Page 17 of From Me to You

“I am all ready. We can leave whenever.” Her face scrunched as she stared at the papers

I nodded. I already had on a pair of jeans and a hoodie. I waited while I finished my coffee before we headed out.

We went to a place called Olive’s Café in the town center. It was a cute little café with Parisian-style interiors. Our table was near the window overlooking Park Square.

“Are you excited for tonight?” Aunty M asked with a smile on her face.

“Yes! It’s going to be so good to watch the guys perform. I wish you could come too.”

“I don’t want to be the weird parent and I honestly want to sleep in. I am so tired from all these shifts I pulled. You kids enjoy yourselves. Remember to be home before midnight.” She added the last sentence in a stern voice, but her face told me otherwise.

“Yes, I know.” I smiled. The waitress came to take our orders, and I settled for fluffy pancakes with chocolate sauce and another cup of coffee.

“So, you and Emerson, uh?” Aunty M wiggled her eyebrows.

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

“Just friends you say, but he is going to help you paint our home next weekend. And let’s you call him Jay.”

“That is his middle name, Aunty M.”

She placed her hand over mine. “I just want you to enjoy high school, honey. You only get to be a teenager once.” Her gaze softened. “I want that, and I know Grandma would have wanted it too. I know you have been a wallflower in all your previous schools. It worried Grandma that you never really tried to make friends. I am so happy that you are finally coming out of your shell.”

My heart tugged at her words. “I love you, Aunty M.” I squeezed her hands.

“I love you too, sweetie.” She smiled.

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I dabbed my favorite perfume on my neck and the pulse points on my wrist. I smelled like burnt orange, coffee, and vanilla. I loved it. I wore the white dress I got yesterday with my usual makeup. The dress was so not fit for this weather, but Katy assured me that there would be heating inside the venue and there would be so many people so it would be warm. I hoped she was right.

I heard a ping on my phone—that must be Katy.

Katy- Hey, I am outside!

“Katy’s here, Aunty M. Bye. I will see you later,” I said as I rushed out the door.

“Bye, honey. Have fun! Make sure to be back home before twelve,” Aunty M called out.

God, it was so cold. I was thankful for the heating in Katy’s car as I slid in the backside, greeting the girls. The venue was a good fifteen-minute drive from Swan Avenue.

The Red Rock Hall was originally a barn that was remolded to host shows or any local festivals. Katy handed us some passesthat allowed us to skip the line and go through the door on the left side of the building.

The inside was pretty dark and huge, it looked like the venue could fit around two thousand people. A band was already playing. The Four Foxes were the main act tonight so they were going in last. Most of the patrons were teenagers and college kids looking like they were having the time of their lives. I recognized a few people from our school as we walked past them to reach a door near the stage that led to a long corridor with a lot of people milling around.

“Come on, the guys are back here.” Katy opened the last door on the corridor that had a sign, ‘Four Foxes’ written on it.

The room was pretty small—there were a bunch of couches and chairs scattered around. A rack of clothes was pushed off to one side with a huge dressing mirror in the center.

My eyes immediately found Jay, who was sitting in the far corner wearing a faded black vest and ripped black Levi’s with his head bent down, his gaze on the floor as he rolled something between his fingers, his biceps flexing with each move.

“Babe, you are here.” Lan swooped in to greet Katy with a hug.

Jay looked up and noticed me staring at him. I smiled. His cobalt blue eyes darkened to azure as he took me in. His eyes followed every curve of my body.

I swallowed a breath. It was like the world stopped existing, and it was just us. I willed myself to move forward and take the empty seat beside him.

“Hey.” I smiled shyly as I sat down.