She’s yet to mention what might happen after she graduates. It’s nearing the end of April, so we only have a couple months until she’s finished with school here. I know she doesn’t know where she’ll be, but offers should start coming in after her performance next month.
I don’t want to stress her out with everything she has on her plate right now, so I haven’t broached the topic, but I know it’s on her mind. It has to be. I know she loves me, but I wonder what she’s thinking and what she wants, because I’m so clear with what I want.
Max has really stepped up and gotten the bar under control since I brought him on as manager. I’m confident with leaving him in charge if I have to move. It’s the best situation for the time being, but she has no idea that’s the reason why I promoted him.
Tonight, Max has arranged for one of the bands Gavin represents to put on a concert at the bar, and Candace agreed to come along. We met up this morning for a quick run, but then I had to spend the day up at work. I left a little while ago to go pick her up since she left her car at my place last night.
When I get to her house and walk into her room, my stomach drops. There are a few cardboard boxes packed up with her belongings. I wanna ask her. I wanna know where we stand in the mix of everything that is about to happen, but that’s gonna be a long conversation that we don’t have time for right now.
“Babe, you ready?” I ask, no longer wanting to think about any of this shit.
“Yeah, I just need to grab my jacket.”
As she walks into her closet, I feel like I should prepare her for what the bar will be like tonight, so I tell her, “So, it’s going to be busy. A lot busier than the past few times you’ve been. You sure you’re okay with that?”
Walking out of the closet, she looks at me and says, “I mean, if it’s too much then I can always go upstairs until you’re ready to leave.”
Grabbing her hand and yanking her flush against me, I suggest, “Or we could just stay here and break in your bed a bit more,” remembering our sweaty sex session this morning after our run.
“I think we should go now and break in the bed later,” she says with a blushing smile.
Leaning down, I playfully nip on her lips before we head up to the bar.
The place is packed when we arrive. We park out front, and Candace eyes the crowd of people waiting to get in. Walking to the door, Max sees us and comes to Candace’s side, holding on to her as he walks us in. I keep her hand in mine, and she grips it tightly as Max leads us through the throngs of people. The band is already playing, and the music blasts through the building as we round the back of the bar and spot Jase, Mark, Gavin, and a few of our other friends.
“Hey, guys,” Jase hollers and then takes Candace in his arms. I watch as he orders them some shots, and I call out to Mel for a beer.
We have this area cornered off, so Candace is relaxed with it only being our friends around her. I hang out and bullshit with Gavin and Mark while Jase and Candace take their shots and start goofing around with each other.
After a while, I turn to see Candace chatting with Mel who is working behind the bar. They’ve started talking on the phone, and the two of them have gotten together to hang out a couple of times. I know Mel is going through some shit, but Candace says that she isn’t letting it take too much out of her. It’s great that the two of them are starting to become friends and to see Candace coming out of her shell a little bit more.
A couple hours pass, and Max leaves us when the band takes a break. I catch Candace standing a few feet away from me, leaning over the bar, whispering something to Mel and making her laugh. She looks incredible in her dark jeans, fitted grey v-neck sweater, and her hair pulled up on top of her head from the heat of all the people in here tonight. She’s simple and stunning. She doesn’t even have to try, she just is. When she turns and catches me ogling her, she shoots me a smile before walking over to me and into my arms.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Staring,” I give her blatantly as I lower my lips to hers.
She smiles up at me, and the band returns to the stage, playing their next set. It’s loud when I tell her, “Hey, I need to run up to my office to grab some papers for Mel before I forget. Do you want to stay down here?”
“I’ll go with you,” she shouts over the music.
Max hasn’t come back, so I grip her hand and pull her in close as I start pushing us through the crowd. She clings tightly to me as we bump shoulders with nearly everyone we pass, and I know she must be freaking out with the contact. I pull her a little when I feel her stumble, but then her body goes rigid and she starts shuffling back against my hold.
“What are you doing?” I holler over the crowd.
Her eyes are focused on something, but I can’t figure out what it is in this chaos. She tugs against my arm, and when I turn, she falls out of my hold and onto the floor. Terror streaks across her face, and she panics, stumbling back on her hands. I grab her, and when she makes it to her feet, she turns and starts to bolt. Quickly, I link my arm around her waist from behind, leaning over her shoulder, shouting, “Babe, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Jack!” she yells in a panic, trying to pry my hands off of her to get away.
“Who?”
“Get me out of here!” she shrieks, thrashing to get out of my hold. “I can’t breathe! Get me out of here!”
I don’t even question her; I tuck her under my arm and rush her, as fast as I can, to the door. Spotting Jase through the mass of people, I call out to him, “Jase!” but I don’t wait to see if he heard me or not because all I’m focused on is getting Candace out. She has her hands clutched to my arms that are holding on to her.