Page 76 of Use Me
He nodded and started to sing. I definitely knew the song. It was one that was popular when I was in high school. All the girls wanted their boyfriends to fall truly, madly and deeply in love with them, and I was one of those girls. Now here I was with the perfect man, and he was singing how he’d be my dream, my wish, my fantasy, my hope, my love and everything I’d need. He was all of those things, and as he sang the slow song, a lump started to form in my throat.
Rhys was telling me through all of these songs that he wanted to be with me forever. I wanted to be with him forever too. I wanted to sing along with him, but there was no way for me to even whisper the lyrics or I would cry. I felt my heart expanding in my chest, and I was paralyzed, not wanting to ruin this moment because he was finally telling me that he loved me.
When reality was, I loved him too.
The guitar faded away, and before I could stand to rush into his arms, another one started. I had no idea what number we were on. He’d said that there were six songs he wanted to sing to me. Six songs of him expressing how he was in love with me—or so I now assumed.
The song that started next was anothercountry songlike the one he had started with. This one was about me finding my Prince Charming and how I liked romantic movies. Then he sang about how he could love me like Romeo loved Juliet. He sang that I just needed to give him a chance, but that was exactly what I was doing. Even though I was brokenhearted when we’d met, I’d opened my heart again, and it was all because of him.
Rhys sang about moving Heaven and Earth and making me his world if I’d be his girl. I was his girl, and as I listened to him finish the song, I realized that he must have fallen in love with me before he asked me to be his girl. Or so I assumed given the timeline of these love songs.
So where did that mean we were on the timeline? He met me, he was one call away when I needed him to forget my past—but he sang that it was okay for me to fall in love with him before he sang about loving me deeply and being my Prince Charming. Then I grasped that it wasn’t just him singing to me that it was okay for me to fall in love with him.
He was giving himself permission to fall in love with me.
Tears pricked my eyes. Even though we’d met when we were both broken and scared, we’d fallen in love with each other. I didn’t know how or when it had happened, but the game of love always goes on. It had for us, and here we were on Christmas morning having our own Christmas miracle.
“This one’s important,” Rhys stated, holding the mic away.
I hadn’t noticed that the song had ended, so I nodded, still paralyzed and unable to move. I didn’t care what number song we were on. Rhys was telling me he loved me and I wanted this moment to last forever.
More guitars strummed as the next song started to play. I furrowed my brow when it dawned on me what song it was. Or better yet, who sang the original. “One Direction, really?” I laughed.
Rhys cracked a smile, but all laughter stopped when he moved, sat next to me and started to touch each part of my body when the lyrics matched them. And then the moment he sang that he loved me, the tears I was trying to keep at bay spilled over my lids. I wasn’t even sure what most of the lyrics were because each time that he sang he was in love with me, everything seemed to fade away except those words.
“You’re in love with me?” I whispered as the song ended.
Rhys was still sitting beside me, and he slowly smiled. “Yeah, Cupcake. I love you so fucking much.”
A tear slid down my cheek and onto the blanket. “I love you too.”
He brushed the tears away with his thumb. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m crying because I’m happy.”
He chuckled slightly. “So that means you loved my show?”
I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous question and tackled him. We fell back onto the couch and eating breakfast was replaced with something else entirely for the second time that morning.
And then again in the shower.
Rhys’s Love Concert
I Met a Girl – William Michael Morgan – 3:22
One Call Away – Charlie Puth – 3:14
Not a Bad Thing – Justin Timberlake – 4:26
Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden – 4:37
I Can Love You Like That – John Michael Montgomery – 3:55
Little Things – One Direction – 3:40
We arrived at Rhys’s parents’ house around noon. I was starving since breakfast was forgotten, and by the time we finished what replaced breakfast, it was time to get ready to leave. But I’d skip breakfast every day if all mornings were like the one I’d just had.
When we walked in through the front door, Rhys’s mother was standing in the entry as though she’d been looking out the window all morning for our arrival.
