Page 123 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Yeah, well, Vanessa loves to take care of her guests. You don’t want to see her on a bad day, though.”

Once our laughter died down, he said, “Can I give you your birthday present now?”

“You didn’t have to go through the trouble—I told you not to get me anything.”

“It wasn’t any trouble. I wanted to.” Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out two tickets. “So in case you didn’t know, Tiesto’s on tour and I just so happen to have VIP tickets to his show in July…”

“Oh my gosh!”

IlovedTiesto! Some of the world’s best DJ’s were from the Netherlands; Armin van Buuren, Sander van Doorn, Hardwell …

“I know it’s only three months away,” he said, “but he won’t be in LA sooner and—”

“Ryan, you’re amazing!” I leaned over and hugged him in excitement. “Thank you so much! I’ve always wanted to see Tiesto live!”

The upbeat playlist of lounge music soon transitioned to something slower as Ryan took my hand and smiled. “Dance this song with me.”

“Oh no, I can’t dance! I’ll step all over your shoes,” I lied.

“No, you won’t. Come on.” He pulled me to my feet and led me a safe distance away from the pool.

Ryan wrapped his arms around my waist and spoke softly in my ear. “Last dance before the night is over.” His body felt warm and welcoming, but it didn’t have the same effect on me that Noah’s did.

“I love this song,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s by Sting, right?”

“ ‘Every Breath You Take’was originally sung by The Police—Sting used to be in the band.”

“Weren’t they an English rock band?”

“Yeah. I recognize this cover, though. My sister’s obsessed with YouTube cover artists, especially this guy.”

“Who covered it?” I asked.

“Pretty sure it’s Aaron Krause.”

A female vocalist was singing along with him and the duet sounded beautiful. The song was much slower than the original.

It would be perfect for prom,I thought.

Vienna and Tyrese soon appeared next to us, swaying to the music. “It’s been forever since I danced with someone,” she confessed.

“We want to join the party too!” Vanessa hollered, dragging Noah over. She took his drink out of his hand and set it on a table before forcing herself in his arms.

Well, this certainly felt a little uncomfortable. Ryan swayed me side to side with the music, gently caressing my lower back. I looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with the one man who truly had my heart. Noah didn’t look too happy. I’m sure he thought I was having a good time, but I tried to communicate how much I wished I was dancing with him instead. That look in his eyes said it all: he longed for me just as much as I longed for him.

The song soon ended and transitioned to a medley of echoing cello strings that were slow and seductive. Sean Ryan was singing a beautiful track that was produced by one of my favorite trance artists, ATB. It was an acoustic cover of the song, “All I Need Is You.” Sean’s voice gave me goose bumps as the lyrics touched me to the core.I felt a little sad because I wanted Noah’s hands on my body—just the two of us, alone, dancing under the stars. Everyone and everything had faded away, as we both stared at each other, telepathically communicating what our hearts and bodies so desperately desired to convey. I was falling in love with the song and decided to add it to my own personal bucket list dedicated to everything that I wanted to do with Noah before I died: dance to my favorite slow jam.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Discovery

The night had finally come to a close. What Aria had expected to be a dull and uneventful evening had turned out to be the exact opposite. She and Noah were standing in the foyer talking to Ryan while Vanessa cleaned up in the kitchen. But little did they know that someone was keeping a watchful eye on them. She noticed the flirtatious way they interacted with one another once the last guest had left. She observed the way Aria intertwined her fingers in Noah’s before he pulled her in his arms and kissed her on the lips, slow and sensually. Vienna’s heart dropped as she held back a gasp and clasped her hand over her mouth. Quick to flee the scene of horror, she raced into the kitchen and tried to calm down.

“Vanessa, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The blonde bombshell finished putting a load into the dishwasher and smiled at her sister. “What’s up?”

“Stop what you’re doing and come with me.”

---