Page 93 of Something Spontaneous

At this moment, the entire crowd has their eyes glued to the stage as the final act of the weekend performs their big finale. Me, though, I’m focused on the girl standing in front of me. I’ve had my arms wrapped around her every second of the weekend. It might be in my head, but I swear I’ve felt her slip away from me with each hour that ticks away, even as my grip on her tightens.

We’ve spent every waking moment together. Hell, we’ve even spent the ones we weren’t awake together, too. One minute it feels like she’s withdrawing into herself and running from something—maybe me—and then the next, she’s asking if I’ve ever been to this National Park here or this lake there. Obviously, the answer is no, and while she won’t outright say it, there’s a nagging glimmer of hope growing in the back of my mind that she might want us—or some version of us—to exist beyond this weekend.

That’s why I don’t bat an eye about going to yet another after-party tonight. Even though I’m exhausted, Josie and Grace have talked nonstop about how this one is always the best. So, yes, I didn’t hesitate to say I’d go.

To be fair, with the festival outfits Josie has been wearing all weekend, I would do literally anything she asked me to. From the glitter on her cheeks, making her impossibly bright smile even harder to resist, to her sparkly hot pants and tattered fishnet top with nothing else on but some pasties, my brain has struggled to get enough blood to think straight because it keeps going to my aching cock. My heart has continually worked hard to maintain blood flow that I am confident it can probably handle any stress test I might ever have to take.

When the last fireworks flicker down toward the horizon, and the sound of the crowd dulls to a buzz, I don’t move. I stay put, even when it’s just me, with Josie held to my chest. TJ, Grace, my brother, and Kelsey linger near the stage. It has nothing to do with how my leg, despite my insistence that it’s fine, has been bothering me since this morning. It has everything to do with just wanting more time close to her.

“That was so freaking fun! I can’t believe how good they were. That was a whole vibe.” She turns in my arms to look up at me. From her smile, to the sparkle in her eyes matching the glitter that’s slowly starting to fleck off her cheeks, she’s radiant. I’m grateful I could be here to see it.

A laugh works its way up my chest. “Yeah, you’ve said that about a dozen times today.”

She bats at my chest but leaves her splayed fingers over the spot exposed by my V-neck shirt. Our eyes drift to the spot of that contact before she smirks back up at me. “Are you ready to go to the party?”

I nod. “Ready as ever.”

“Can you guys get a room?” Sutton chimes in. “Otherwise, I think there’s a party to get to.”

Josie and I both shoot him an annoyed glare. I consider giving him shit, but Josie does it for me. “You’re one to talk, Mr. No-Filter-PDA-Extraordinaire.”

He laughs. “There it is. I was wondering how long it would take for you two to start talking like each other again.”

“Be nice, you big dork,” Kelsey says, like she’s scolding the toddler that is my older brother. She grabs his hand and starts walking backwards, pulling him in the direction, away from the stage, toward the Earth SnaX tent. “Now, come on. Let’s go. I hear there’s a dessert bar with your name on it.”

He clutches his chest dramatically with his free hand. “Ah, you really do love me—using sweets to manipulate me to do your bidding.”

He starts to follow her lead until I hold a hand up.

“Wait a minute,” I say, grabbing my phone from my pocket as TJ and Grace join us. Josie gives me a funny look, and I smirk back. “What? I wanted another selfie.”

She huffs a laugh and rolls her eyes. “Still not sure I’m used to the word selfie coming out of Sly Sterling’s mouth.”

We all huddle together, and courtesy of my height, I extend an arm to take the perfect selfie of the six of us. I want to remember this because I can’t recall the last time I was this comfortable in a group setting.

“Alright, last one there buys the first round,” Grace says, smirking as she loops her elbow into her husband’s and drags him along.

“I’m pretty sure the drinks are free thanks to Veronica,” TJ says, locked in step with her. They’re an amusing contrast to my brother and Kelsey, who Sutton willingly follows like she’s holding an invisible leash.

“Oh no,” I say to Josie, shaking my head. “No need to drag me. I’ll follow you any time.”

She smiles, but I doubt it’s because she understands that I’ll always want to follow her after I made the mistake of not doing that years ago. Slowly, we tag along behind the group as they follow the snaking crowd working toward the exit of the festival grounds. I’m more than happy to bring up the rear of the group because I can be handsier with Josie and take my time walking.

On cue, she falls in beside me and matches my pace. That’s been a recurring theme all weekend. She’s never once said anything about my leg, but I know she’s been concerned about it. From asking if I needed a break to sit down in the backstage VIP lounge TJ hooked us up with, to how she called it an early night last night after she noticed me fidgeting with my liner. While I don’t like attention because of my leg, I appreciate that she hasn’t made her concerns obvious or drawn attention to me, probably because she knows that I’m stubborn and have gone out of my way to say that I’m fine. I can tell it’s simply because she cares.

We continue walking behind the group with that comfort, and I weave my fingers into hers, bringing back so many memories of walks growing up. We don’t say very much, and I get the feeling that she’s thinking about the same thing I am—what happens tomorrow when we get back to Sterling Springs?

I try to ignore that and instead enjoy the cool night breeze that wafts some of her piña colada scent my way. Even after a weekend in her van—which does conveniently have a shower that’s a tad small for someone my size—that heavenly scent has followed her. Having her pressed against me in the tight crowds these past few days, that body wash will either ruin piña coladas for me forever, or make them my new favorite drink.

We continue like this, enjoying the silence together, walking past the smaller stages already being dismantled. I see the path off to the side that leads to the festival campgrounds, where her van is parked in the spot next to Grace and TJ’s. She must catch me looking, because she steps in front of me and stops.

“Are you okay?” Her voice is still so energetic, even if it’s a bit hoarse from cheering and trying to talk over the crowd all weekend. Even with that grittiness, I catch an inkling of concern. More than that, I see her brows knit together, a crease forming between them.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply, trying to force a confident smile. Judging by the way she cocks a hip out and arches a brow, I wasn’t convincing.

I groan. “I swear, I’m okay.” I tilt my head toward my brother and our friends as they get further ahead. “Let’s catch up and get to the party.”

“Sly,” she says, folding her arms over her chest. “I know you better than anyone else. What’s wrong?”