Page 38 of Wishes for August

The tube journey was as to be expected - long, hot and crowded. By the time we exited the station near the arena, I was ready for a cold drink and maybe something to eat.

“I still can’t believe you got tickets to this show. It has been sold out for ages.”

It hadn’t been easy to get them but it had been worth the effort just to see his excitement when I told him about them.

“I’m really glad I got them. I heard they’re amazing live,” I said as Caleb and I passed through security. The atmosphere inside was electric. I had read online that the venue held twenty thousand people and the excitement in the air as we all waited for the show to start was palpable.

“Beers before we find a spot to stand?” I suggested to Caleb. The queue at the bar moved surprisingly quickly given the sheer number of people ahead of us and it wasn’t long before we had cold beers in hand and were standing side by side among the crowd.

Caleb stepped in front of me so I could see him and placed his free hand on my hip.

“Have you seen them live before?” he asked and I gulped back my answer.

“Um, no, I’ve not been to many concerts and never to anything this size.” Caleb looked at me as though I had sprouted a second head.

"You never went to them when you were a teen? Or on dates once you moved to London?”

I shook my head. “I grew up in a small coastal town where not much happened and,” I paused briefly then told him something I hadn’t told him before, “I’ve never actually been on a date.”

His gorgeous smile dimmed. “You’ve never been on a date, like ever?”

“No, I’ve hooked up plenty but I’ve never dated,” I said. Caleb’s expression was thoughtful as he looked at me, but his next words were cut off by the opening chords of the warm up act. Caleb turned his body so we were shoulder to shoulder. The band were brilliant, sufficiently amping up the audience for the main event, by which time the screaming of fans had reached a crescendo you could feel in your bones.

Around us, people danced and shouted, waving their hands in the air as the lead singer belted out the lyrics. Caleb sang along and I watched him with a smile on my face. He was better than any rock band in the world. He shined more brightly - magnificent - and I basked in the glow of it, in the happiness he radiated in everything he did. Caleb caught me staring at him and he leaned in, kissing me quickly, before turning back to the stage. The kiss had been innocent and fleeting. It said,I’m glad you’re here with me.

After about an hour of high tempo rock music, the atmosphere in the arena changed as the notes of a smooth, melodic love song began to play. In front of us, fans slowly lifted their phones in the air, the flashlights like small lightning bugs swaying in the wind.

As the lead singer sang in his rough, husky voice, words about a great love and unforgettable moments, I felt a brush against my hand and then the sure, solid warmth of Caleb’s as he wove our fingers together. Tiny sparks ignited in me as our fingers settled against each other, slotting together as if moulded to fit just so.

I’d never held someone’s hand before. Other than my mum’s when I was a small child. And never like this - with the promise that this was more than just the act itself.

I had never felt a more perfect touch, a more powerful connection.

I looked down at where we were joined and then followed the length of Caleb’s arm until I met his gaze. His eyes were dark in the low light of the arena but I could see his lips tip up at the sides as he turned and pressed his lips to my temple, speaking into my ear, “Welcome to your first date, August.”

If Caleb ever asked me again to tell him my favourite memory, it would be this moment. The moment in which his hand in mine, gave me the bravery I hadn’t had before. The bravery I needed to accept what he was so willingly offering me.

Caleb’s eyelids fluttered as he slept and I traced his dark eyebrows gently with the tip of my finger, before tracing it down his nose and over his lips. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking away the sleep.

“Morning,” he said, rolling onto his side to face me. I pressed myself up onto one shoulder, my head resting on my arm.

After the concert, we had gotten home late, thrown ourselves into bed and we were both asleep minutes after Caleb pulled me into his arms. When I woke up, it was still early and I’d lain awake tracing Caleb’s features with my eyes, a question burning inside me until I had to wake him and ask.

“We’re not just friends anymore, are we?” I blurted out.

Caleb chuckled and shook his head softly, “No sweetheart, we’re not. I know that’s not what we planned or agreed to but I can’t deny how I feel about you. I think about you all the time.Like all the fucking time. My body craves you, needs you like it needs oxygen.”

I moved forward and took his lips in a fierce kiss - his answer being every bit what I’d hoped.

“Good,” I breathed out and then kissed him again, lifting my body and climbing on top of him, sprawling out so we were chest to chest and hips to hips.

“You're okay with this?” he asked me, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my eyes.

“Yes. I've given it a lot of thought. I don't want us to be friends or fuckbuddies. I want to be together, like together together.”

Caleb wrapped me in his arms and in one swift, unexpected movement, he rolled us so that he was on top of me. He planted little chaste kisses all over my face and down my neck. Moving his body down so he could reach my nipple, kissing rather than sucking the sensitive area before moving further down.

“So what are we now?” I asked as I threaded my hands into Caleb’s hair and pulled his face up to look at me.

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