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Crushed Beanz thrived in all its glory Saturday night, the scent of coffee not as strong as it’d been earlier in the week when I’d gone with Harry, but it still smelled like home. Jonathan was making an order for someone, so I ventured to where Addy sat in the booth at the front. The show would start soon, and I wanted my front-row seat.
“Long time, no see,” Addy said in greeting, leaning her elbow onto the table as I sat across from her. Tonight, her hair was braided back from her face, a few strands coming loose. “Missed you last night.”
“I had to babysit my siblings,” I said with a smile, shrugging off my jacket. “You know, I never got a chance to ask you. How did Vincent’s birthday extravaganza go?”
Addy let out a slight chuckle, trailing her fingers down the length of her purple tie. “Not as extravagant as I’d been hoping. I’d planned this whole thing, but Mom—well, she’s having a rough time. First Valentine’s Day without Dad, you know?”
Suddenly, sympathy pinched at my heart as I remembered her situation, how she’d lost her dad only a few months back. “I can’t even imagine.”
“I ended up giving Vincent his surprise at my house.”
I felt one of my eyebrows arch, probably hidden behind my bangs. “Hissurprise?”
Addy, though, easily read my expression, and even in the dim lighting, her cheeks pinked. “Jeez, no! Notthat. It’s…well, it’s kind of secret for now. At least until the date gets closer.”
“‘The date’? I thought you got him a stuffed toy.”
She leaned forward, dropping her tone. “That was only part of it. The other part…well, it’s about Untapped Potential. He wants to surprise Harry.”
Even though I wanted to press for more information, I didn’t want to pry too much. “Speaking of Harry,” I murmured, glancing toward the stage. They hadn’t come on yet, but they would any second. “We had our first kiss.”
Delight swamped Addy’s eyes, her jaw dropping. “I knew it, Iknewit. You two are perfect together. And we need to plan a double date. Thatsoneeds to be a thing.”
The idea of a double date with Addy and Vincent made me excited. I could just picture the four of us going out for ice cream, no Natasha this time. Or even going out to dinner, chatting as we waited for our meals. “For sure.”
The crowd murmured and chatted excitedly, and Untapped Potentialmade their way through the fans. Vincent smiled at anyone who called his name, but I saw his eyes immediately seek Addy’s, and for her, his lips only stretched wider.Adorable.
Natasha came next, dressed in a low-cut top, her dark hair falling in her face. Harry, trailing her, looked lost in thought.
Vincent immediately ducked behind his drum kit. Once onstage, Harry’s gaze scanned the crowd, and when his eyes fell on me, the air vanished from my lungs.
And then he smiled, a wide grin that looked like he gazed at the sun rather than me. The lights were on him, illuminating every inch, and I couldn’t look away.
It was hard to believe that I kissed him last night, hard to believe that he kissed meback.For so long, I’d simply been a fan in the crowd, our paths never crossing. It was like a dream.
“I bet everyone in this place is jealous of you right now,” Addy said, a teasing note to her voice.
I thought about responding to her, but that would’ve meant looking away from the stage, looking away from him, which seemed impossible.
“How are we doing tonight?” Harry asked the crowd, to which they responded with a cheer. “It’s been a little bit since we played an acoustic song, so we thought we’d start off slow tonight.”
I settled deeper in my seat as I clapped with the crowd, preparing for the first note.
Harry started strumming the guitar, a few basic chords. Immediately, I recognized it—“A Chance At Forever.” This was a softer song, one that they rarely played nowadays. Harry and Natasha used to play more acoustic songs before they brought Vincent into the band. I really liked both their music styles, but their acoustic songs touched a different place inside me, a place that left me wanting more.
“Wrap my arms around the feeling
You ripped my safety net away
Dealing with the panic and fear
Having to go, but wanting nothing more than to stay.”
In that moment, I could see into the possible future of Untapped Potential. I could see Harry and Vincent performing on a much bigger stage, playing for a much bigger turnout than tonight’s. Natasha would be there too, I thought. But Addy would definitely be there, either in the front row or just offstage.
I swayed a little in my seat with the soft drum beats Vincent interjected, watching Harry’s fingers as they strummed each string.
Harry was my singer boyfriend, and the realization was only just sinking in. His dedication to his craft showed in each strum of his guitar, in the crinkles by his eyes, in the deep and lovely tone of his voice. He was so passionate, so easy to long for.
