Em," Zane says as he walks in sync next to me, his arm wrapped around Maggie's shoulder as we walk further down the block to Luke's bar. I'm still shocked that I let Maggie rope me into this, but I'm kidding myself if I think she's the reason I'm going.

I'm going because ever since he invited me to come, my stomach has been flip flopping at the thought of getting to see him again. I have come to accept that I am in complete ruins because of him. He's taken over all my thoughts. I am completely consumed by him.

"Emery, nervous?" Maggie asks with a teasing tone as she peers over at me. "Never."

I roll my eyes, waving her off. "Shut up."

"It's okay to be nervous," Zane tells me, nudging my side. "He'll think it's sweet."

"I'm sure." I sigh as I run my fingers through my straightened hair, twirling the flat end around the tip of my finger. The closer we get to the bar, the heavier my chest feels as the crisp winter air hits my skin. "God, why am I so nervous?"

Maggie gives me a knowing look as she grins at me. "Because you like him."

"I never felt like this when I was around Charlie."

"Charlie wasn't real," Zane says. "He was a first boyfriend. Not a lasting one."

I narrow my eyes in his direction, fighting off a laugh trying to bubble up to the surface. In all the time I've lived across the hall from Luke, never have I see the same woman twice. A lasting relationship seems impossible for him. He continuously chooses to be unattached, and I don't blame him. It's easier to protect yourself that way.

"He's right, you know," Maggie says as she untangles from Zane and digs through her purse for her wallet when we reach the entrance of the bar. I swallow the lump in my throat as I slide my hand into my back pocket, fishing my driver's license out as we get in line.

"There's more people here than I expected," Zane says, leaning out of the line to take in the amount of people waiting to get in. "Have you ever seen him play before?" he asks, his question directed towards me, but before I can answer it, someone dressed in plaid and denim approaches me from the sidewalk, uttering the nickname only one person has ever used for me.

"4A?"

I narrow my eyes as I turn my attention toward him. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry," he says as he holds his hands up. "You are Emery though, right?"

I look to Zane who shrugs his shoulders in response, before giving him an answer. "Yes, I'm Emery..." I tell him, though part of me is worried I shouldn't.

"Great," he says. "Luke sent me out to look for you. He told me to look for the stand-offish blonde with pretty blue eyes."

I roll my eyes. "Of course, he did."

"You three can come with me," he says. "Your name is on the list."

"I don't know," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "I think, I changed my mind about coming to this."

"She's kidding," Maggie says as she grabs my arm, pulling me out of line. Plaid shirt doesn't think much of it, instead showing us to the front of the line where we're let in without a word, bypassing the whole line. As I walk into the open bar, I realize Luke's a bigger deal than I realized. His face front and center on all the posters stuck to the wall at the entrance. The band name—Rocksalt—spray painted across the wall behind it.

"Enjoy the show," plaid shirt says before heading towards the stage, likely to finish setting up. My stomach turning as I take in the amount of people, all here to see Luke and his band. I try to keep the surprise off my face as Maggie tightens her grasp on my arm.

"This is so cool!" she excitedly tells me, a little jump in her step.

"It's packed," I say as I press tighter to her side.

"Why don't the two of you go find us a spot to watch from and I'll get us some drinks," Zane offers, sheltering us from the push and pull of the crowd. "Any requests?"

"Just water, please," I say as Maggie gives her usual order of club soda and vodka, this time minus the vodka.

"You sure, Em?" Zane asks, taking my nod as another confirmation before pushing his way towards the bar at the back of the crowd. Maggie moves her hand down my arm until our fingers are tangled together and our arms are hooked.

"You sure you just want water?" she asks as we push toward one of the tables on the edge of the pit. "A little alcohol may help you relax."

I nod my head. "I'm okay."

"If you're sure," she says as we reach an empty table, each settling on one of the high bar stools as the crowd cheers in unison. I turn my head and find Luke walking on stage with four other guys, each of them settling with their instrument as Luke tosses his guitar strap over his head and takes his place at the microphone. "Damn," Maggie mumbles under her breath. "He looks good up there."

