But this time I track the movement, and the breath leaves my chest because it's her. It's Annabelle. She's got a beer in her hand, her head thrown back in laughter as she speaks to a friend. And I'm frozen in my tracks. I can't stop drinking in the sight of her, from the way her hair is flowing down her back to the way the sleeveless dress she's wearing shows a peek of the poetic tattoo that's on the back of her shoulder. I was there when she got that tattoo—I held her hand.
Jesus, she's beautiful, and it's like the world has color in it again. The same way that I forgot the beauty of this festival, I forgot the way she's delicate, one curve slipping into the next in perfect harmony. She glances in my direction and she catches me staring, point blank. There's no point in trying to hide it. I was.
She freezes for a second before giving me a hesitant smile and a wave. I wave back. What do I do? Do I go up and talk to her? Do I run away? I haven't felt this unsure of something since I first asked her out forever and a day ago. One thing’s for sure, I want to talk to her. Scratch that, I want to walk up and kiss her senseless and pretend like the last eight years didn't unfold the way they did. Wishful thinking.
I start walking toward her and thank God she starts walking toward me too, meeting me in the middle.
She takes a sip of her beer and smiles. "Been a long time since we've seen you around here, cowboy."
"Cowboy?" I raise an eyebrow. "Not sure the term fits."
"Ah, right. It's city boy now, isn't it. Or rich boy.” It’s a statement. Not a question.
I shrug. "Maybe. But you know you can never really take the country out of someone."
"That's true," she says, gesturing to herself and laughing. "Look at me."
"How are you, Anna?" I try to ignore the fact that I sound wistful, and push down the fact that it seems like my entire world hinges on her answer. I glance at her left hand, wrapped around the bottle, and the relief of not seeing a ring there is painful. Odds are my friends would have told me if she had gotten married, but still, I feel like I can breathe again.
"I'm good. I can't complain. It's a beautiful day, there's good music and good friends." She winks at me. For just a brief second I think I notice sadness in her face and in her eyes, but then it’s gone again and she has that sweet smile on her face.
"What have you done since...you know." Even though everyone tried to tell me about her life, I didn’t listen. I didn’t think that she’d want me to. Now that I’m standing in front of her, I wish I had soaked up every little bit of information that I could about her just so I’d know exactly what to say.
She smiles, and her eyes are sparkling, almost like she's amused that I can’t—or won’t—mention our break-up. "The same thing that I've always done," she says. "Try to follow in Mom and Dad's footsteps with my music. And when I'm not doing that, I'm the manager at the bookstore in town. We've really turned it into something. You should stop by while you're here."
She worked at the bookstore when she came home from school on breaks. I do my best to hide my surprise that she’s still working there. “I’ll make sure that I do."
* * *
I thought I'd look forward to a year of faceless-fun.
But when I close my eyes, there's only one face I see.
The girl that got away.
I'd kill for a second chance with her. So when we run into each other at a music festival, I know what I have to do.
Two weeks.
That's all I have to win her back.
I won't waste my last chance.
Keep reading RICH GROOM here!
Filthy Boss
Her Dad’s Friend
The Virgin Intern
Her Dirty Professor
The Pool Boy
Get Me Off
Caught Together
Selling Out to the Billionaire
Falling for the Babysitter
Lip Service
Full Service
Expert Service
The Billionaire’s Virgin
The Billionaire’s Secret Babies
Her Best Friend’s Dad
Own Me
The Billionaire’s Gamble
Seven Days With Her Boss
Virgin in the Middle
The Virgin Promise
First and Last
Tease
Bang
Second Chance Stepbrother
Dirty Promise
Sext
Quickie
Bed Shaker
Deep in You
The Billionaire’s Toy
Buying the Bride
Dating My Friend’s Daughter
Big Man
Trapped with My Teacher
My 5 Bosses
Good Girls Say Yes
His Big Offer
Dangerous Love
The Roommate’s Baby
Perfect Boss
Cowboy Husband
Knocked Up By Her Brother’s Enemy
Flirt
Lust
The Wife Arrangement
Big Mountain
The Baby Maker’s Club
Prom King
The Single Dad Arrangement
Getting Her Back
Hate to Lose You
Drink Me Up
For Her
For Us
Valentine’s Day Virgin
She Is Mine: Prequel to the Billionaire’s CamGirl
The Billionaire’s CamGirl
His Shy Virgin
Good Time Doctor
Basket Stuffer
Wife for Now
Rich Groom