Page 148 of Wish You Were Mine
Me: Okay, stop. You’re going to make me fall in love with you or something.
His reply came instantly.
Theo’s friend: That’s kind of what I’m going for.
45
OWEN
“That was incredible,”Lucy said, looking over at me after the cast ofBeauty and the Beastdid their final bow. Her eyes were wide with awe; her cheeks flushed in a way that made it very hard not to lean over and kiss her right there in the middle of the packed theater. “Asher and Elyse were just… I don’t even have words. I think I forgot to breathe during the ‘If I Can’t Love Her’scene. Your brother’s voice is unreal.”
“He’s truly talented,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips as I studied her face. “I’m glad you enjoyed the musical.”
“I loved it,” she said, glancing up at me, eyes bright. “Thanks for inviting me. This was seriously a dream come true. This whole day has been magical, really.” And when she leaned her head against my shoulder, my heart swelled.
“I’m glad you could make it work.” I slid my arm around her, tugging her a little closer. “I know how busy you are.”
It was the Wednesday of spring break, but even though classes were out, Lucy’s schedule hadn’t exactly slowed down. She still had training sessions in the mornings—thankfully pushed back to ten instead of the usual crack-of-dawn start,since her coach wasn’t completely heartless. But even with the extra hours of sleep, she was still knee-deep in the chaos of competition season and juggling big class projects.
She’d flown to Nebraska over the weekend for a meet—taking second in the all-around despite still recovering from strep. And after the home meet she had coming up this Sunday, only three meets remained: the Conference Championship in Philadelphia, NCAA Regionals two weeks after that, and then the big one—the NCAA Finals.
It was such an important final stretch in her gymnastics career, the kind of moment she’d been working toward her whole life. And the fact that she’d carved out a day to come to Manhattan with me? That meant something.
Made me hopeful that maybe I wasn’t the only one really falling here. That maybe…once we figured out how to bring our relationship into the light, we might actually have a shot at something real and lasting.
Which I wanted so badly.
These past few weeks with her had been so good that I couldn’t help but want more.
Not just weeks. But months. Years.
Maybe forever.
“Are we still going backstage to meet them?” Lucy asked, glancing up at me with a flash of nerves in her blue eyes.
“If you’re up for it,” I said, slipping my fingers through hers. “Asher told me how to get backstage to his dressing room.”
“Okay, cool.” She nodded, blowing out a breath. “I’m just a bit nervous, since they’re like…famous. But yeah, I’d love to meet your family.”
And there was something about the way she said it that made my heart shift in my chest.
Because I was about to introduce the girl I was falling for tomy family. Which was actually a pretty big moment since I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d done that.
Had I ever?
Giving Lucy’s hand a gentle squeeze, I led her toward the backstage entrance Asher had mentioned. And as our hands swung casually between us, I couldn’t get over the fact that I was actually able to do this—hold her hand in public.
It was a seemingly small thing to most people in a relationship…but for us—ever since that kiss on New Year’s—this was the first time we hadn’t had to hide. There were no shadows to keep to, no ducking out of sight when someone walked by.
Here in a city full of strangers, we could be a regular couple. Just me and Lucy, hand in hand, enjoying a spring night out in town.
The whole day had been amazing, actually; the kind of day I wanted to bottle up and keep forever. I’d picked Lucy up from the train station earlier this afternoon, and we’d wandered through Manhattan, letting the city buzz around us as we walked hand in hand through Central Park.
Crocuses and daffodils had just started blooming, dotting the grass with color and promise. Everything smelled like fresh air and street pretzels.
Dinner had been at a cozy little Korean restaurant tucked into a side street—dim lighting, soft music, the kind of place that made you lean in closer without realizing it. Lucy had stolen bites off my plate, told me my chopstick skills were “hot,” and laughed in that effortless way that always made something in my chest loosen.
And then tonight—watching her glow under the theater lights, fingers laced with mine as she sat completely captivated by the show—it had felt…real. So good. So blissfully uncomplicated.