"Mags!"

"What?" She gasps. "I can look! I just can't touch."

I roll my eyes in her direction before turning my attention back to the stage, my heart stopping in my chest when I meet Luke's eyes. His lips curl up as he lifts his hand, giving me the smallest of waves in greeting and restarting my heart. I can't help but feel my cheeks warm as I return the gesture, suddenly unable to breathe as I sit up a little straighter.

"Screwed..." Maggie sings in my ear.

"Shut up."

"That's him, right?" Zane asks, rejoining us as he sets Maggie's glass down in front of her and offers me the bottle of water before taking a sip of his beer.

"It is," Maggie answers for me. "I think, our sweet Emmy is a little starstruck."

"I can see that" Zane says as I wave them off.

Luke greets the crowd with as much energy as they give and introduces the show with what seems to be a fan favorite. I try my hardest to just listen to the music but can't help feeling warm all over as I watch him on stage. He's a rockstar. His voice coating me in warmth like honey, leaving me immensely thankful for the dark lighting and the fact that my friends can't see my physical reaction.

I press my lips together as the next song starts and every nerve in my body falls still. My throat tight as I take in the lyrics of the song, and the longer I listen, the more significant they become because it's not just some song. It's our song. The secret details of our first night together as my heart races. It feels intimate. More intimate than anything that's ever happened between us. Like he's speaking in code only I can understand.

"They're good," Zane says, bobbing his head along to the song that has me going into cardiac arrest. My body frozen in awe.

Maggie hums next to him. "Really good."

"Yeah," I say softly, curling my fingers into the dark fabric of my top. I feel exposed, like everyone is staring at me and knows the truth of the lyric. I know it's not true, because that night was just for us. No one knows but me, and it should settle the fear in my heart. Instead, it has my thoughts racing further.

"You okay?" Zane asks when he sees me tense next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say and press my fingers into my chest. "I think I've changed my mind about the alcohol."

"What do you want? I'll go grab it for you," he says, standing to his full height between Maggie and I. My lips curl up at the kind offer as I rest my hand on his forearm, slipping off the bar stool.

"It's okay. I've got it," I tell him, slipping out of my coat and resting it around the back of the bar stool. "I'll be back."

The bar feels further away than it is and by the time I get to it, I feel too confided in a tight space. My heart never settling as I push my way to the washroom, leaning into the wall when I finally get a moment of silence. Or as much silence as I'm going to get.

I don't know how long I stand there, trying to stop the room from spinning, but when I hear his voice it ignites the bones in my body. "Trying to escape before I can ask you what you think?" Luke asks, settling my heart as I lean my head against the wall and turn to meet his gaze.

"No," I say, pressing my fingers against the wall behind my back to ensure I have something solid around me. "Just needed to catch my breath."

"So, what you're saying is I left you speechless?" he asks with a smirk.

I roll my eyes as I suppress the smile wanting to creep up down. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Not quite there yet?" He smiles. "So? Don't leave me in suspense, 4A. What did you think?" he asks, inching closer to me.

I turn to face him, leaning my shoulder into the wall. "You have posters with your face on them," I say, not giving into his question.

A laugh that coats my body in chills falls from his lips. "We play here regularly."

"Lucky."

He nods. "You didn't answer my question."

"What was the question again?" I ask, having completely forgotten with the hair of space between us. I reach for my sleeve, wishing I had worn a long sleeve instead of the tank top and jeans. When I come up short, I reach for a piece of my hair and try not to take notice to how good he looks in the dimly light hallway. The sweat from the stage lights clinging to his skin.

"What did you think?"

I tilt my head back, holding his gaze as I drop my hand to my side. "It seems your writer's block is gone."

"Yeah, I guess it is," he says with a smile. "Did you like the song?"

"You're not going to even try and hide that you wrote a song about me?" I ask, slightly taken back that he didn't try to brush it under the rug.

"Should I?" He raises an eyebrow. "I mean, I did invite you here. I kind of figured you were going to know it's about you and I was hoping you would hear it."

