Page 16 of From Me to You

“Of course, I am going to the venue early tomorrow, but I was going to swing by later and pick up both Lily and you anyway. I totally forgot to tell you.”

“Why are you going there early?” I asked, confused. Maybe she was going to meet Lan.

“Katy is the band’s manager,” Lily mumbled, picking up her dark chocolate with almond milk.

I grabbed mine and handed over Katy’s white caramel milk to her. She immediately took a sip, moaning in delight.

“I mean, not officially. If you have noticed, the guys have zero social skills, and whatever they have, they use them only to get girls. I help them make contacts with venues and other managers to land a gig. I am also in talks with a few local record companies that could land them gigs in other states.”

I nodded. It made sense. Katy was a social butterfly and she could do wonders with her skills.

We sipped our drinks as we made our way to the small boutique in the corner that sold the cutest dresses.

Just as we walked in my eyes immediately went to a white lace dress with thin spaghetti straps and a corset-styled top. My hands felt the soft fabric of the dress as I pulled it out, instantly falling in love with it.

“Em is going to lose his mind when he sees you in that dress.” Katy smiled.

“What?” I muttered, pretending to be confused.

“We know something is going on between you guys.” Katy wiggled her brows.

“Nothing is going on between us. We are just friends.” I shrugged.

“You don’t have to lie to us, you know. We can see the way you look at him.” Katy pressed. She doesn’t ever give up now, does she?

“I-I... It’s not like that.” They both looked at me like they didn’t believe a word I said, and I sighed. “I just think he is cute. Actually, I think he’s a lot more than cute.” I admitted, giving up.

“I bet he thinks you are more than cute too.” Katy grinned.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think he just sees me as a friend.”

“Uh, my brother would never voluntarily help anyone unless he really wants to. Plus, in all my life, I have never seen Em look at anyone the way he looks at you.” Lily smiled.

“Yeah, she is right! You should totally get that dress. Go and try iton.” Katy ushered me to the dressing room as she took my cup and slipped the dress onto my hands.

I thought about what they said as I changed. Maybe Jay did like me too. I tried not to get too excited by that fact because it would only hurt me if he saw me as a friend in the end. I peered into the mirror. The dress fit me like a glove like it was somehow made for me. The skirt was flattering, stopping mid-thigh, andthe delicate lace details along the sweetheart neckline and the corset top made it look dainty.

I stepped outside, and the girls gushed over how perfect the dress was on me. They promised that Jay was going to love it. After picking out a leather black dress for Lily and a powder blue dress with tiny flowers for Katy, we left the mall.

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I woke up late on Saturday morning. I loved sleeping in and being lazy, so it felt glorious. I honestly hated waking up early. Today was Aunty M’s day off. We planned to have brunch together this morning.

But I was so excited for tonight— I cannot wait to hear him live. I was already a huge fan. As soon as he gave me the CD, I downloaded all of his songs to my iPod. I listened to it every chance I got. Jay’s voice was the last thing I heard every night before I fell asleep. His voice was so rich and powerful that I was in awe.

“Good morning, darling. Or should I say, good afternoon?” Aunty M exclaimed as I walked in. She was reading something from a piece of paper while she sat on the couch. I noticed papers were scattered all around her on the tea table.

“Good morning, Aunty M. It’s still not noon, so it is morning.” I laughed, kissing her cheek. “What are all these papers?” I asked as I made my way to the kitchen to get some much-needed caffeine.

“Just checking on something for the bank, honey.”

I knew Aunty M made a good amount of money, but we were always short on it. There weren’t much expenses for us, so I wondered where it all went.

No matter how many times I had asked her she refused to give me a straight answer.

I sighed. Aunty M had sacrificed a lot for me. She wasn’t even interested in marriage, only having occasional boyfriends over the years. I made a mental reminder to get a job to help around.

“What time do you want to leave for brunch?” I asked as I settled in the single-seater opposite her.