AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I watch as the girl leans toward her friend, and I strain to hear her voice over the noise of the crowd. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
Fuck, I wish the music wasn’t so loud. I can barely hear her.
The girl’s friend replies, but I only catch a few words. “You need…forget him…have some fun…loosen up, Esme!”
Esme. So that’s her name. It’s beautiful—sweet and pretty—but I need more. More than just her name, more than a glimpse of her face and a few seconds of hearing her speak. I need all of her. I need to make this curvy angel mine.
2
Esme
The music pounds through the open field, making the ground beneath me vibrate as Damian Holt plays a guitar riff. The crowd is going crazy for him—the whole of Desire Falls has flocked to his outdoor gig, and people are screaming his name so loud that I can barely hear the music.
“This is my favorite part of the song!” my friend Millie cries from beside me, her voice drowned out by the noise.
It’s all way too loud. I’m not much of a concertgoer. My hobbies are usually quiet, solitary things like reading, writing, knitting…damn, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, I’m basically a grandma. A quiet night at home with a historical romance and a cup of cocoa sounds great right about now, but Millie insisted I come out tonight. It’s my first real night out since Josh dumped me two months ago, and I know she wants me to have fun. She even hinted that I should hook up with somebody new to take my mind off things. I love her for trying to help me get over Josh, but still, I’m kind of regretting coming here. It’s a chilly night now that fall has begun, and I definitely should have brought a jacket. Plus, while I love Damian Holt’s music, all the screaming fans are starting to give me a headache.
God, I really am a grandma.
“Are you okay?” Millie shouts, peering into my face with concern.
I nod. “It’s just a bit loud.”
She raises her hand to cup her ear and yells, “WHAT?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine.”
Finally, the song ends, and the crowd bursts into even louder cheers.
“Thanks, everyone!” Damian calls from the stage, his voice reverberating through the air. “We’re going to take a little break while I go see my wife backstage—” He’s cut off by wolf whistles and cheers, and his face splits into a grin. “Feel free to go get something from the food trucks at the back. There’s plenty of soup and hot drinks to go around. Stay warm, guys.”
Damian disappears from the large, outdoor stage, clearly desperate to get back to his wife. It’s adorable, but I can’t help the niggling sadness I feel. What I wouldn’t give for a guy to feel that way about me. Josh sure didn’t.
“Have you seen anybody you like yet?” Millie asks.
I roll my eyes. “We’ve only been here like thirty minutes.”
“That’s plenty of time for you to spot a cute guy!”
Easy for her to say. Millie met the guy of her dreams at a summer fair, and it was love at first sight for both of them. Now she and Cole are happily married and living a fairy-tale life together in Desire Falls. I’m so happy for her, but damn, I could really use some of her luck.
“If the man of my dream suddenly catches my eye, you’ll be the first to know,” I tell her.
She grins at me. “You never know…the night’s still young! Anyway, I’m going to grab some soup. Want anything?”
“I’m good.”
She nods and disappears into the crowd, leaving me to my thoughts. I didn’t want to dwell on Josh tonight but seeing how happy Damian Holt looked at the thought of seeing his wife has really thrown me off. Josh and I dated for six months, and I don’t think he ever once looked excited by the idea of seeing me. He made me feel like such a chore...like I was at the very bottom of his list of priorities. I wish I could say that I realized my own worth and dumped his ass, but in reality, he broke up with me for some pretty redhead from his work. If her Facebook photos are anything to go by then her waist is about the same thickness as one of my thighs.
Nope, I think to myself. Not going there.
It’s taken me years to feel confident about my curvy, plus-size figure, no thanks to Josh and his constant passive-aggressive comments on my eating habits. I’m sure as hell not going to let my confidence crumble just because that jerk couldn’t see my worth.
“I am perfect just the way I am,” I mutter, repeating the affirmation to myself. “My body is a gift, and my curves are beautiful.”
“Damn straight,” a voice says behind me. I jump at the sound, spinning around and finding myself face-to-face with a giant.
Holy shit.
