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“Oh shit, that’s so cute.” The girl with my phone snaps a few and motions to her girlfriend. “You don’t mind taking some of us?”
“Not at all,” Tatum says. “Come over here so I can get the stage in the background.”
She hypes the couple up while she takes their photos. My attention fixates on her. Even in the middle of a live concert, the world falls away when she’s smiling.
“Thanks so much,” the girls say when they finish.
Tate returns the phone. I snag her hand, dipping my chin to bring my face close to hers.
“This is so cool. I can’t believe we’re here right now,” she gushes.
“You’re the one that put it together on the fly.” My nose grazes hers. “Surprised the hell out of me.”
I mean more than the weekend trip she sprung on me.
Hope builds in my chest that this could be what I’ve been waiting for. I keep putting off the vital step I need to reach—the part where I take this from fake to real. At first I wanted to ease her into the idea as she got into the swing of the semester, then midterms crept up on me. She might be ready now that she’s used to being with me.
My thumb brushes Tatum’s knuckles and she shoots me a thrilled grin. I return it, letting myself enjoy the moment.
The band gets the crowd going with song after song until we’re all consumed by the infectious energy of watching the show. It’s an indescribable magic that ties us all together in this bubble, this moment where we feel on top of the world. Getting to experience it with Tatum by my side, squeezing my hand and dancing excitedly makes my heart drum harder. It has nothing to do with the loud music or singing song lyrics until our voices fail us.
A soft chuckle leaves me when I feel a raindrop near the middle of the set. I tuck her beneath my arm to shield her, though neither of us are dressed for rainy weather.
Another one falls, splattering with a heavy splash on my nose. Tate moves to stand in front of me with a gorgeous, untamed smile. She holds her arms out, tipping her face to the sky as the clouds open up on us.
I hold her waist. “What are you doing?”
“Living in the moment. It feels awesome.”
Her carefree laughter is my favorite sound in the world.
THIRTY-SEVEN
TATUM
Our laughter echoes through the hotel room when we stumble into it completely soaked from the downpour of an early season storm. The open air concert venue got completely washed out in the middle of the last set and by the time we made it to the Jeep, we were drenched. Neither of us have stopped smiling or laughing since the first raindrops fell.
“Is your underwear soggy?” Cooper snorts at the way I wriggle and helps me strip out of my wet clothes after grabbing towels from the bathroom.
“I don’t think there’s any part of me that isn’t soggy right now.” My nose scrunches through my giggles. He drapes a towel over my head and I pat him down with another. “But that was so much fun!”
I’ve never had such a good time doing something that was completely unplanned. The music festival was amazing. When I showed him the tickets on our drive up last night, I loved the look on his face at my surprise. But nothing will top getting rained out near the end of the festival with him holding my hand. I’ll never forget the experience.
“It was.” Cooper kisses me lazily while we peel each other’s clothes off until we’re naked. He parts only far enough to speak against my lips. “Are you cold? I don’t want you to get sick.”
I press against him, my pebbled nipples grazing his chilled skin. His arms snake around me. “You either. I guess we’ll have to share body heat to warm back up.”
He gives me a languid chuckle and tilts his head toward the bathroom. “Want to shower?”
I shake my head. “Too tired.”
He hums and lifts me, carrying me to bed. “I guess I’ll just have to take care of you here.”
We only have one big bed. I was booking the room so fast, I didn’t even think about getting separate beds. It definitely wasn’t a problem last night as Cooper made me keep my hands on the headboard while I rode him. After that, there wasn’t a question of sleeping arrangements. He pulled me into his arms just like our epic post-orgasm naps over the summer and joked that I could check hotel sex off my list, his voice rough and deep against my glistening skin.
A shiver moves through me at the memory, my thighs rubbing together as we climb under the fresh covers.
“Spontaneity is a good fucking look on you, baby,” he murmurs against my lips.
