Page 23 of The Probability of Us

“We’re going on a date on Friday,” I say, and she squeals. I’m trying to play it cool, but I’m practically bouncing with excitement.

“Finally!” she screams. A woman walks into the bathroom and shoots us a funny look having heard Ali’s yelling. We fight laughter as she walks into a stall, and Ali leans closer to me. “You better tell me everything.”

“I will.” I blush and try to calm her down before we walk back out to the table.

She isn’t subtle as she smirks at us from across the table, especially when she notices Warren’s hand reach for mine under the table after we’re done eating. I kick her under the table, but Sterling and Trent keep smiling at me like they know exactly what’s going on without needing any of her hints.I wonder if Warren has ever talked with them about me.They could have known he felt this way before today—like how Ali has known I’ve been into him since my first few weeks here.

Nowthat’sa strange thought. That the others have known more about our true feelings than we have this whole time. I tighten my hold on his hand and don’t ease up until we leave to head over to The Dizzy Acorn for karaoke.

The week after the quarterly meeting we came to check it out, thinking that it wouldn’t be anything special, but we’ve found ourselves back here multiple times a week since.

Warren and Sterling are the only ones from our group singing tonight—Warren to complete our deal, and Sterling because he’s the life of every party. As they flip through the song catalogue, Ali and I grab the first round of drinks. When I make it a point of putting Warren’s drink on my own tab, she gives me a suggestive look. I roll my eyes, but a smile grows on my lips.

“Did you decide yet?” I ask as we sit down and pass out the drinks.

Warrens sips his Blue Moon and winks at me over the bottle. “It’s a surprise. But Sterling’s ahead of me on the list.”

The bar isn’t as crowded as a Friday or Saturday night, but there’s more people here for this than usual. Eventually, Sterling’s name gets called and we all scream and cheer as he takes the stage and gets the whole crowd off their feet for a fun rendition of “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. The whole bar sings the backup vocals at the correct time, and he even gets off the small stage and weaves through the bar, putting an arm around strangers who are eagerly willing to sing a line into the mic with him. When he gets to us, we’re the loudest of all. By the end of the song, he’s back on stage, and he takes a bow to a roar of cheers.

Warren gulps, face pale, as his name is called. He seems nervous as he takes the stage and it’s so damn charming. Our eyes meet and I wink at him. He smiles and visibly relaxes.

His song starts and my jaw drops the second I see the name—there’s no way it’s just coincidence that he chosethissong. But then, he starts singing and it’s not very good—like, at all—and I’m torn between laughing and crying. I feel the eyes of the rest of the table turn to me and I can’t keep a grin off my face.

“Is this—” Ali starts and I just nod.

Yes, it’s “Summer Love” by Justin Timberlake.

He’s singing a song about Summer, about love, and he’s looking right at me. I forget about the other eyes on me and I gravitate slowly towards the stage, caught in eyes that haven’t left mine since he began. With the spotlight on him, he’s glowing. He’s the sun—the center of the universe, ofmyuniverse. As he sings the last words, my smile is so big it’s probably taking up half my face. He steps down and walks right up to me. There’s shuffling around the bar as the next person gets called on stage, but I couldn’t tell you where it came from.

“So, was it worth the wait?” he breathes, eyes locked on mine. Nothing else, no one else matters to me right now.

“Well, the birds have better pitch, but they don’t sing for me.” A blush stains my cheeks just thinking of how sweet that was, how sweet he is. “So you definitely have them beat there.”

“If it were up to me, the whole world would sing just for you.” His hand lifts to gently brush across my cheek and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. I stop breathing. Eyes wide, all I can do is stare at him in awe. “You make everything come alive. I thought I knew what blue was until I looked in your eyes. I thought I knew red until that perfect rosy color flushed your cheeks for the first time. Now, I think I was colorblind before I met you. And the warmth I feel when you smile that bright smile just for me, the flutter I get in my chest when you always have the perfect, clever comeback to my banter. Every feeling I had before I met you feels dull. You are everything, Miss Summers, and absolutely nothing else compares.”

A tear drops down my cheek, which he quickly wipes away. I shakily say, “Maybe I need to get you drunk more often if you’re going to start talking like this.”

He chuckles and runs his hand down my arm to lace our fingers together—goosebumps spring up across my body. “I’ve been a coward. I’ve felt this way since the first day I walked back to my desk to find you deep in concentration across the way. With the first words from your lips, I was a goner, but I’m only now telling you. And now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop—so drunk, sober, or anything in-between, get used to hearing it.”

“I may be Miss Summers,” I say, squeezing his hand, “but Summer is nothing without the sun.” I can’t stop the blinding grin from growing on my face as I add, “You’remy sun, Warren.”

His face breaks into one of those squinty-eyed smiles that makes my heart skip a beat, especially knowing I’m the one who put it there. “Would it be cliché to say, I can’t wait to fall in love with you?”

I smile, catching the reference, but feeling the need to speak the truth instead. “Would it be cliché to say I think I already am falling?”

“Think?” A smirk pulls at his lips and the look in his eyes has me clenching every muscle below my waist. “I guess I need to up my game.”

I raise an eyebrow in jest. “You’re the one who‘can’t wait’to fall in love, so I think it’s me who needs to step up my game.”

His arms wrap around my waist and pull me closer. My heart pounds in my chest as his lips move to my ear to whisper, “I was just quoting the song, but the truth is, I’m most definitely falling,” before pulling back to look at me.

Our faces are only inches away, lost deep in each other’s eyes, leaning closer until I can feel the gentle brush of his lips against mine, but they’re not close enough to fully touch.

“Seasons change, you know,” I whisper against his lips, looking into eyes full of light.

“But my feelings never will.” His words are so strong, so sure, so resolute. There’s not a drop of doubt in the pool of sunshine that’s occupying the space my heart is supposed to be. I believe in him. I believe in us.

His lips gently press to mine and they’re as warm as the sun. Liquid gold spreads through my body, flows through my veins. The longer his lips stay pressed to mine, the brighter it gets until I’m convinced that if I open my eyes I’ll be glowing.

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