"Fair enough." I smile softly.

"So?"

My lips curl up more as I say, "I like the song."

"I'm glad," he says. "I see you brought Maggie with you."

I nod. "And Zane."

"I'm glad you came," he says and I see his hand before feeling his fingers as they brush over my wrist. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Please."

His fingers slip between the gapes of mine, pulling me toward him as he takes steps back to the crowd. The ice in my veins warming as he guides me towards the bar, resting our hands behind him as he steps up to the bar. I should be thinking about something, anything else, but I can't. It's all him.

Luke wrote a song about me.

He didn't just write a song for me. He poured himself into a song. One about out night together, the taste of vanilla and the sound of bubble wrap. It holds more truth in it than I want to admit, but can't not face. It meant something.

"What do you want?" Luke asks, peering over his shoulder at me as he leans into the counter top. I take a step closer and press to his side, not yet ready to lose his warmth.

"What's good?"

Luke laughs. "You're not that helpful, you know that?"

"I aim to disappoint," I say with a smile.

"I don't know how anyone could possibly be disappointed by you," he admits as he waves the bartender over. Being the hot shot he is, he immediately gets the bartenders attention and after a quick back and forth, he offers me a beer bottle. "For you."

"Thank you." I take the chilled bottle from him, brushing my thumb over the paper label.

"You look cute, by the way," he says, hooking his finger in the loop of my high waist jeans. "I don't think I've ever seen you in jeans before."

My lips curl up. "I'm more of a dress pants kind of girl."

"Equally as sexy," he hums as he offers me his hand again. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the band."

"Okay," I say, resting my free hand in his as he guides me towards the far end of the bar where the guys from stage are gathered around one of the pool tables.

"Hey guys," Luke says, pulling me to stand in front of him "This is Emery."

"Bubble wrap girl!" The pale blond who was playing the drums on stage grins as he jumps up, offering me his hand. "I have to say thank you. You got Luke's mojo back."

My eyebrows knot together as I look at Luke. "Bubble wrap girl?"

"The song is called bubble wrap," Luke informs me.

"And you said there couldn't be a song about bubble wrap."

"What can I say?" he says, shrugging his shoulders. "You sparked an idea. Anyway, 4A, these are my bandmates. Jace is our drummer," he says, pointing the blond out. "Nick is on keys." He redirects my attention to the brooding brunet in the corner. "Matt, our lead guitarist and Caleb, our bass player," he says, finishing his introduces with the two still engrossed in their game of pool.

"And you already know our front man," Jace says with a knowing grin and I can't help the blush that creeps onto my skin at the wide spread of knowledge.

"You can go ahead and ignore him, Emery," Caleb tells me. "Jace likes to act like he knows what he's talking about but he almost never does.

A laugh falls from my lips as I sidestep, moving to Luke's side. "What exactly have you told them about me?"

"Only good things." Luke grins. "I promise."

I hum. "I'm sure."

"Em!" The nickname earns my attention as I turn, spotting Maggie making her way through the crowd with my jacket over her arm. I reach for Luke's arm, squeezing it softly as a sign I'll be right back as I move towards her.

"Hey! Sorry, Luke found me," I tell her. "Where's Zane?"

"That's actually what I was coming to find you about. He got called into work, so we have to head out. Did you want a ride home or..." She trails off as her eyes move behind me toward Luke behind me.

I press my lips together as I turn my head to find the group back in their conversation, but Luke turns his head, almost like he can feel my gaze on him. He flashes me a small smile, the kind only meant for me before going back to his bandmates.

"You know what? I think, I'll stay."

Maggie smiles. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she says and steps forward, wrapping her arms around me before offering me my coat. "Have fun, but not too much and make sure to text me when you get home safe."

"I will," I say, holding my coat to my chest. "Bye Mags."

"Bye Em," she says, waving at me as she pushes her way back through the crowd. I'm left watching her as I come aware of my choice in staying. I don't know what I'm doing, but I do know I'm not ready to leave yet.