Page 91 of Lucy Loves Him Not
Olivia squealed and I buried my face into her shoulder shaking with laughter.
“Did Mom show you guys her Love Local profile?” Gracie asked, and I almost dropped my cone.
At sunset, the concert began with guitar strumming and a banjo echoing through the city. I snuck out from backstage to watch from the sidelines, swaying to the music and humming along. Adam appeared by my side.
“I’ve been looking for you backstage,” he said next to my ear, sending shivers everywhere.
A breeze rippled through my hair, my dress. It was a relief after such a long, hot day.
“You found me,” I said, leaning back into him.
He sighed against me. An undeniable sense of home found in each other’s arms. “I can’t focus—” His voice was muffled as the band bellowed their chorus.
“What?” I shouted.
He grabbed my elbow gently and weaved me through the dancing crowd, through the streets of downtown full of people shopping and shouting until it was just the two of us in a little alley at the edge of the festival. A little pocket of quiet in all the noise.
We stood, face to face, his eyes intent on mine. “Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned.
“I can’t focus on anything but you today.” He laughed hoarsely. The concert echoed in the distance. “Every day.”
“I relate,” I said, a tentative smile forming. “I’ve got my pink dress. You’re winning wet tee shirt contests.”
“This is bigger than how insanely gorgeous you look today.”
“Okay?” I said softly, feeling the tension between us tighten.
“I wanted to wait to talk to you about the job until I’d really thought about it, but I feel like it’s the elephant in the room…” He ran a hand down his face. “This job would normally be a no-brainer. An automatic yes. It’s an obvious next step for me—great pay, great position, but…”
“But?” My pulse was thrumming in my neck.
“I should be thinking about this job nonstop, but instead, it’s you I’ve got on my mind.” Thunder cracked and a downpour crashed from the sky. The concert crowd started screaming and cheering in the distance at the interruption.
I didn’t care. Rain streamed over me but I didn’t even move a muscle. My focus was on Adam.
“I don’t want to be an idiot. You know, I have this whole five-year-plan thing? A career track. I also don’t know?—”
“Don’t know?”
“I don’t know what’s going on in here.” He tapped the side of my head. “What are you feeling?”
“I’ve told you how I feel about you,” I said. “I was up all night thinking about you and your job. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I got back to town.”
“Thenwhyhaven’t you been talking to me about it?What do you think?”
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say,” I said, unlocking the back room of my heart. “I want to be careful with my words,with you. I need to say the right thing.”
“I don’t want you to say the right thing,” Adam said, blinking away raindrops. “I want you to say what you feel. What you want.”
“I’m not going to be selfish with your future, Adam,” I said. My stomach knotted up in restraint, holding back what I wanted even as it stood in front of me, daring me to throw caution to the wind.
“Please, Lucy.” He stepped close to me, his hands lacing through mine. “Be selfish with me.”
“I really care about you, Adam. I could really love you. This could really be something. I don’t want to mess it up by being selfish or needy…”
“What’s so wrong with being needy?” Adam asked. His voice echoed in the rain, mingling with the music. “Maybe I need you, too. Maybe I’ve been looking all over the place, running from town to town, job to job, until I found my place right here with you. The two of us.”
“Well, if your place is beside me, what are you going to do about this job somewhere else?” I asked.
