Page 121 of Next to Everything We Wanted
“There’s another type?”
“Let’s leave,” Adam muttered, unlocking the front door.
When we arrived at the café, I did a quick makeup look—liquid eyeshadow and red lipstick—before going inside with the twins. I noticed people sitting in our booth from a distance. After getting closer, I realized it was not only Raina, Dallas, and Hayden, but also Arielle.
“Guys?” I said as I stood in front of the table. “What are you doing here?”
Raina’s lips curved in a smile. “Arielle wanted to see Edge of the Earth perform, and we tagged along.”
“It’s going to be awesome!” Arielle beamed as I slid next to Raina. “And you’re going to love the lead singer, Sienna. He’s much hotter in person.” She winked at me.
I blinked. “I mean, Trey’s hot, but he’s not my type.”
“Just trust me.”
Adam whispered something into Dallas’s ear. Dallas smiled and whispered it back to Hayden, who also grinned.
I raised an eyebrow. “What are you guys talking about?”
Hayden gave me an innocent smile. “Just a guy joke.”
Yeah, I wasn’t stupid. “Okay, why are we actually?—”
“Good evening, What Do You Beaners!”
My heart jolted against my ribs.
No. Freaking. Way.
Gavin Hanville—Ivan Hicks—stood on the stage with his show-stopping smile. The rest of his bandmates stood behind him with their instruments, beaming just as much. The crowd went wild for them while I was frozen in my seat.
“I know we usually perform on Friday nights, but when Edge of the Earth had to cancel, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make things right.”
“They canceled?” I shot a glare at Emma.
She gave me a sheepish smile. “Oops.”
Gavin continued. “Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes while I was recovering. I apologize for having to cancelFriday night’s gig.” His piercing eyes trained on me, so vibrant they gave me goosebumps. “But there’s someone here who deserves an apology bigger than the whole sky.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks as everyone in the café looked over at me.
“You guys are sick,” I hissed to my friends. “You’re all sick to the bone.”
Raina smirked. “Wouldn’t be us if we weren’t.”
“I’ve only seen people do gestures like this in movies, so I’m sorry if this isn’t super romantic,” Gavin said, still looking at me. “I wrote a song about you before we started dating, and I want to perform it for you. This is ‘Can’t Walk Away.’”
He started strumming his guitar, belting the words to a slow and lulling song. My head swayed, remembering the way he always pulled me in when he sang. By the time the chorus came, I was a goner.
“It can’t be wrong
To feel so alive
When I look into your amber eyes.
It wouldn’t be right
To turn you away
