My phone buzzed, and I checked the screen. Serena.
Did you get the number I sent over? My replacement for the concert can pick up the ticket from you there.
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Do they want to join me for the concert?I typed out but then untyped it. See? Needy.
No problem.I typed instead.I’ll text them where to meet me at the show.
Even if going to my favorite band’s show alone didn’t hold the same appeal.
Chapter six
Drake
The night of the concert arrived fast. Probably because I had two long shifts beforehand, which sucked any remaining attention I might’ve devoted to excitement. Those two shifts had been hell. A bunch of folks had collectively decided to commit arson on the same weekend, which meant a lot of mess to handle on our part.
However, I was thrilled to go to the Dropkick concert, even if it was close to a two-hour drive to Asbury Park, New Jersey. The Convention Hall was a venue I’d always wanted to go to, and sure, it was a haul for a weeknight, but I didn’t mind. Not like I had anyone waiting for me, and I wanted to chase the spark of excitement that flared in me as I soared up the Jersey Turnpike.
As long as I found the guy with the ticket. Serena had given me the number, and he’d told me he’d text when he got there and waitoutside, that he’d be wearing a Flyers cap. Which wasn’t as standout as I wanted, given plenty of Philly folks would be there.
I rolled down the window and drank in the cool breeze that arrived with the oncoming night. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, pulsing from the upcoming adventure, from soaring down the highway, from breaking out of the cycle of work and home I’d been stuck in lately. The green and white exit signs flashed by, mine coming closer and closer.
The other cars zoomed around me just as fast, the hum of the other cars tangible in the air. The concert offered the distraction I needed. I’d hit a wall with my plans for the fire station fundraiser, and it churned up a lot of old frustrations.
That Serena had gotten straight A’s through school while I scraped by.
That Blair had excelled at sports while I was passable.
Mediocre was all I’d ever be, and I was sick of my status quo.
My exit arrived faster than planned, and I tossed the blinker on as I merged.
All too fast, the sprawl of Asbury Park came into view, the gorgeous murals marking buildings and the glitter of the ocean in the distance. Fuck, how long had it been since I’d gone to the beach? I let out a low whistle and turned down the road to find parking near the convention hall. It cut a mark on the landscape, the brick building accented by pale trim. I jittered as though I’d downed more than a cup of coffee before leaving. I didn’t mind going to concerts alone, but I’d feel more secure about it once I got the ticket. Why couldn’t Serena have grabbed it herself? I’d have to bug her about that later.
I hopped out of the car and drank in a taste of the salt-soaked air. Being this close to the beach sparked my soul to life and awakened me in a way I’d missed. Not that I was a Jersey Shore for the summer sort ofguy—hell, I wasn’t even a summer kind of guy—but a sense of gravity settled over me tonight, something I’d been chasing.
I shot a text to the number of the guy I was supposed to meet as I made my way up to the convention hall. The mint-green entrance stood out from farther down the boardwalk, and to my right, the ocean sprawled out before me, dazzling against the hazy, golden evening sun. The last bursts of light gilded the tops of the waves, as soon night would steal it away. I ran fingers through my hair, mussing up the product I’d run through it after my shower.
People streamed in through the doors of the convention hall, but I scanned for folks waiting outside. Several groups clustered around the area, people catching up and talking, and some leaned against the wall of the place.
My gaze stopped on a guy with a Flyers cap, his head tilted down as he stared at his phone. He seemed my age and in shape, wearing a plain black tee and form-fitting jeans. I had on similar attire: a gray tank top, blue flannel, and beat-up jeans along with my shitkickers. I quickened my pace as I cut across the boardwalk in his direction.
And then he looked up.
Our eyes met, and recognition slammed in.
Kind of hard to forget the guy whose kitchen you stopped from burning down.
And the one I’d been guiltily fantasizing about ever since.
Was Serena trying to kill me?
August’s eyes crinkled as a huge grin spread across his features, and my heart sped up. “Hey, Drake! What are you doing here?”
I swallowed hard and lifted up my phone, as if that’d somehow explain it. “Looks like you’re the guy I’m getting my ticket from.”
August tilted his head to the side for a second, and his eyes widened. “No shit. You’re the one taking Serena’s place?” Strands of his honey-colored hair poked out from under the hat, and the way it accentuated his square jaw made him hotter. The guy had a laid-back vibe I enjoyed far too much, and with his golden, tanned skin, honey-blond hair, and hazel eyes, everything about him felt kissed by the sun.
