Page 100 of The Heart Breaker

Worth it.

Every fucking cent.

Halfway through the set, I realize I’m actually having a good time.

Which is annoying as hell.

I really thought I’d hate this and honestly didn’t care if I did, because I knew Aurora would be into it, but the place is drowned in blue lights, the bass loud enough that I can feel it in my ribs, and the songs are actually good. Their music’s dark and gritty, and their stage presence is also really good.

I get why she likes them.

I’m still never admitting that out loud.

I glance down at her beside me for the umpteenth time. I swear I’ve spent more time watching her than the band. She knows every word. Every lyric, every beat as she sings along, having the best time.

And every time she turns to look at me with that huge smile on her face, something in my chest pulls.

I’ve had my hand on Aurora’s waist most of the night. At first it was just to keep some drunk idiot from slamming into her every five seconds, but at some point it stopped being about that. I just like touching her. Luckily, she hasn’t complained. If anything, she keeps leaning back into me.

When the next song starts, she whips around, her eyes widening. “This is my favorite song,” she yells over the music.

I dip my head closer. “You said that about every single song they’ve played.”

She grins up at me, her eyes shining and way too fucking pretty. “I know.”

I huff out a laugh, then glance up, just as some guy a little taller than me shoves his way into the space in front of us, blocking the view.

Aurora lifts onto her toes, trying to look around him, but the guy’s built like a wall. I watch the excitement on her face slip into annoyance, and I let out a breath and step closer, tapping her hip.

She turns to me, and I jerk my chin down as I crouch a little. “Get on.”

She just stares at me, her lips parting. “You’re joking.”

“Just get up here before I change my mind,” I grumble.

Her lips curl slowly into the prettiest smile, and she lets out a little laugh as she climbs onto my back, swinging her legs over my shoulders.

I straighten with her on me and shift her up a little higher, and she lets out a small breath against my ear as her arms slide to my hair to hold on.

“You good?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “Very.”

She throws her arms up when the chorus kicks in and all I can hear is her singing, her voice slightly rough because she’s yelling the lyrics and doesn’t care who hears her.

A couple of songs later, she taps my shoulder, and I bend enough for her to slide down, settling her in front of me, my hands settling on her hips.

A smile pulls at my lips, and I’m so glad she’s facing away from me or else I wouldn’t even know how to explain this. I don’t even know what this is. I’m just… fuck. I’m happy.

By the time the band plays their last song and disappears offstage, Aurora’s voice is wrecked and my ears are ringing.

“That was—” She turns to me, her hair a mess and her mascara smudged under her eyes, but grinning so hard it’s impossible not to look at her. “The best concert ever.”

“They were alright,” I say with a shrug, placing my hand at the small of her back while we move with the crowd toward the exit.

She plants a hand on my chest, shoves me, and narrows her eyes. “I know you liked them.”

“I liked that it ended before I went deaf.”