Page 47 of Our Final Encore

THIRTY-ONE

Opal

His golden locks are still as majestic as ever, though a little longer than the last time I saw him in person. His formerly bare face is now covered in a layer of stubble that makes him look older. Well, heisolder now. We’re not teenagers anymore. And on him it’s obvious. The tall, gangly boy I fell in love with years ago has been replaced by a man with sculpted arm muscles and a sharp jawline. Even from across the bar I can see his green eyes gleaming in the lone spotlight that shines down on him. And they’re staring straight at me.

I always wondered what this would be like, if we ever saw each other again. If that electricity between us would still be there, and it is. The proximity of our bodies is eating me alive.

“I can hold out hope that maybe one day I’ll forget,

That one night I’ll wake up without your ghost in my bed.

Who has to know that you’re haunting me?

Who has to know I’m not complete?”

My jaw hangs slack and my heart hammers against my ribcage. Even surrounded by dozens of strangers, it feels like heand I are the only two people in this room right now. Like he’s singing straight to me.

It’s obvious that his songwriting ability has increased a lot since he left Willow Grove. The way he effortlessly strums his guitar, too, picking the individual notes with his fingers like a professional would. And his voice is deeper, more mature. Dare I say, sexy.

Ugh, I don’t want to have those kinds of thoughts about him.I’m supposed to hate him.

“What the fuck?” Maisie shrieks, breaking me out of my trance. “Did you know he was back in town?” Unlike me, she’s never had trouble staying on the ‘I hate Alex Anderson bandwagon’.

Maisie knows better than anyone how much it destroyed me when we broke up. It was her bathroom floor I laid on as I kicked and screamed, wishing we could’ve had a different fate. I can’t blame her for feeling the way she does, who wants to watch their best friend go through that?

I nod stiffly, seemingly unable to answer her with words. I feel like I’m frozen. I want to move, I need to get out of here, but it’s like my body isn’t cooperating with my mind.

Finally I find the strength to move my legs and escape from the confines of the booth. “Come on,” I spin on my heels and grab onto her arm, pulling her behind me and out the door. I walk down the street as quickly as I can without actually running, feeling the lump in my throat turn into actual tears.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was back?” she practically yells at me, which only makes me cry harder.

“I don’t know,” I grit out. Actually, I do know, I didn’t want to talk about it with anybody. I hoped it would never come up, and I could simply ignore the fact altogether. I’m embarrassed that his existence still has any effect on me, and talking about him only makes it worse.

“Opal.” My body tenses at the unmistakable sound of his voice. Every nerve ending in my body seems to tingle and vibrate, the hair on the nape of my neck sticking straight up. The smell of his cologne is the same as it was five years ago, hints of cedarwood and tobacco tickle my senses and a bouquet of memories suddenly bloom in my brain.

“Oh no you don’t. Go back in there and sing your little songs, dude. You’re not wanted here.” I can’t help but smile through my tears at Maisie’s protective mama bear voice. She steps in between him and I, creating a shield with her body.

I spin around to face him, and I’m stunned again by how beautiful he is, even more so up close.Why couldn’t he have gotten ugly?

“Please,” he looks back and forth between the two of us, a pleading expression in his eyes. “Just give me one minute, Opal.”

Maisie glances over at me, and I blink at her a few times before nodding. Her eyes soften, and I can tell she doesn’t agree with my decision, but isn’t going to argue with me about it.

“One minute,” her disapproving gaze sweeps over Alex one more time before she opens the door of her car and gets inside, leaving the two of us in the middle of the sidewalk alone. Only the light of a lonely street lamp shines down on us.

“I’m sorry,” he says as his eyes bore into mine.

I can’t stop the laugh that bubbles out of my throat. It feels foreign, completely out of place, but it’s my natural reaction. “Really? You’re sorry? That’s it?”

“I’ve tried to contact you. So many times, Opal.”

All I can do is shake my head. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I’m here to help my dad.”

I arch my brow, I had no idea he and his dad still spoke. “Oh.”

“I fucked up. So badly. You can’t even imagine how much I wish I could take it all back.”

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