Page 114 of Don't Bang a Bandmate

“No?”

“I think they’re doing what’s best for them right now,” I say. “With this summer tour and Jonah’s wedding and the Battle of the Bands just around the corner, the last thing they want is more on their plates. And I support that one-hundred percent.”

Christian softens a bit. “Hm.”

“What?” I ask.

“You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. And they shine in the prettiest way when you talk about them.”

“Well, they’re my life,” I say uneasily, helplessly trapped beneath his microscope.

“They really are, aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

Christian hums softly, his shoes grinding against the walkway as he pivots forward again. I step lightly, keeping up with his long gait as the strange silence stretches between us. We quickly come to a fork in the path. One way goes deeper into the park, while the other angles toward a busy city street.

“Is that weird?” I ask, pausing at the fork.

Christian looks up and shakes his head. “No,” he answers. “Just felt something I haven’t felt in a really long time.”

“What?”

“Envy.” He breathes a laugh. “You know, when you’re on top of the world, it’s like there’s nothing you can’t have. And I had everything at one time or another, but...” He looks at me, his eyes soft but frayed deep within. “I never had someone like you. I didn’t even see you when...” He stops himself briefly, his lips thinning into a hesitant line. “We should keep going.”

“No, wait,” I say, too curious not to. “What were you going to say?”

He pauses, looking away as a couple passes us on the path. He waits for them to get far enough out of earshot before answering. “I was going to say that... I didn’t see you back then, but I should have. I’ve got a lot of regrets, Jordan, but it wasn’t until I saw you looking up at me on stage at The High Note I realized... I made a huge mistake.”

“You did?” I ask.

He steps forward, narrowing the space between us. “You’re the one that got away from me, Jordan,” he says.

My spine shudders beneath his stare and, for the first time since we left the hotel, my gut clenches.

“Eh?” I ask.

Christian reaches out, resting his hands on my cheeks. He locks eyes with me, the sea green colors crashing against his pupils. “Christ,” he whispers. “I wanted to wait until the end of the date to do this, but I can’t wait anymore.”

He kisses me, his thick lips enveloping mine. I stiffen, taken aback by... all of it.

I’m the one that got away from him?

I...huh?

Christian breaks the kiss, but stays me close. “Jordan.”

“Yeah?” I ask, wanting to slip out of his hands.

“When we get to Washington,” he says, his words so sure, “I want you to stay with me.”

I lurch back a step, shaking his hands off my cheeks. “What?” I ask.

“I know it’s sudden, but I don’t care.” He stands tall on the path. “If it feels right, then it feels right, andthis feels right.”

Christian drops to one knee.

“What the fuck?” I mutter.

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