GABRIEL

As I drive to Jude's, a small family-owned bar my parents have been going to for ages, I can't help but notice how fast my heart is racing. I can't keep playing hot and cold with Jo anymore. We need to talk.

I spent the day with the guys but my mind was on her the whole time.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the talk with the guys went. I could feel the tension dissipating as we spoke. Josh said he's not making any rash decisions and that he needs some time to think things through before we can plan new shows. We still have a lot of contractual obligations to fulfill, but that's as far as we are going. No new shows until we get to figure things out.

I guess at the end of the day we are all just tired and in need of a break.

We all agreed we need some time to decompress after an extensive tour, so they'll stay the rest of the week here. We will be able to simply enjoy one another's company without the pressures of the world weighing down on us.

Apart from the heavy talk, we could enjoy a sunny day on the beach. I confess I missed just shooting the shit with them. Things got out of hand in England, but being back in the U. S. has already brought us some sense of normality.

However, my mind kept replaying last night with Jo in my head all day long. I expected to find her in the house in the morning so we could keep working on our songs, but she went to a café with Maria to get some work done. I'm happy she's getting back on track with her writing, but it doesn't mean I didn't miss her during the day.

All I know is I can't keep denying how attracted I am to her. I need to know where she stands. Because last night was too intense. At least for me.

She's been mostly silent as we drove, but now that we parked in front of the bar, she shoots me a smile. "I haven't been here in ages," she says.

"Me too." I get out of the car, circling it quickly so I can open the door for her. This is the most private place I could take her, so I'm glad she approves.

"I hope they still have those out-of-this-world burgers," she says.

"Only one way to find out." I press my hand to the small of her back, walking the short distance inside.

"At least it still looks the same," she says, and I look around, noticing the laid-back vibe I remember is still present here.

Dimly lit and with people who seem to mind their own business, this is a nice place to talk and unwind. Even though it is a bit more crowded than we were expecting, we are happy to see two stools open in the corner.

We barely had the chance to sit down before someone I hadn't seen in a long time comes in our direction, pen, and paper in hand, ready to take our order. "Gabe?" I hear Lydia, the owner's daughter, say.

"Lydia?" I stand up to greet her.

"Oh, my God! I can't believe you're here." She walks from behind the bar and when I see it, she's pulling me into a hug. "It's been what? Five, six years?"

"Yeah, I guess." I smile at her. She still looks the same with her dark hair and pale green eyes. "I didn't know you were working here?"

"Oh, I'm not!" She grins. "It's dad's sixty-fifth birthday next Saturday. We all flew here to celebrate."

"Nice." I step aside a little, putting my hand on Jo's back. "You remember Joanna, right? Maria's best friend."

"Of course." She holds her hand out to Jo. "It's nice to see you."

"You too." Jo shakes her hand.

"I didn't know you two were together." She brings her eyes back to me, and I don't miss the interest there. We hooked up a few times over the summers when we were younger, but I didn't expect to see her here. She leaves on the East Coast and has a successful business there.

"Uh..." I look to Jo for guidance. I know we're not together, but I don't want to imply I'm available.

"We're not together." Jo smiles, making me frown.

"Oh..." Lydia's eyes dart between Jo's and mine. "I'm covering for my dad tonight. Can I get you guys anything?"

As she walks behind the bar again, I take a seat next to Jo. "Can we get two burgers please?"

"Sure." She skips a glance at Jo, who's silently scanning the bar. "And to drink?"

"Can you get me a bud, please?" Jo asks.

"Make that two," I say, and Lydia winks at me before walking to the kitchen. Damn, I don't need to be a genius to know she's trying to be flirty.

And neither does Jo, who has definitely caught up with Lydia's intentions. Great!

"So, how was your day with Maria?" I turn my whole body to her, my legs widening and one of my feet resting on her stool.

"It was good." She gives me a smile that doesn't really reach her eyes. "I worked on a manuscript I'm editing and signed the contract as I told you."

