Page 193 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“God, that boy loves you,” Poppy whispered, pressing closer into my side.

She wasn’t wrong.

Even with a screen and over fifty miles between us, I felt his love wrap around me like a warm blanket. But when he took center stage and sang a brand-new verse, I melted.

“Shit, he’s good.” Someone whistled. “Really fucking good.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as he immortalized our love story in the flow of the lyrics, the cadence of every note.

I wanna paint your skin with my hands. Map every scar, every secret with my lips. Watch the rise and fall of your chest as I fall to my knees for you.

I wanna kiss every bruise, heal every wound, I wanna lift you up when you fall down. Dry the tears from your eyes and put a smile on your face.

I wanna be there by you side. Hold your hand through it all. I wanna be the one you turn to, be your shelter in the storm…

And when he was done, he smiled at the camera and said, “I love you, Sofia. And that’s the beginning and end of everything.”

“Did he just quote Fitzgerald?” Lily swooned, and laughter spilled out of me.

Because it was such a completely and utterly Cole thing to do.

“Babe, you need to take some lessons from him,” Poppy said to Aaron who grumbled something under his breath about Cole always showing him up.

“I second that,” added Lily.

“Jesus, Bennet,” Kaiden grumbled. “You need to have a word with your guy. He’s making the rest of us look bad.”

I was so overwhelmed; I hadn’t realized Cole had left the stage until my cell phone started ringing. Digging it out of my pocket, I smiled at Cole’s name.

“Hi,” I said, moving away from our friends.

“Hi.”

“Cole, that was… thank you.”

“Did you like the new verse?”

“I loved it. I love you.”

“I meant it, Sofe. Every word. This is our new verse, babe, and whatever comes next, whatever the future holds, as long as I get to do it with you, I don’t care about the rest.”

“What are you saying, Cole?” My voice trembled at the intensity in his words. The way Ifelthis words right down to my very soul.

“I’m saying… how do you feel about forever?”

Forever?

I smiled.

That sounded pretty damn perfect to me.

Asher

“How the fuck did we get here?” I asked my best friends as we sat in the yard, watching the kids goof around in the pool.

Kids.

They weren’t kids anymore—they were young adults, going off into the big wide world to live their lives.

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