Page 9 of Loving Hard on the Highway

My grin came without hesitation. “You have my word.”

As we stepped out into the night, shoulder to shoulder, the air felt breezier and more refreshing than it had an hour earlier. Or maybe that was just me.

The music hit like a heartbeat the second we stepped inside. A group of friends was on a stage belting a popular tune; it wasn’t bad at all. Warm bodies packed the room, some dancing, while others sat and enjoyed the show under the colored lights. The air was thick with laughter and the scent of citrusy drinks.

I wasn’t sure what he expected, but Gabbie fit into it like she’d been here a hundred times. She grinned at me over her shoulder as we wove through the crowd, her fingers briefly brushing mine. I had no idea if it was intentional or not, but it left a mark either way.

We found a free table near the back, just close enough to the speakers to feel the music in our ribs. The friend group finishedtheir song, and the DJ played something upbeat. More couples got up to dance.

Halfway through the song, the DJ announced, “First-time visitors who perform a song get one drink on the house!”

Gabbie lit up. “They had me at free drinks.”

“You’re really going to sing?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah…free drinks,” she said, as if that was obvious.

I don’t think I’d ever needed to do anything for a freebie, but she was impossible to resist. So, I followed her to the stage, and we scanned the monitor for a song that we both could handle.

“I know they won’t have any of my favorites, but,” she pointed, “how about this one? Youdoknow this song?”

“I’m wounded that you’d think otherwise.” I was vaguely familiar with the retro 90s tune and gave her a nod.

As the music began, she was already moving, hips swaying in time with the beat.

“My sisters and I used to do karaoke at home all the time. You have to just go with it,” she shouted over the instrumental, like she was daring me.

I laughed, letting myself loosen and sway a little alongside her.

She started singing, and not softly, not self-consciously, but full voice, laughing through the lyrics. And something about that made it easier. I joined in, a little off-key, a little breathless from how close she was, from the way her hair brushed my shoulder when she turned toward me.

She reached for my hand, and this time it was unmistakable, as we belted out the Truly, Madly, Deeply lyrics.

We kept singing.

Louder. Messier. Closer.

And then, without warning, the music faded. The crowd cheered, and a few whistles rang out as we stepped off the stage, still holding hands. The music slowed as the DJ transitioned intoa softer, moodier track. It was a song that didn’t ask you to dance so much asfeelyour way through it. I turned to her, and we somehow just eased into each other’s arms.

We swayed together as her hands moved lightly up my arms. Her smile dimmed into something quieter. She had a sweet, floral scent, like lavender or something similar. It was faint, which made me want to draw closer to her.

I watched her as her eyes drifted toward my lips and then back up, almost too fast to notice. Almost.

My throat felt dry. The air between us had changed, as if something were waiting, just on the edge.

“Hey,” I said, not even sure what I was about to say.

She looked up. “Yeah?”

And suddenly, the words that came to my mind weren’t about dancing or music or how fun the night was.

They were about her. About how I’d been thinking about her laugh since dinner. How her hand felt like it belonged in mine. How I think I fell in love with her the moment I saw her at the club the night before. How I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her. Maybe not now. I wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. But eventually, definitely.

But I didn’t say any of that.

I just smiled softly, unguarded, and said, “I’m really glad you came out with me tonight.”

And the way she looked at me in that moment, like maybe she’d been waiting for me to say something just like that, made it harder to keep everything else unsaid.

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