"I missed having breakfast with you today..." I whisper. "I thought we would have time to talk in the morning."

"Yeah... Uh... About last night..." She starts, but Lydia chooses this moment to join us again with our beers.

"First round is on the house." Lydia smiles, placing our drinks in front of us. "Are the guys here too?" she asks.

"Uh..." I hesitate. The last thing I want is to make our presence known to town, but I guess she's safe. "Yeah... They'll be staying until the rest of the week. But we're trying to keep a low profile."

"Of course," she says, her eyes studying me. "I can't believe it's been that long. The last show of you guys in New York was a blast."

"Yeah, thanks." I clear my throat. She had sent me a message on Instagram, saying she was in the city, and I ended up inviting her to the show–which led us hooking up after it. Something I deeply regret now that I'm here with Jo.

As our food arrives, Adrian, Lydia's younger brother, stops by to say hi. "It's been forever, man," he says, shaking my hand.

"How are you doing? You remember Joanna, right? Maria's friend?" I say, and he turns his gaze to Jo.

"Oh, wow!" He gives her a huge smile. "I almost didn't recognize you, Jo. You look amazing."

"Thank you." She nods politely. "It's nice seeing you again, Adrian."

"Is Maria here too?" he asks.

"She is. I'll tell her to stop by." Jo says.

"So, I heard rumors online Josh is leaving the band?" Lydia touches my arm, pulling my attention to her. Fantastic! All we need is more speculation about us right now.

"You know the internet." I shrug it off as I eat my hamburger. She keeps making small talk, and I try to be polite. But when Jo hands Adrian her phone so he can put in his number, I nearly choke on my beer.

"Do you know how long you're staying?" he asks her, and I stop hearing whatever Lydia is saying.

"I'm writing a new book, so I'm thinking about staying for the entire summer," Jo says.

"Well, I'll definitely try my luck then..." He jokes, and she looks down, taking a sip of her beer.

My head is fucking spinning. How the fuck we went from a quiet night out to Jo arranging a date with this guy? Fuck! What a mess! I need to get us the hell out of here. Fast.

Finishing my food quickly, I realize Jo has barely touched hers. I touch my lips to her ear."Are you not hungry?"

"I think I've got a headache." She gives me a small smile.

"I can get some aspirin-" Adrian try, but I cut him off.

"Are you ready to leave?" I ask, my eyes locked with hers.

"Whenever you are," she whispers.

She doesn't need to say that again. Lydia went to tend to some other customers, but when I stand up and make eye contact with her, she comes in our direction. "Is everything okay?" she asks.

"Can you get us the check, please? Jo is not feeling so well." I say.

"Oh... Sure." She goes to get it, and I rub Jo's back, not missing when Adrian's gaze follow my hands. He doesn't dare to look me in the eye, but I hope the message is clear.

"Here you go." Lydia hands me the check, and sure enough, her phone is handwritten in the back.

I settle the bill quickly and before long; we are saying goodbye to them and walking out of the bar.

Jo remains quiet throughout the entire trip back home, and I must admit I am also in need of some time to process the events that had taken place in the last hour.

When we finally pull over in front of my parents' house, she sighs and brings her eyes to me. "Thanks for dinner." She unfastens her seat belt and gets out of the car.

I make my way out of the car quickly, grabbing her hand so she can't get much further. "Jo..."

"Gabe, look..."

I pull her to me, my hands firmly resting on her hips. "I don't want her."

She narrows her eyes. "Well, she sure as hell wants you. For as long as I can remember, she has-"

"Ask me why I don't want her." I bring my face close to hers until I can feel the tickle of our noses brushing.

She's breathing fast, her lips parting when her eyes drop to my mouth. "Why?"

"Because I want you." I look at her, giving her a second to pull away. When she doesn't, I do the one thing I've dreamed of my whole life.

I kiss her.

_____

A/N: AHHHH! Raise your hand if you shouted FINALLY over there?

I knew it! Love you, guys! <3

XOXO

Celeste