Page 185 of Before We're More Than Friends
It’s probably five times
But you know you love it
Dallas
I do
Wait can I come over for dinner?
Or is that too much
Raina
Nothing is too much from you
I’m sure my family would love to meet you
But I’ll make sure to put my bras out of Penrose’s reach this time
Dallas
LMAO
I’ll be over then
Love you
*Kisses you*
Raina
Love you too
*Kisses you back harder*
We sent kissing emojis back and forth, warmth spreading in my chest. I didn’t remember a time when I’d been so thankful for my life and the people I had in it. For the first time, when I looked into my future, I didn’t see rainy skies blocking my view.
I finally saw sunshine.
Epilogue
DALLAS
“Hello, What Do You Bean!” I shouted into the microphone, trying to channel my inner Ivan Hicks. “We are Like Airplanes, the winners of this year’s Battle of the Bands!”
The audience cheered, including my family, who wouldn’t miss our first gig for the world. I couldn’t fight a grin.
“We’re here to perform our contest-winning song, ‘Disaster’,” I said. “Written by me and my girlfriend, Raina.”
Raina’s cheeks flushed as I looked at her, and the audience let out “Awws.”
I strummed on my rhythm guitar before singing the first verse, my worries and nerves dissolving. The lyrics took me back to the time when I’d been terrified of telling Raina how I really felt about her, terrified of telling her that I was the person she’d been talking to for six years. Sadness washed over me as I sang, but I was thankful that I was no longer in that spot. That I’d made it through those sleepless nights and near-panic attacks.
Raina sang the next verse, lost in the lyrics as she hit her tambourine, the light perfectly hitting her face. Her hair flowed in that princess-like way, her eyes shining to life. Even thoughwe’d been dating for over a month now, I still felt like I was dreaming every time I was around her.
Once the bridge came, we took turns singing, something we’d changed from our original performance last month. We belted out the words like they were second nature. The grin Raina gave me sent a chill down my spine. It would take every ounce of self-control to finish the song before kissing her.
The world melted away as we moved to the last chorus, my lungs close to bursting.
