Page 92 of Don't Think

“Thank you, Boston!” the lead singer, Taylor, yells into the mic while their drummer hammers out one last blast from the kick pedals.

Allie turns and flashes me a grin. “They were good!” she shouts over the noise of the crowd as conversations start picking up around us again.

I lean down, and instantly have to mentally kick myself.

She’s so close. Andgoddamn, is it getting harder to keep my hands to myself. My fingers twitch with the urge to brush the hair from her forehead, maybe press a quick kiss to her cheek. But I can’t yet.

Instead, I lean close to her ear and say, “Yeah, they’re great.”

We all head toward the bar, and thankfully, most of the crowd sticks around by the stage, waiting for the headliner. The floor’s sticky under the soles of my boots as we walk, and I’m hit with a flashback to the last time we were here.

“Good thing there were no injuries this time,” I joke with a chuckle.

Allie looks up at me, eyes going wide before she swats my arm playfully. “Yeah, I wonder if the lead singer would call it out over the mic. I heard a band did that once,” she shoots back with a grin.

We finally make it to the bar, and I lean against it, the cool wood pressing against my elbows.

“Yeah, I heard they later fell in love. It’s a pretty wild story, if you ask me,” I murmur, just loud enough for only her to hear.

Before she can respond, Nora suddenly rushes up, announcing, “Bathroom break!”

She barrels toward us, already swaying slightly.

I tried to tell Gareth not to let her drink during the last intermission… but here we are.

Nora grabs Allie’s arm, tugging at it, but she doesn’t budge. She stays planted next to me with her eyebrows drawn together.

“Come with me? I don’t wanna go alone,” Nora whines.

Ana steps in then, linking her arm with Nora’s and gently pulling her away. “Come on, girl. I’ll go with you,” she says, flashing a smile and guiding Nora toward the restrooms.

Nora protests, whining that she wants Allie to go with her, but Ana just drags her away like a toddler.

Best wing woman ever.

I turn back to Allie and catch her smirking. Then I realize we’re finally alone—even if it’s for a minute. The only person nearby is Gareth, but he’s too busy talking to BearPaw’s guitarist to notice us.

I lean in close, my voice low against her ear. “I’ve wanted to kiss you all night. It’s driving me crazy.”

She giggles, quickly scanning the room to make sure no one’s close. Then, standing on her toes, she leans into my ear. “Then do it. But make it quick.”

I raise a brow, grinning. “I can make it quick,” I tease, just as my hand moves to the back of her neck, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I pull her toward me and press my lips lightly to hers. The warmth spreads through my chest as the butterflies go crazy like they always do.

When I slowly pull away, her eyes are still closed, the biggest smile dancing on her lips, still partway puckered.

“Again?” I ask softly. She nods eagerly, her eyes still closed, and I can’t help but laugh.

I bend down and quickly press our lips together again, and she smiles against my mouth, feeling the corners of her mouth twitch.

“Hey man! Oh, sorry—”

I quickly pull away, my hand falling from the back of Allie’s neck, heart slamming in my chest, while I slowly turn around. Then I sigh in relief.

It’s just Taylor.Thank fucking God.

Ana and Nora return from the bathroom, giggling their way over before stopping beside us.