Page 11 of Aria

I had no desire to go down that complicated road.

So, why did his indigo eyes and kissable lips continue to plague my thoughts day-in and day-out?

A curse, obviously. The Devon Sawyer Curse.

I let out a half-hearted sigh as I dipped a knife into the mayonnaise jar, startling when my cell phone rang.Skipping into the living room, I snatched it off the couch. "Hello?"

"Chelsie?"

The familiar voice caught me off guard.My heart raced. "Yes.Who's calling, please?"

"Look, don't hang up, okay? It's Devon.Devon Sawyer, remember?"

Remember?I’d only thought about him every day for the past week.

Because of the curse.

"Sure, of course, I remember.How did you get my number?"

"I got it from Noah… who got it from Julia.Sorry to call you out of the blue like this, but you've been on my mind a lot since the other night."

Noah.That was a name I’d been looking forward to never hearing again."Oh?"

"Yeah. I was hoping we could maybe meet up some time.For coffee, or dinner… anything.I'd like to see you again."

My body lowered to the couch because my quivering legs were moments away from failing me."I see."

There was a pause before he continued. "You don't sound very excited."

"I am! I – I mean… I’m sorry. It's great to hear from you, Devon."I had no idea how to take it all in. It was too abrupt; too mind-boggling. I was just getting comfortable with the idea of never speaking to him again.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about how crazy things got that night," Devon explained."Noah pulled a total dick move, and I apologize on his behalf.He just gets that way sometimes. I'm sure he was only jealous I'd managed to score the prettiest girl in the room."

An enchanted smile crept across my lips, but I forced it away, clearing my throat. I needed to be smart about this… so, why was logic was the furthest thing from my mind? "It's okay. No harm done.”

"What Noah said was complete bullshit, by the way," Devon added. "I may be a musician, but I'm not the sleazy kind.I'm just a regular guy once you get to know me.And I'm hoping you will… you know, get to know me."

There he was, being all charming again. Stupid curse."Devon, I—"

I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m a hot mess express on wheels.

"It's just a cup of coffee," he persisted."I enjoyed talking with you, and I regret the way things went down. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

I hesitated. It was just a cup of coffee… no expectations.No commitments. No pressure. "I suppose I could do coffee," I finally answered.

Devon’s sigh of relief was evident. "Awesome. I mean, that's great. Thanks for giving me another chance."

I picked at my fingernails. Devon Sawyer was thankingmefor givinghimanother chance? Swallowing, I wondered, "Are you still in New York?"

"No, I'm in Los Angeles right now.We've got a gig tonight.How about tomorrow?"

My heart rate quickened. "You can make it back here that fast?"

"For you?Absolutely."

Oh.

Devon certainly wasn't lacking any charisma. “Well, it was good to hear from you again, Devon.Call me tomorrow when you get back into town, and we can decide on a place to meet."

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