At first, he didn’t answer, and I willed myself not to fidget. “I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “But I, uh, never finished what I was saying in the library. About Vanessa’s wedding.”
“Yeah?”
“Would you maybe…be my plus one?”
“Me?” I lifted myself slightly, turning my head to look at him. “I mean, you really want me to go with you?” Going to his sister’s wedding was pretty intense first-date material.
“Yeah.” He pulled me closer, and I could feel the heat of his body bleeding through JJ’s sweatshirt. “I really do.”
Before I could shake my surprise and formulate a response, Alec’s phone alarm beeped, signaling the end of the game. A few seconds later, several shouts rang through the woods as our friends regrouped. After that, it didn’t take long for Oliver, followed closely by everyone else, to find his way back to my tree.
“If nobody found Felicity,” he was saying, “then we win.” He came to a stop at the base of the oak and tipped his head back. “Felicity, you okay up there?”
“Over here,” I called as Alec and I made our way across the clearing.
His face fell when he saw us together. “Damn, he got you?”
I hesitated, not sure how to explain that I’d given myself up, but Alec answered for me. “Well,” he said, smirking at the group. “Nottechnicallyspeaking.”
Xander frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I never officially tagged Felicity,” he clarified. “Robbers win.”
Oliver let out a celebratory victory whoop and pumped his fist in the air.
“But you two were together…” Xander said, his brows still drawn together in confusion.
“Let it go, X-Man,” JJ responded, slinging an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “The superior team clearly triumphed.”
X-Manheld up a finger like a lawyer about to argue his case but then sighed and dropped his hand. “Whatever.” He shook his head. “I’m not even going to bother.”
From behind, Oliver wrapped his arms around Stella. “Does the victor get a kiss?” he mumbled against her neck.
“Only if we’re done reliving your childhood memories,” she said. “This game is ridiculous, and it’s freezing out here.”
***
There was a wide smile on Xander’s face as he slid open the back door and stepped out onto the patio. In his hand was an acoustic guitar. “Found it!”
The rest of us were gathered by the built-in fire pit, warming ourselves after the damp chill of the forest.
“Where was it?” Oliver asked. He was sharing one of the wicker patio chairs with Stella, who was snuggled into his lap.
“In the living room, right where you said.” Xander gave the instrument a quick strum and fiddled with one of the tuning pegs. “Any requests?”
Stella pushed her boyfriend’s bangs back and smiled. “I wanna hear my song.”
Oliver inclined his head. “We can do that.”
I inched forward on my seat.
Everyone had been talking around the fire when Alec announced that we needed music. Which, in turn, had prompted Asha to ask if the band could play some of their songs. Now here we were, about to get our own private performance from the Heartbreakers.
A moment of silence passed when all I could hear was thecrackle,popof the wood as it burned. I watched Alec in anticipation. He’d retrieved his own guitar from the trunk of the Cadillac, and I was eager to see him in action. JJ started first, magically producing a pair of drumsticks from the waistband of his jeans as if he never went anywhere without them. He had no drum set, but created a simple rhythm against the brick of the patio. Xander and Alec joined in next, strumming a familiar melody. They worked through a few verses before Oliver finally added his voice to the mix.
“‘Sometimes the things left unsaid are deadly like bullets and knives,’” he sang. “‘Mine cut you deep, girl. We had no chance to survive.’” His voice was gruffer when he sang, but it sounded good with the stripped-down version of the song.
I listened to the performance as intently as I could, but mainly I was focused on Alec.
