss you—and wish I was the one you were singing it to. I turned it off earlier so I could concentrate on telling you I have feelings for you.” His lips parted in surprise. “I’ve liked you ever since we first met seven years ago, Jake. I never stopped.”
“Lucy, the song—it’syou,” Jake rushed out. “For you and about you. I sat down to write and you were the only thing on my mind. Everything about you ended up in chords and verse.”
I smiled, my eyes nearly going watery with how happy I felt. And in my chest, my heart ticked up in tempo.
“I’ve wanted to tell you how I feel for so long,” Jake continued. “You said you wished you were the one I was singing the song to, but you need to know I’malwayssinging it to you. It doesn’t matter what show or who’s actually in the crowd. It’s always for you. Every single moment. Every single note. Nomatter how far away you are, each performance is me reaching for you. Each time that it comes on the radio. Every instance it’s ever been played.” He smiled softly. “And how can it not be? I wrote the lyrics as a confession, but the music’s all you. Your laughter’s in the rise and fall of the strings. Your quickness is in the beat. And it’s all I ever want to hear.” He took my hand in his. “You’re the melody in my heart, Lucy. You always will be.”
My breath caught at his words, and the evening’s pink haze settled around our silhouettes, making us glow. The rays were bright and blazing, but there was still a softness to the brilliance—a feeling that the future would be okay.
Beside us, Jake’s Uber pulled up, but instead of moving, Jake kept looking at me.
“So,” he said, “what happens now?”
I didn’t know all the details, or how we’d work it out, just that we would, somehow.
After all, we’d be there for each other through everything to come. We could make it to a happy ending.
From across the pavement, we heard Leon yell, “Now you kiss her, you idiot!”
Jake and I turned to see Leon, Phillip, and Aspen all huddled together by the sliding glass doors, watching us intently.
“He’s right, you know,” Phillip shouted, slinging his arms around both Leon and Aspen. “That’s what would happen at the end of a music video!”
“Yeah, kiss him, Lucy!” Aspen called out in agreement. “You’ll never get him to shut up otherwise!”
“Give the people what they want!”
Jake looked back at me, the sunset reflecting gold in his hazel eyes.
I arched an eyebrow. Inclining my head ever so slightly toward the car. He grinned.
Still in sync.
Without needing to speak, we moved in tandem. As seamlessly as if we discussed it out loud, we dove smoothly into the back seat of the car and slammed the door.
Outside, the three boys shouted and booed in dismay at being deprived of seeing their perfect music video ending.
Jake surged forward and kissed me, drinking in my laughter, and smiling as he did. My hands tangled in his hair before moving down to his jacket, pulling him in. I could feel the rhythm of his heart along with mine, beating out twin melodies of finally, finally,finally.
What had Jake written about me?I could build a home in your heartbeat. That about summed up my feelings for him too.
“I’m going to write you a song,” he swore, pulling away for the briefest moment.
I kissed him again. “You already did.”
“Forget about that one—”
“I will not,” I protested.
“It’s not my best work. You deserve my best. I mean, I’ve learned so much more about music since I wrote that one. And now that I think about it, the bridge is—”
I gasped. “Don’t you dare bad-mouth a masterpiece.”
